FAQ: "More than one file necessary to do TC/SC translation is missing" in MS Word

Can't run simplified-traditional Chinese character conversion in Word?

FAQ: In Microsoft Word I found menu options for converting Chinese simplified characters to traditional, another for converting traditional to simplified, and a "Chinese translation with options" tool too. But when I select Chinese text and try to run these features I get an error message: "Word is unable to proceed. More than one file necessary to do SC/TC translation is missing." How can I fix this?

Why on earth would the good folks at Microsoft include icons or menu items for these features if they won't work??? I don't know, but they did. The items in the green box below do work (except "Translation ScreenTip" does not include Chinese yet), but the items in the red box simply do not work even if you place them on via the Word 2010 or 2007 Quick Access Toolbar or in a Ribbon. You'll find a similar problem in Word 2003 and older.

I once assumed that anyone who found these icons in their copy of Word must have once had these features installed but lost them during an upgrade or due to some Registry problems. But no, they are there in new installations too!

One might accuse Microsoft of some vast conspiracy, a ploy to entice you into purchasing something you expected to receive as part of your original purchase, but I think that's giving them far too much credit. I think this is simply a mistake, or an easy (for the engineers) workaround to some installation problem, and they just can't be bothered to clean this up.

Whether you have a fresh copy of Windows and Office, or if you used to have these features and they disappeared at some point, the solution is the same: install or reinstall the Office Proofing Tools.

Where to Get the Office Proofing Tools:

For Office 2010 you can download the Chinese Translation ScreenTips for free by going to the Office 2010 single Language Pack download link below.

For Office 2010 and 2007 you can download single-language Office Language Packs direct from Microsoft for USD $24.95 each, in 简体 or 繁體 versions, with Chinese-language installers only.
Office 2010 Single Language Pack Downloads
Office 2007 Single Language Pack Downloads

These features are also on the last of three discs, "Proofing Tools", in the full 36-language Office Multi-Language Packs. These have English-language installers but are rather expensive:
Office Multi-Language Pack 2007 (Amazon.com)
• Office Multi-Language Pack 2010 was available only via enterprise volume licensing last time I checked.

For Office 2003 you had the same choices once, except they were called Office MUI Packs. (Same thing, different name). But these are no longer sold retail so you may need to hunt around on sites like eBay where you may find a good deal. According to Microsoft, the 2007 disc will not work on Office 2003.

Here are is an eBay search for Office MUI / Language Packs but last time I looked only 2007 Language Packs were listed, no 2003 MUI packs. NOTE: the single-language packs sold anywhere except Microsoft's own site are almost always Spanish even if the seller doesn't specify.

Free online character converters abound, and this may be all you need. Check the Free Online Chinese Tools section of my More Apps & Tools page. But when you do this you may have problems with the invisible underlying code points in your documents, so see also my instructions on traditional/simplified encoding if the characters keep changing back or other strange symbols appear. (Even though that FAQ page is meant to help people with ruby text, the same trick works for text you've converted online.)

Chinese Office Language Packs include not only the Chinese Proofing Tools, but also the ability to change the Office menus, dialogs and Help files into Chinese, plus the latest Chinese IME updates for your version of Office with 32-bit and 64-bit installers. The latest IME updates are also available for free, by the way: see my pages on the PRC IME MSPY 2010 and Taiwan IME Office 2010 updates.

I intend to put up a page in my More Apps section with more details on all these Word features one of these days. Meanwhile, please feel free to contact me with any questions or suggestions.

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