electronic dictionaries and keyboards

[Paul B. Gallagher]

Taya Kitaysky wrote:

> Hello,
> 
> Could someone please let me know what the best Russian word 
> processor/Cyrillic keyboard is? On that note, is there a good
> electronic Russian dictionary that comes in its own mobile device out
> there? Basically, I would love to know about any gadgets Russian
> translators have found particularly helpful.

If you're running Windows, recent versions (at least as far back as 
Win2K) have built-in Cyrillic capability that you need only activate 
through the Regional Settings part of Control Panel. Having done so, you 
can then type in all applications using whichever keyboard you select at 
the given moment. So if you think MS Word is the best word processor, 
that works, and if you prefer some other program, that works, too. I 
routinely type Cyrillic in Word, Excel, Internet Explorer, SeaMonkey (a 
Mozilla mail/browser suite), Notepad, and so forth using the same 
Cyrillic keyboard provided by Windows to all applications.

As for dictionaries, there are many, but the one that comes with MS 
Office is a good start. Others here are more qualified to comment on 
which is best. But you should know that if you toggle between keyboards 
as described above, Word will recognize that fact and mark whatever text 
you type as the appropriate language, so the right dictionary will be 
used to spell-check it. I don't know if other keyboard applications have 
that same functionality, but others will doubtless jump in and tell us.

My personal preference for keyboard layout is the standard Cyrillic one, 
which is laid out thus:

Ё ! " № ; % : ? * ( ) _ +
ё 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 - =

    Й Ц У К Е Н Г Ш Щ З Х Ъ /
    й ц у к е н г ш щ з х ъ \

     Ф Ы В А П Р О Л Д Ж Э
     ф ы в а п р о л д ж э

      Я Ч С М И Т Ь Б Ю ,
      я ч с м и т ь б ю .

Some other people prefer a phonetic keyboard, but I find that confusing.

-- 
War doesn't determine who's right, just who's left.
--
Paul B. Gallagher
pbg translations, inc.
"Russian Translations That Read Like Originals"
http://pbg-translations.com

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