Typing in Can-8 in English is relatively simple. Just type normally. Note, however, that there is no spelling or grammar check in Can-8, so proofread your work carefully. You will probably be required to type in English as well as in whatever language you are studying and will probably need to switch between the two languages several times in a lesson or even in one single screen.

Latin Alphabet

For languages that use the Latin alphabet (for example, French, Spanish, and German), switching between typing in English and the other language is not difficult. You can use the normal computer keyboard to type in the non-English language. Type the words normally and add accents or special characters by right-button clicking on the particular letter.

Non-Latin Alphabet

For languages that do not use the Latin alphabet (for example, Japanese, Chinese, Hebrew, and Russian), switching the language in which you type becomes slightly more complicated. Can-8 does not recognize the Windows keyboard, so changing the language in the taskbar (grey bar at bottom of the desktop) will not help you type. In fact, it will make whatever you type look very funky. Can-8 has several internal on-screen keyboards. They are available for all languages taught at Carleton except for Chinese. Typing in Chinese is not available in Can-8 at this time.

In screens that require you to type an answer, the on-screen keyboard for your language will pop up when you open the screen:

On-Screen Keyboard: This on-screen Russian keyboard uses a homophonic layout. To type in Russian, either click on the letters on the on-screen keyboard or type normally, using the on-screen keyboard as a keyboard map.

When you need to type in a language with an on-screen keyboard, you have two options. The display on the on-screen keyboard correlates to the physical keyboard, so you may type normally using the on-screen keyboard as a map. Alternatively, you may use the mouse to click on the letters on the on-screen keyboard. Typing in the foreign language will only work, however, if the keyboard (and not Can-8) is the active window. If you click on the Can-8 lesson screen, and the keyboard menu bar changes from blue (active) to grey (inactive); when you type, it will be in English. Thus, it may be to your advantage to click on the letters on the on-screen keyboard when you want to type in the non-Latin alphabet.

If there is a screen in which you need to type in English, simply minimize the keyboard or click anywhere in the Can-8 lesson screen (so that the on-screen keyboard is not the active window) and type normally.