This is a beginners' question - how do people write a mixture of English and Chinese characters when they post to this forum?

I usually use the Mac for Chinese (have got Windows too). I know how to change the preferred language for the OS between German and Chinese, but it takes time to switch (I use the flag icon in the bar at the top of the screen, but still).

Is there a quicker way of switching?

TIA

Margaret

I use the google language bar. The key board short cut to activate it is holding Shift and Alt at the same time.

You can download the language bar here: http://www.google.com/intl/zh-CN/ime/pinyin/

This allows me to easily switch from typing with latin letters to Chinese characters.

Alex

Zeppa, you can enable a keyboard shortcut to do it. Click the flag at the top, and then select the bottom most option (the one to do with language). Then click keyboard shortcuts, and scroll down to find the one to do with switching between languages. I've set mine as cmd-x which is convenient and doesn't involve keyboard gymnastics.

Once you know how to do the switch, you can install other IME such as FIT : http://funinput.com/

Much better than the OSX one and support both trad and simp.

Thanks, all very useful. It sounds as if the keyboard shortcut is the way to go in the short term, but I will investigate the other two suggestions too.

But I can't work out how to set the shortcut. Mac OS is in English. Click flag - Open language & text - Input sources tab - input source shortcuts are greyed out, but in any case they don't change the input source (cmd + space, cmd + option + space).

Where do I put my own shortcut in?

If I click on the Google Toolbar link, it takes me to a page all in Chinese characters except for the words Microsoft Windows!

You know the option menu where you can select to use English/German/Chinese etc? On that page on the bottom right click 'keyboard shortcuts'. You'll see a list of keyboard shortcuts. The one to switch between languages is most of the way down that list.

The google IME louis mentioned isn't for mac. Only windows.

Thanks, Byzanti - I see it now. Do I need to have only two options available, i.e. Chinese and German? (I live in Germany so I use a German keyboard for the umlauts) I have checked:
pinyin simplified
wubi hua
Macpinyin

can't remember why, e.g. wubi hua means nothing to me...
Because the two shortcuts are to go to last input method and next input method.

Yes, I had a funny feeling that Google toolbar was for Windows.

You just need one Chinese input enabled. I'm not entirely sure what the English name is, but the one you'll need is called 'something ABC' and is under 'Simplified Chinese'.

Wubi is another way to enter Chinese (you don't type pinyin using this one). You don't need it.

As for cycling through them with the shortcut, I guess that's what you'll have to do. I just have English/Chinese so there's not any real cycling as such...

Edit: You don't just have to have two. You can have as many different languages/inputs as you want...

Thanks again. Yes, I know I can have more, it will just be simpler with two. German and Simplified Chinese is enough.
My problem is that when I use the default key combination, Spotlight pops up. But I will work that out for myself later. It's enough to know that there are shortcuts. I now have German and Simplified Chinese - pinyin. Can't find any ABC. But Tortue recommended installing something else.

OK, I've got it. I had to uncheck the cmd + space and alt + cmd + space for Spotlight (a default, I suppose) and later add it back for Text. It works now!

I don't recommend installing Torture's one. I just tried it, and other than freezing my mac when enabled, I've now restarted the mac and I'm getting error messages coming up every 5 seconds. Sigh. There's another one called QIM which is supposed to be good.

However, if you're just doing the occasional bit, then the default mac one is fine.

OK, thanks. Or indeed 谢谢.

Torture is good. I think Tortue is French for a turtle dove, whereas torture is something else. Thanks for trying it.

Sorry no - a tortoise.

Tortoise indeed (龜) :)

I had no problem with FIT so far (using it for years now). QIM is also excellent but not free!

@Zeppa: The advantage of using Google/FIT/QIM is that it makes the typing MUCH faster as the IME are smarter (to type "我不知道" just need to type "WBZD") and it learns the way you write, which words your are using (for some people XX would be 謝謝 but for some other it would be 休息...etc)

Sorry about the name :p. Which version of OSX are you running? I'm on Leopard. I'm wondering if it's too old (it's not that old...).

Thanks, Tortue - this is something I will need in future, I think. will look into it.

Using the latest version of Snow Leopard (10.7.7 I think)

Only kind of related and pretty obvious, but maybe it'll be useful for some people. If You're serious about studying and/or know You'll stick with the language for some time, consider buying a pc/laptop in japan/china with japanese/chinese keyboard. Those two additional buttons on the sides of my spacebar used for switching between languages make a WORLD of difference when it comes to easily and quickly switching between languages when typing. I know it doesn't seem like a big difference from reaching to shift+〜 or something like that, but in practice it does. You can switch even with your pinky while your other fingers already move to the letter keys.

Kansuke, or just get a mac where you can set up any key on the keyboard to do it :p. And switches without lag too.

The problem is just that the Windows implementation is rubbish.

Precisely talking about a Mac :) Didn't know You can set up different keys though, never needed to do it ;p

And Windows sucks at this, totally.