# Have you changed your system language? When is a good time? **URL:** \ **Category:** Japanese Language\ **Created:** [August 16, 2017, 8:48pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/have-you-changed-your-system-language-when-is-a-good-time/19361 "2017-08-16T20:48:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![thespookyfish](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/thespookyfish/32/61339_2.png) [@thespookyfish](https://community.wanikani.com/u/thespookyfish)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 10:12pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/have-you-changed-your-system-language-when-is-a-good-time/19361/21 "2017-08-16T22:12:16Z")
> [@smartie344](#): > > i pressed the refresh button In order to change the application as a whole, you gotta relaunch the whole app. Close it entirely and reopen. ---
**Author:** ![smartie344](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/smartie344/32/214907_2.png) [@smartie344](https://community.wanikani.com/u/smartie344)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 10:13pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/have-you-changed-your-system-language-when-is-a-good-time/19361/22 "2017-08-16T22:13:18Z")
Whaaaaaaaaaa? Do you know how many tabs on each window I have? Screw, I don’t care that much ---
**Author:** ![ichitaka](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/ichitaka/32/6717_2.png) [@ichitaka](https://community.wanikani.com/u/ichitaka)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 10:13pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/have-you-changed-your-system-language-when-is-a-good-time/19361/23 "2017-08-16T22:13:44Z")
> [@tmahrt](#): > > I have the French version of microsoft office 2007 on my computer and my work computer is all in French. Trying to be productive when you have to deal with random language issues is not fun (oh ho ho–random error messages that can’t be copied and pasted into google translate) Forgive me for jumping to conclusions here, but wouldn’t it be possible just to type it in manually into your translator? I do it with Spanish all the time, with accents and everything. ---
**Author:** ![thespookyfish](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/thespookyfish/32/61339_2.png) [@thespookyfish](https://community.wanikani.com/u/thespookyfish)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 10:15pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/have-you-changed-your-system-language-when-is-a-good-time/19361/24 "2017-08-16T22:15:41Z")
> [@smartie344](#): > > Whaaaaaaaaaa? Do you know how many tabs on each window I have? Screw, I don’t care that much lol we use browsers in very similar ways, though I have been TRYING to cut down on tabs. In any case, there’s a setting that tells Chrome to reopen all your previous tabs after you close it. And the language settings box has a button called “relaunch” that shows up after you change the language that keeps your tabs open (or should) when you click it to relaunch the app. ---
**Author:** ![smartie344](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/smartie344/32/214907_2.png) [@smartie344](https://community.wanikani.com/u/smartie344)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 10:16pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/have-you-changed-your-system-language-when-is-a-good-time/19361/25 "2017-08-16T22:16:24Z")
I know, but I just wanted to see it. I can’t actually read Japanese. ---
**Author:** ![thespookyfish](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/thespookyfish/32/61339_2.png) [@thespookyfish](https://community.wanikani.com/u/thespookyfish)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 10:17pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/have-you-changed-your-system-language-when-is-a-good-time/19361/26 "2017-08-16T22:17:11Z")
I’ll screenshot for you hold on lol ---
**Author:** ![tmahrt](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/tmahrt/32/3942_2.png) [@tmahrt](https://community.wanikani.com/u/tmahrt)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 10:18pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/have-you-changed-your-system-language-when-is-a-good-time/19361/27 "2017-08-16T22:18:50Z")
Of course, and I do that. But when you’re trying to get shit done, it can be infuriating. I have raged at my work computer quite a bit over language related issues–or used to at least–again, it’s better now. ---
**Author:** ![thespookyfish](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/thespookyfish/32/61339_2.png) [@thespookyfish](https://community.wanikani.com/u/thespookyfish)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 10:20pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/have-you-changed-your-system-language-when-is-a-good-time/19361/28 "2017-08-16T22:20:33Z")
In each case I’ve taken the screenshot RIGHT before hitting relaunch, which is why it’s saying in both pics that it’s displaying in the other language. ![before](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/original/3X/a/d/ad3697a316993ebf55b0c3a92e7dfccaaea09124.PNG) ![after](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/original/3X/2/a/2ae20cceed1a110d8ac39d440ed6b18768fb9fe5.PNG) It kinda scared me off lol XD ---
**Author:** ![smartie344](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/smartie344/32/214907_2.png) [@smartie344](https://community.wanikani.com/u/smartie344)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 10:21pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/have-you-changed-your-system-language-when-is-a-good-time/19361/29 "2017-08-16T22:21:35Z")
yup, glad I didn’t do that ---
**Author:** ![tmahrt](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/tmahrt/32/3942_2.png) [@tmahrt](https://community.wanikani.com/u/tmahrt)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 10:22pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/have-you-changed-your-system-language-when-is-a-good-time/19361/30 "2017-08-16T22:22:47Z")
> [@ichitaka](#): > > Forgive me for jumping to conclusions here, but wouldn’t it be possible just to type it in manually into your translator? This would be even more fun if the OS language is Japanese and the messages contain unfamiliar Kanji! 😅 ---
**Author:** ![jprspereira](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/jprspereira/32/389740_2.png) [@jprspereira](https://community.wanikani.com/u/jprspereira)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 10:25pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/have-you-changed-your-system-language-when-is-a-good-time/19361/31 "2017-08-16T22:25:19Z")
> [@seanblue](#): > > I had that happen to my Microsoft Office installation. Any time an update is available the update dialog is in Japanese. It was fairly easy to navigate, so I didn’t bother setting it back to English. I get ads on Youtube from Trivago IN JAPANESE! ---
**Author:** ![ichitaka](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/ichitaka/32/6717_2.png) [@ichitaka](https://community.wanikani.com/u/ichitaka)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 11:12pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/have-you-changed-your-system-language-when-is-a-good-time/19361/32 "2017-08-16T23:12:02Z")
> [@tmahrt](#): > > This would be even more fun if the OS language is Japanese and the messages contain unfamiliar Kanji! 😅 Oh yes. That is where all the fun comes in. 😓😂 On Android, I use this as a quick solution: [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.camel.corp.universalcopy](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.camel.corp.universalcopy) I don’t know of anything for iUsers, sorry 😌 > [@jprspereira](#): > > I get ads on Youtube from Trivago IN JAPANESE! Now **that** is boss. I wanna see those. ---
**Author:** ![jprspereira](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/jprspereira/32/389740_2.png) [@jprspereira](https://community.wanikani.com/u/jprspereira)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 11:15pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/have-you-changed-your-system-language-when-is-a-good-time/19361/33 "2017-08-16T23:15:21Z")
> [@ichitaka](#): > > Now that is boss. I wanna see those. Yes, the girl isn’t Japanese (at least it doesn’t seem hafu to me either). [![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/original/4X/6/2/0/620778c296a841539dc73fbebe72ea00b9f11275.jpeg "【トリバゴ】テレビCM 「トリバゴでLet’s Check」篇") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqutPznCcgw) ---
**Author:** ![ichitaka](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/ichitaka/32/6717_2.png) [@ichitaka](https://community.wanikani.com/u/ichitaka)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 11:22pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/have-you-changed-your-system-language-when-is-a-good-time/19361/34 "2017-08-16T23:22:55Z")
Ah, perfect! The one that I saw just before this kinda segued into this one. It shows a preview of the one you posted. I instantly saw all preconceptions of foreigners in Japan dissolve before me. [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-irUbOfjkQ) ---
**Author:** ![jprspereira](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/jprspereira/32/389740_2.png) [@jprspereira](https://community.wanikani.com/u/jprspereira)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2017, 11:24pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/have-you-changed-your-system-language-when-is-a-good-time/19361/35 "2017-08-16T23:24:26Z")
Apparently she also sings 😛 (and dances) [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EN1G-EDC8v8) ---
**Author:** ![thespookyfish](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/thespookyfish/32/61339_2.png) [@thespookyfish](https://community.wanikani.com/u/thespookyfish)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2017, 12:07am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/have-you-changed-your-system-language-when-is-a-good-time/19361/36 "2017-08-17T00:07:58Z")
Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences and advice with me. I really appreciate all the input. I’ve decided to start with Facebook. I have that changed now, and a lot of it is katakana English, so it seems a pretty good place to start. I’ll leave my OS alone (for now). 😋 ---
**Author:** ![Veraxes](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/veraxes/32/6827_2.png) [@Veraxes](https://community.wanikani.com/u/Veraxes)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2017, 12:38am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/have-you-changed-your-system-language-when-is-a-good-time/19361/37 "2017-08-17T00:38:26Z")
Gonna put my opinion. Change it right now, because why not? You can always revert back. I bet you will be overwhelmed at first and often you will set it back to english to do things. PC has a lot of gairaigo so it will make things easier. In the end main point of this is not to be able to read all icons on the screen, but to get used to and not be afraid of large amount of japanese words in front of you. FB is also a fine place to start. ---
**Author:** ![seanblue](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/seanblue/32/579844_2.png) [@seanblue](https://community.wanikani.com/u/seanblue)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2017, 1:05am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/have-you-changed-your-system-language-when-is-a-good-time/19361/38 "2017-08-17T01:05:41Z")
> [@thespookyfish](#): > > I’ve decided to start with Facebook. I just took a look, and apparently you can select Kansai dialect on Facebook. That’s interesting. The buttons for changing the language when set to 日本語 are 「変更を保存」and「キャンセル」 In 日本語関西 they are 「変更したとこ保存すんで」and「やめとく」 Kansai dialect feels so foreign when all you study is standard Japanese. Also, good idea. I think I’ll keep Facebook on Japanese for a while. ---
**Author:** ![feoya](https://cdck-file-uploads-global.s3.dualstack.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wanikanicommunity/original/3X/f/d/fd4c154120954695f788402f3bcf4e616499bc2d.png) [@feoya](https://community.wanikani.com/u/feoya)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2017, 2:29am UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/have-you-changed-your-system-language-when-is-a-good-time/19361/39 "2017-08-17T02:29:45Z")
@jprspereira @ichitaka There was an interview with Natalie Emmons to the Japan News (Yomiuri Shinbun) around a year ago (if I’m not mistaken). I can’t remember much of the article, but one of the main topics was her Nihongo fluency. When her first CMs went on air in Japan, people obviously became really impressed and many even thought that the commercials were dubbed by a native. From the little bits that I still remember, she said that she learned/improved mainly (I think she said “solely”, but I can’t remember for sure…) by singing and watching lots of TV shows, especially dramas. A shame that the Japan News deletes their articles after a couple of weeks… EDIT: A mea culpa, the interview was for the Japan Times and you can read it [here](https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2016/01/11/language/strong-keep-believing-says-trivago-girl-gift-gab/) ---
**Author:** ![konekush](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/wanikanicommunity/user_avatar/community.wanikani.com/konekush/32/5287_2.png) [@konekush](https://community.wanikani.com/u/konekush)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2017, 8:10pm UTC](https://community.wanikani.com/t/have-you-changed-your-system-language-when-is-a-good-time/19361/40 "2017-08-18T20:10:23Z")
I wouldn’t recommend it - not because you might have difficulties reading things, but more because of a support reason. If something on your pc/phone went wrong, you wouldn’t be able to look up instructions on what to do (computing terms can be very very different in different languages), or how to explain the problem to a tech person. (This is why my everything is in English despite it not being my native language.) [Previous page](https://community.wanikani.com/t/have-you-changed-your-system-language-when-is-a-good-time/19361.md?page=1) [Next page](https://community.wanikani.com/t/have-you-changed-your-system-language-when-is-a-good-time/19361.md?page=3)