Chinese conversion glitch

mbuser · 10-07-2011, 03:00 PM

I have a new Kindle 3, and have sent files to be converted to Kindle format. Both a Word file (.doc) and a .pdf file have been converted, and these files contained Chinese (both traditional and simplified characters) as well as English. The converted files displayed the traditional characters OK, but showed simplified characters as squares. Is there anything I can do to display both kinds of characters?

I think the problem is in conversion, not a basic limitation of the device. I can see both kinds of characters when I put my .pdf file on the Kindle (but the type is too small, and blowing it up in a .pdf file means skipping from left to right half-page, for each line read).

tank0 · 10-07-2011, 03:31 PM

Seems not problem of conversion, it's problem caused by font.
You can try to convert them to PDF with embed fonts.

susan_cassidy · 10-07-2011, 04:10 PM

You can't use two different encodings in the same document, if that's what you meant. If the simplified document didn't display right, and it is only one encoding, probably the document didn't correctly specify the encoding used. UTF-8 is best, and possibly the only encoding that Amazon will translate correctly.

felicia.mng · 10-08-2011, 06:22 AM

just change encodings of your kindle:
1. Press Home
2. Type ;debugOn , press Enter key
3. Type ~changeLocale zh-CN.utf8 , press Enter key
4. Type ;debugOff, press Enter key

mbuser · 10-08-2011, 08:53 PM

Single encoding. I re-saved text file in Notepad, as UTF-8. Converted to
.pdf (and just for fun, embedded font). Amazon's conversion came out the
same. Traditional characters OK, simplified are squares. Will Amazon convert
the text file, straight out of Notepad? They don't say they will.

Just saw Felicia's post. will try that.

chovan · 10-08-2011, 09:27 PM

Try

~changeLocale zh_TW.utf8 instead of ~changeLocale zh-CN.utf8

mbuser · 10-10-2011, 07:51 PM

Thanks Felicia and Chovan. Good information, but I need to research a bit before
I tinker with locale. Can you point me to a reference that lists all the possible
parameters for the ~changeLocale command? (and hopefully other debug-mode
commands); at a minimum, I'd want to know how to get back to the default
locale (encoding). Meanwhile I've tweaked my PDF creations to make page size
equal screen size. This displays OK and is easy to read. Still want to learn ~changeLocale though.

10-07-2011, 03:00 PM	#1
mbuser Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2011 Device: Kindle 3	Chinese conversion glitch I have a new Kindle 3, and have sent files to be converted to Kindle format. Both a Word file (.doc) and a .pdf file have been converted, and these files contained Chinese (both traditional and simplified characters) as well as English. The converted files displayed the traditional characters OK, but showed simplified characters as squares. Is there anything I can do to display both kinds of characters? I think the problem is in conversion, not a basic limitation of the device. I can see both kinds of characters when I put my .pdf file on the Kindle (but the type is too small, and blowing it up in a .pdf file means skipping from left to right half-page, for each line read).

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10-07-2011, 03:31 PM	#2
tank0 Junior Member Posts: 8 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2011 Device: Kindle	Seems not problem of conversion, it's problem caused by font. You can try to convert them to PDF with embed fonts.

10-07-2011, 04:10 PM	#3
susan_cassidy Wizard Posts: 2,251 Karma: 3720310 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: USA Device: Kindle, iPad (not used much for reading)	You can't use two different encodings in the same document, if that's what you meant. If the simplified document didn't display right, and it is only one encoding, probably the document didn't correctly specify the encoding used. UTF-8 is best, and possibly the only encoding that Amazon will translate correctly.

10-08-2011, 06:22 AM	#4
felicia.mng Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 12 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: kindle	just change encodings of your kindle: 1. Press Home 2. Type ;debugOn , press Enter key 3. Type ~changeLocale zh-CN.utf8 , press Enter key 4. Type ;debugOff, press Enter key

10-08-2011, 08:53 PM	#5
mbuser Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2011 Device: Kindle 3	Single encoding. I re-saved text file in Notepad, as UTF-8. Converted to .pdf (and just for fun, embedded font). Amazon's conversion came out the same. Traditional characters OK, simplified are squares. Will Amazon convert the text file, straight out of Notepad? They don't say they will. Just saw Felicia's post. will try that.

10-08-2011, 09:27 PM	#6
chovan Member Posts: 11 Karma: 12 Join Date: Oct 2011 Device: Kindle 3	Try ~changeLocale zh_TW.utf8 instead of ~changeLocale zh-CN.utf8

10-10-2011, 07:51 PM	#7
mbuser Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2011 Device: Kindle 3	Thanks Felicia and Chovan. Good information, but I need to research a bit before I tinker with locale. Can you point me to a reference that lists all the possible parameters for the ~changeLocale command? (and hopefully other debug-mode commands); at a minimum, I'd want to know how to get back to the default locale (encoding). Meanwhile I've tweaked my PDF creations to make page size equal screen size. This displays OK and is easy to read. Still want to learn ~changeLocale though.

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