Japanese-language handling in an English-language InDesign

[poth]

It used to be that every time I updated InDesgn I would change the number in the applicationpreferences .plist from 256 to 257. That worked and I got all the character handling extras etc. Until this time. Changing the number resulted in no change and no Japanese handling. I really need it, so any advice would be urgently appreciated!

(And no, I don't want the Japanese version, just the extra text handling options in the English-language version)

[Willi Adelberger]

You can istall the Asian version above the English. You get the English UI with additional commands and fubctions.

[poth]

By "above" you mean replace the English? I thought Japanese InDesign only had a Japanese UI

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

It's rather side-by-side - you should get 2nd folder, next to the EN version. 

[poth]

OK, thanks for the suggestion.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

If you are on a PC - try registry hack:

The tweak is to a Registry entry for the following (using Adobe InDesign 2020 as the example):

HKEY_LOCALE_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Adobe\InDesign\15.0\

Specifically, the value for the entry Feature Set Locale Setting should be changed from its default of 100 (0x00000100 or 256 decimal) to 101 (0x00000101 or 257 decimal) to expose Japanese functionality.

And like for macOS, the only other possible setting for this value is 103 (0x00000103 or 259 decimal), which exposes full Middle Eastern (aka Arabic) text layout functionality.

[poth]

Thanks. I'm on a Mac, but that change to 257 is what I normally do after each update, but this time with no effect.

(It's such a simple thing, but a global company like Adobe seems to have no concept that an English-speaker may want Japanese text layout ability!)

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

Looks like 18.4 is very buggy... 

[interesting_Gemstone5EB1]

If someone is searching for how to do this on a Mac (including for posterity, me the next time mine dies or HDD gets wiped) go to the 'applications' folder (the regular old applications folder, not the library folder), open the folder for indesign (whatever version you have), then open:

presets > applicationpreferences > indesign > applicationpreference.plist

open in textedit and change the value from 256 to 257.

You may need to right click 'get info' and change the permissions for both the .plist file and the containing folder(s) depending on your admin level.

OMG what a simple solution to a ridiculous problem! This was giving me such a headache because you need to have the Japanese 'tonbo' print markers to submit for printing in Japan and it is not included in the English version.