German - English function names

[ClaudioPedrazzi]

Hi everybody,

I would like to keep the mathematical language set to "English" but the Help and the user interface to "German". This happens because I work in a German-speaking environment and as a non-German mothertongue, I appreciate the possibility to learn (and copy) the appropriate German words.

Now the problem is: say for example that I am looking for a function for putting arrays one under the other. I go to the help and find out under "Vektoren und Matrizen", that the function name is "stapeln". But of course if I type it, I get an error.

There is no way known to me, to learn that "stapeln" as function name is called "stack" in the English "mathematical language". Please note: this is an example! I do know .

So: Is there some conversion table for function names somewhere in Help? or is there some way I can search for "stapeln" and find out "stack"?

thanks a lot

best regards

Claudio

[MikeArmstrong]

I don't think there will be an automatic conversion table. Maybe you could use Google translate. I have just tried it with "stapeln" and it returned stack.

I do not think it will work for all the function names though.

[ClaudioPedrazzi]

exactly. For example "erweitern" will not give "augment". What I do, I look in an old PDF-File of an old version of the Help in english, and look for the appropriate chapter. But there should be a better way. Something like a cross-reference. Some function names even do not change!

Thanks anyway!

Claudio

[Werner_E]

I am not aware of any cross reference and honestly I think there would be better ways to learn German. I am German speaking but I always have set math and menus to English. One reason (math language) are the problems with variables names s and t when math language is set to german (they are interpreted as seconds and tons - especially annyoing when doing laplace transforms). A second reason is that the German translations of built-in functions are sometimes just funny, most of times more confusing than helpful.

At the time I am struggling with the German function names while I am reading a German book about Mathcad14 and probability theory - costs me a lot of time to find out the original names of all those functions used there (the author uses the German function names).

When you have set math language to German you may type in any function with its original (English) name or use the German translation, both will work. When you save the sheet and relaod it you see all names in German. That way you have at least an awkward possibility for English->German translation. For German->English you would have first set math language to German. Type in the German command. Set Math language to English. Close MC and reopen it with your sheet - Huuh - sure not worth the effort.

For the symbolic keywords the translation is simple. When math language is Englisch and menu is German, as its the case in your installation, you choose a symbolic command from the "Symbolic Keyword Toolbar" (you see it in German there) and the inserted command will be in English.

In case you consider to use Prime one day - the names of the built-in functions are not translated here, no matter what Language you chose. While I suspect that this was just done out of convenience and not being a strategic decision, I thinks thats a good thing anyway..

[ClaudioPedrazzi]

Hallo Werner,

thanks, if you don't know of any cross-reference, than I believe it does not exist.

But the problem you mention with the German Book is exactly my problem too, if you substitute "German Book" with "German Help of Mathcad". It is not that I want to learn German this way. But when I have to write down a comment near an expression, in order to explain what I am doing (and I am required to do this), it is just handy to have the German Help and be able to cut and paste a few words here and there.

By the way the hated "t" -> "tonne" transformation that you mentioned is exactly one of the reasons I keep mathematical language to english. Only sometimes I struggle a little in order to find the english name.

Now, thinking about it and discussing with the community, I have found a slightly better solution, although not perfect. "Funktion einfügen" (function insert) works in English if "mathematische Sprache" = English and it looks like this

with a little patience, knowing the function category, one can find "augment" or "stack" of my example, or any other function, remaining in the German-Help and German-User Interface.

Thanks a lot for your help!

Freundliche Gruessen

Claudio

[Werner_E]

Claudio Pedrazzi wrote:

Hallo Werner,

thanks, if you don't know of any cross-reference, than I believe it does not exist.

Careful! I am not aware of so many things which sure actually exist. I just never found a reason to search for that kind of cross reference but it could be that there is one in existence.

Insterting functions via "insert function" is something I never do so I didn't think of it. Its a similar behaviour like inserting symbolic commands via the floating palette.

[Werner_E]

Another idea. Maybe its useful to set menu language to English, too and open, the sheet

C:/Programme/Mathcad/Mathcad 15/doc/HELP_DE/Help/Mcad.htm

in a browser (thats in Win XP, you may have to change the path) when you are about to document your sheet and need the German help information.

Now you have the English help in Mathcad and the German help in the browser.

Another one: If its worth your time and you have some programming skill you might be able to create your won cross reference table using the xml files in the directory "....\Mathcad 15\doc\funcdoc\"-

[ClaudioPedrazzi]

Werner, thanks a lot. Also a very good idea. I am on Windows 7 and the address is:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Mathcad\Mathcad 15\doc\HELP_DE\Help\Mcad.htm

I never took the time to explore the documentation directories!

Regards

C.