© 1999-2001 by Roy Cochrun

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

• Viewing Cyrillic in Windows:  Basic Steps

If you wish to view Russian (Cyrillic), first follow these steps in Windows 95 or 98 (in NT or 2000 you may have to ask your sysadmin for help). 
STEP 1.  Click on "My Computer," then "Control Panel," and then "Add/Remove Programs." 
STEP 2.  Select the "Windows Set Up" tab and scroll down to the language support selection. 
STEP 3.  Once you find the correct selection, click and chose the Cyrillic option. 
STEP 4.  You may have to put in the Windows CD-ROM or disks.  Windows will spin, and then you will have to re-boot. 
 
 





• Viewing Cyrillic on the Worldwide Web

STEP 1.  Install Netscape Navigator 4.7x or Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.x.  Both cost you nothing, have their strong and weak points, and are easy to set up.
STEP 2. 
• For Netscape 4.7x, follow the directions in How to view Cyrillic in Netscape.
• For Internet Explorer 5.x, Under the "View" menu, chose "Encoding," then chose "Cyrillic." 

NOTE:  At least one linguist's site, ProZ at http://www.proz.com/ requires Internet Explorer in order to read the Cyrillic in the translation help section.
 
 





• Viewing Cyrillic in Documents

STEP 1.  Install some Cyrillic fonts.
STEP 2.  Load the document into the appropriate program, such as Microsoft Word 97 or Corel's WordPerfect 8 or higher.
STEP 3.  If necessary, highlight the text and change the font from the default in the software to an appropriate Cyrillic font that you have downloaded and installed. 
NOTE:  I have discovered that Corel WordPerfect 8 is much more user friendly in automatically detecting a Cyrillic font than is Word 97.
 
 





• Viewing Cyrillic "system" fonts

System fonts are used in à program's title bar, in the "Search/Replace" window, in Netscape's bookmark bar, and elsewhere.  They also show up when trying to install Russian software.

This page shows you some of the places "system" fonts are used in Windows.

STEP 1.  Download Russian System Fonts from this site in Holland.
STEP 2.  Install the fonts following his instructions closely.

• You also can purchase software from Fingertip to help with system fonts.
• Both the freeware version from Holland and the Fingertip program have their own advantages.  I'm using the freeware version.

• Typing Cyrillic in Documents

STEP 1.  If you wish to type in Russian (Cyrillic), you need to install a keyboard driver.  There are several types:
• those that automatically give you the capability to use the standard keyboard layout of a Russian typewriter.
• those that you can set up to put the Cyrillic keys anywhere you would like. 
• those that (Ugh!) give you a "phonetic" layout.
STEP 2.  Install some Cyrillic fonts, if you have not already done so.
STEP 3.  You need a word processor of some sort.  Microsoft Wordpad will work and comes with Windows 95, 98, and NT (plus, I expect, with Windows 2000).  I prefer Corel WordPerfect 8, but Microsoft Word 97 and beyond work just as well.
STEP 4.  Select the Cyrillic font for typing
STEP 5.  Invoke the Cyrillic function of the keyboard driver.
STEP 6.  Type to your heart's content.
 
• Typing Cyrillic in Web Browsers

STEP 1.  First install a keyboard driver and some fonts as described immediately above for "Typing Cyrillic in Documents."
STEP 2.  Netscape is already for typing as long as you followed the directions for viewing Cyrillic, further above.
STEP 3.  For Internet Explorer 5.x it is a bit more complex:
1. Click on "Tools" and then click on "Internet Options..." at the bottom of the list.
2. You should already be at the "General" tab.  If not, click it.
3. On this tab, near the bottom click on "Languages" and then on "Add."
4. Scroll the "Add" list until you find "Russian" and select it.  "Russian [ru]" will be added to the box, which probably only contains "English (United States) [en-us]" or "English (United Kingdom) [en-gb]."
5. Click "OK."
6. Also near the bottom, select fonts.  Scroll until you find one of the Cyrillic Win1251 fonts you should have added in the steps above and click it.
7. Click "OK."
8. Click on the "Advanced" tab.
9. About 4 lines down is a section called "Browsiing," where you will remove the check mark from the first block that says "Always send URLs as UTF-8 (requires) restart.
10. Click "Okay" and close Internet Explorer, then reopen Internet Explorer. 
STEP 4.  With the aid of whichever driver you installed earlier, type in Cyrillic within Internet Explorer on the search sites or whenever required.

Cyrillic (Russian): instructions for Windows and Internet

Friends and Partners' Cyrillic Text SiteThis page is offered to help the viewer obtain information about Cyrillic fonts and how to install them on any computer.

How to make your computer 'speak' Russian

How to view Cyrillic in Netscape.

Keyboard Drivers.

Russian Cyrillic Helpers.  I don't think this site has changed in several years, and yet it still is one of the most important on the Web for anyone trying to use Russian.

Russian and East European Studies Internet Software Resources

Russian on your Computer.  For both MACs and Windows PCs.

RUSSIFICATION.  Links to a large number of Converters, Fonts, Keyboards, Translators, and more.

Russification of the Macintosh Because I've been asked by MAC users.

Russify Everything At Vadim Maslov's SovInformBureau.  Here you can find detailed and yet simple instructions on how to make your favorite software work with cyrillic.

Roy's Resources Book Shoppe in association with  carries an extensive listing of dictionaries and textbooks  for the Russian  linguist.

Russian-to-English translation.  Click for terms and further information.

By popular request... A source of conferences for linguists, translators, interpreters, teachers of languages, those interested in natural language processing, and any others interested in the spoken and written languages of the world.

This page was updated 12 June 2001

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Since about 1 November 1999