How to Change Languages in WinCC

Requirements for Change Languages

When setting up languages in WinCC, observe the following requirements:

• If you are configuring with non-Latin fonts, the necessary fonts and input methods must be installed in your operating system.
• All configuration languages you wish to use must be installed in your operating system.
• If you are configuring Asian languages, the proper system locale (operating system language) must be set to change the WinCC GUI language in the operating system Control Panel so that the used character sets are displayed with the
  matching code page. If all languages originate from one language region (e.g. Western European), this setting is not necessary because this was already done implicitly.   WinCC as of V. 7.2 supports Unicode. For this reason, you only need to make these settings for programs that do not support Unicode.

Recommendations

In order to configure efficiently, please note the following: (Change Languages)

• Always configure for one language at a time if possible.
• Set the Runtime language to be the language to be configured. The editors always start with the set Runtime language as the configuration language.

Changing the WinCC GUI Language

To change the WinCC GUI language, the language must have been installed with WinCC.

Select “Tools > Language” in WinCC Explorer to change the WinCC user interface language. In the selection window, you will be offered all installed WinCC languages with the exception of the current WinCC GUI language.

Following the change, the operating elements, menus and dialogs in WinCC Configuration are changed to the selected language.

Changing the configuration language in the editors

You can set the configuration language separately for the “Graphics Designer” editor and the “Alarm Logging” editor.

To change the configuration language, open the editor concerned and select the menu command “View > Language” or “View > Input language”. A selection window offers you all languages available on your system.

Following the change, all configured texts are displayed in the selected configuration language. If you have not configured the language yet, all texts in the “Graphics Designer” editor will be displayed as “???”, and the “Alarm
Logging” editor will not display any texts.

The set configuration language is displayed in the status bar of the Graphics Designer editor.

Setting Runtime language and Runtime default language

Set the Runtime language and Runtime default language in WinCC during centralized configuration in the start configuration of the Runtime computer.
For more information, refer to “How to Set the Runtime Computer Starting Configuration”.

Configuring Multiple Languages

When configuring projects for multiple languages, your operating system must
meet the following requirements:

• The project languages must be installed.
• The correct system regional setting (operating system language) must be specified as default in the operating system of your computer. This is particularly important if you are configuring for languages which are not Western European, e.g. Asian. WinCC as of V7.2 supports Unicode. This means that a project may contain several languages of different regional schemes. Set the code page or code pages in the operating system of your computer that are used for programs that do not support Unicode.
• Any special fonts that you use must be available on your operating system. This applies particularly to non-Latin fonts used for example in Cyrillic or Asian languages.
• You must install input methods on your operating system to input e.g. Asian fonts. For each running application, select the input methods independently of one another.

Language combinations

Due to the various language setting options in WinCC and your operating system, a number of different language combinations can occur, for example:

• Configure a single-language project in the language preferred: Operating system language, operating system user interface language, WinCC user interface language, and configuration language are all the same.
• Configure a single-language project in but not in your preferred language: Operating system user interface language and WinCC GUI language are your preferred language. The project language is the language in which you subsequently display the project in Runtime. If you configure for Asian languages, define the operating system language so that the character set to be used is displayed in the respective code page. If all languages are from one regional area (e.g. Western European), this setting is not necessary because it was already made implicitly. Make sure that you use a font that contains all the necessary characters for your project.
• You are configuring a multilingual project. One of the languages is your preferred language: Operating system user interface language and WinCC GUI language are your preferred language. The project languages are the languages in which you subsequently display the project in Runtime. Configure the project in your preferred language and hand over the text for translation when the project is complete.
• Several project engineers prefer different languages and configure on one computer: A neutral language, e.g. English, is selected as the operating system user interface language. Each configuration engineer can set the WinCC GUI language to his preferred language. The languages that will subsequently be displayed in Runtime are set as the project languages. If you configure for Asian languages, define the operating system language so that the character set to be used is displayed in the respective code page. If all languages are from one regional area (e.g. Western European), this setting is not necessary because it was already made implicitly. Make sure that you use a font that contains all the necessary characters for your project.    
• Note   If you are using a multilingual operating system, the configuration engineer can also set the operating system user interface language to his preferred language.

Configuring for multiple languages – main editors

When configuring for multiple languages use the following editors:

• Text Distributor:  The text distributor is a comfortable tool for exporting language-dependent text of the WinCC project. The exported data is translated in an external program. You then import the texts again following translation.
• Text Library: All project texts are managed centrally in the “Text Library” editor except for texts from “Graphics Designer” editor. You export centrally the texts of one or all languages for translation. As an alternative, you can translate the text directly in the “Text Library” editor or the respective editor.
• Graphics Designer:  Configure the pictures for the project in the “Graphics Designer” editor. Pictures can contain different text elements, such as Static Text, Tooltips or Labels for ActiveX Controls. The test is saved in the respective picture. You export the text with the text distributor for the translation or you enter the translated text directly.
• Alarm Logging:  The “Alarm Logging” editor is used to configure messages that are issued in Runtime. The texts for the message system are managed centrally in the Text Library. To translate the text, you have the following possibilities:
  • Export the text for translation from Alarm Logging
  • Translation in the “Text Library” editor
  • Translation in the “Alarm Logging” editor If there is a large number of message text records, it is to your advantage to export them. Configuring with SIMATIC STEP 7: Alarm logging texts from the SIMATIC Manager\ are stored in the Text Library when transferred and must be translated there.
• Report Designer:  The following is configured in the “Report Designer” editor:
  • Language-dependent layouts for reports to be output in Runtime
  • Language-dependent layouts for the project documentation of your project
• User Administrator:  The authorizations that you configure in the User Administrator are language-dependent. These text records are managed centrally in the “Text
  Library” editor. You export the text records from the User Administrator or you translate them in the “Text Library” editor. The User Administrator supports the languages which can be defined for the user interface. In order that the texts to be created in the project Text Library, you must open the User Administrator in the respective language.
• User Archive:  All the texts in the user archives are managed centrally in the “Text Library” editor. You export the text records from the user archive or you translate them in the “Text Library” editor.
• Picture Tree Manager (Option): The container names are administered centrally in the Text Library. You export the text records or you translate them in the “Text Library” editor.

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