How to Change the Language on a Cell Phone
Cell phone manufacturers today sell to global markets, and global markets mean a tremendous diversity of languages. One of the world's largest cell phone manufacturers, Nokia, is headquartered in Finland, and yet only a tiny segment of the world's population speaks Finnish. Because of this linguistic diversity, modern cell phones include the ability to deliver their user interface in multiple languages. The upshot of this is that you can buy a cell phone anywhere in the world and be practically guaranteed that it will have an interface in the language of your preference. The downside is that it can be very easy to have your phone changed to a language that you do not speak. If you need to change your phone's language for either reason, how do you do it?
The
process for changing your phone's language will vary widely based on
manufacturer and model. There are thousands of cell phones in the world, and
each of them has their own special details. The purpose of this guide is to help
you through the troubleshooting process to learn how to change your phone's
language, even if you do not speak the language that your phone is currently
using.
Basic Steps
Here is a list of the basic steps for changing your phone's language:
- Identify your phone model
- Locate your phone's manual
- Search for guides online
- Navigate your phone's interface to select the appropriate language
Once you finish these steps, your phone should be displaying everything in your chosen language. The second and third steps may overlap, and each one will require more detail. Here is a more detailed look at how to follow each of them.
Identify Your Phone
There are two parts to your phone's identity: the manufacturer and the model. The manufacturer will be company such as Nokia, Motorola, Apple, Samsung, and many others. The model will be the specific phone made by that company, such as an iPhone, a Nexus One, or an N900. Both of these pieces of information should be printed on the box for your phone. If you lack the box, most phones have both parts of information printed on them somewhere on the shell. Once you know the identity of your phone, you can find out what kind of document you need to change its language.
Locating a Guide
There are two chief sources for information for your phone. The first of these will be your phone's user manual. This manual should be in the package that your phone came in, and it will contain detailed steps for making any modifications to your phone. If you do not have the packaging for your cell phone, you can locate it online using your favorite search engine or by going to your cell phone manufacturer's website. Every manufacturer should have the manual available from their support page.
The alternative to using the manual for your phone is to search explicitly for how to change the language. Using your favorite search engine, you can search directly for how to change the language for your specific phone. This may locate a link to the manufacturer's website, a user forum, or a separate webpage for enthusiasts that contains details on how to change the language. This is a less dependable way to locate information, especially if your phone is not widely adopted, but it can also help you find a very detailed guide specifically for your phone written by other users in your same situation.
Follow Instructions
Once you have a guide, whether it be official documentation from the manufacturer's website, a walkthrough guide in your user manual, or a step by step process located on a separate website, you should have direct steps for changing the language on your phone. This will usually involve locating a system settings menu, which is a core component of your phone's operating system that dictates system wide parameters, such as the language, time zone, and power management features. The icon for this is typically represented by a wrench or spanner, though a variety of other tools may be used, including a toolbox or a set of gears.
The steps should involve locating the system settings menu, and then navigating through the generic menu to find the option specifically for setting the phone language. This will usually be a list or menu that you cycle through using either a touchscreen or the buttons on your keypad. The list will include a wide variety of languages, and may change the menu options to each new language as you cycle through the options. Once you select your language, your phone should automatically switch to the new language.
Troubleshooting
You may run into several problems when troubleshooting the phone. If you cannot locate a guide specifically for changing your phone's language, then your best option will be to reset the phone. This may involve removing and replacing the battery, removing and replacing the SIM card on a GSM phone, or pressing a special reset button hidden on the phone's casing. The phone should default either to English or to your native language, depending upon the location where the phone was purchased.
Alternatively, you can attempt to change the phone without documentation, though the risks of this are that you may change important settings unknowingly if you are using an interface that you cannot read. If you choose this route, look for a menu labeled with the symbols mentioned above, and use your favorite search engine to locate a translation service to find translations of words like "language" and "system settings" and "configuration" to help you navigate menus in a language you do not speak.
If the interface is in a language you do not understand or you do not feel comfortable changing it yourself, you can take the phone to a store for your provider and have a customer service representative change the phone's language for you. You can also call your phone manufacturer's support line and have a customer service representative walk you through the steps necessary to change your phone's language.