Hi there,
I've been trying to figure out how to translate English characters
(Romanji) to Japanese(Hiragana, Katakana) for Windows XP Home Edition. I have
found so much information on using a translation program for Office XP, but
can't find ANY step by step instructions detailing how to use the built in
translator for East Asian languages on this computer.

Now along my task bar, I can see 'EN' at the bottom, and I have the option
to switch to Japanese. I go into microsoft word pad to see if I can
translate say --- Katakana --- into Japanese characters, but to no avail.
YOu know: I type the desired Japanese word using English characters,
highlight and hit Japanese on my language tool bar. This seems to easy and
obviously doesn't work that way anyhow, so what am I doing wrong? What steps
am I missing?

How do I do this, and will these be the same steps applicable to emailing
via, for example, Yahoo mail? Can I even translate in word pad, or must I
use a specific program as well? I have Word 7.0 on my own computer, this one
being my mother's who wishes to utilize the translation abilities of this
computer: Should I download the program on her computer? Am I 'that close'
to doing things correctly or am I completely out to lunch?!

Challenged translator