On every windows mobile forum I frequent, I see that question over and over again:

"Bought a ipaq rw 6815 on the tax free the other day, and the software was in English. How do I change it to Norwegian??"

"Hi I got a Ipaq 2190b as a gift but the Language on the PDA is Spanish and I want to change it to English, just wondering if anyone could help me on how I can do this?"

"Hello. I just bought a HTC TyTN in France and the native language is (of course) French. I'd like to change it to English, Spanish or Portuguese. Could anyone help me? Thanks."

When I first started posting to forums these questions were always left unanswered.  After much research, I found a convoluted method to change the language of some devices that consisted of installing a couple versions of ROM updates.  Sometimes users bricked their devices when the convoluted method failed to produce the desired result.

After much research, I adopted this answer,

"There is no officially supported way to change the language of a windows mobile device.  Attempting to change the language could result in a bricked device and will most likely void any warranty you might have on it."

Needless to say, this answer did not satisfy many users.

Recently I raised this question to Microsoft, hoping for an official response to the question.  Instead all I got was a link to a TechNet blog article, "Windows Mobile and Language Support," that just perpetuates the ambiguity.

The short answer to this question seems to be the one I adopted a long time ago. 

Buyer Beware!

So how can you avoid getting a device whose language is one you can not read?  You have to research the device thoroughly before you purchase it.  Do not believe any sales person who says the language can be changed.  Windows Mobile devices do not include language packs.  The language that you see on it in the store is the language you get.  You need to be particularly careful if you purchase a device in Europe because there is such a diversity of languages there.  Some years ago there was a very interesting thread on HP's forum that discussed this issue in quite a lot of detail.

You must be even more careful when purchasing a device from an eBay vendor.

If you get a device that does not support the language of your choice, you can purchase a language software like CE-Star, Monster Chinese, or Language Extender by Paragon.  These applications won't completely solve the issue but they will help you communicate via SMS or email.  If installing language software is not good enough solution, you'll need to return the device, trade it with a friend, or sell it.

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