With Microsoft Office 2013, the Redmond-based company has asserted a renewed interest in localization, tailored for dozens of foreign markets. Microsoft Senior Product Planner in Office International Julian Parish notes that the productivity suite has grown its language database by more than fifty percent since 2002, but assures consumers that the tech mogul refuses to stop there.
To address its global consumer base, Microsoft is introducing three new full localizations of its software in Asia alongside a number of Language Interface Packs (LIP) in Office 2013. Specifically, fully translated versions of the new Office will ship in Malay, Indonesia, and Vietnamese.
"These new language versions will be available to consumers to buy in 2013 and to enterprise customers as part of our Multilingual User Interface or MUI packs," writes Parish in a recent statement.
As for the LIPs, which apply to Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel, and OneNote, Microsoft plans to apply the new packs to Office Web Applications using its cloud, SkyDrive. In total, Office 2013 will be compatible with 106 different languages by the time it ships. Check out the full list below.
Microsoft Office 365 will eventually add 19 languages to its current stable of 51 as the company develops its platform throughout the year. Lync Desktop Phone Edition software in particular will now feature support for Czech, Arabic, Croatian, Hungarian, Hebrew, Polish, Slovak, Romanian, Ukranian, and Slovak.
Office's review feature will receive a localization overhaul as well, with a thesaurus that recognizes Latvian, Bulgarian, Lithuanian, and Serbian alongside a definitions feature available in 22 languages.
For Microsoft Office 2013, Microsoft looks to transition most users to a subscription model. Office 365 Home Premium will cost $99.99/year, and Office 365 Small Business Premium will cost $149.99/year. If Office users opt for the traditional licensed offering, Office Home & Student 2013 will be priced at $139.99, Office Home & Business 2013 at $219.99, and Office Professional 2013 at $399.99. Office Small Business Premium offers its suite for $12.50/month and can be used by up to 25 employees. Office 365 University costs either $79.99 for a four-year subscription, or $1.67/month.
Microsoft has further incentivized the new Office with a promotion that encourages any consumer who purchases Microsoft Office 2010 between now and April 30, 2013 to apply for a free upgrade to Microsoft Office 2013 or a one-year subscription to Office 365, the Redmond-based company's cloud service.
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