Convert Windows 95 Languages

Mark LaPedus

If you download a Web site in Chinese or another Asian language, you'll often get garble. In most cases, you will need an encoding/decoding utility program to convert this mishmash into a readable format. But many of the available programs support only one Asian language.

DynaLabs in Taipei is shipping a program that supports Japanese, Korean, and both traditional and simplified Chinese. Later this year, it will show GlobalSurf, an encoding/decoding program that supports all la nguages running under Windows 95 -- more than 23 at last count, according to Derek Chou, sales manager.

DynaLabs' Asian-language program, AsiaSurf, is a utility that runs on top of several language versions of Windows 3.1 or Windows 95, includ ing Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and English. Thus, you don't need a Chinese version of Windows 95 to decode text, Chou says. AsiaSurf can also access on-line information, e-mail, and the Internet in these languages. The program can run under Netscape's Navigator and Microsoft's Internet Explorer. It supports cc:Mail and Microsoft Mail.

It is simple to operate AsiaSurf: Download a Web page. On the screen, you'll find national flags from China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. Simply point and click on one of these four flags, and the garble is converted into that language. The company offers a free 20-day trial. To download AsiaSurf, simply call up http://www.dynalab.com/ .