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How do I get Mathematica 6.0 to start on my non-English language version of Linux/Unix?

Reset the locale for Mathematica

The Mathematica 6 FrontEnd on Linux/Unix starts up in English without any problems. If it is acceptable to use English for the Mathematica menu bar and dialog boxes, you can do so by setting the environment variable LANG to C. This can be done as follows:

•	If you are using bash shell, please execute:

LANG=C; mathematica

•	If you are using csh or tcsh shell, please execute:

setenv LANG C; mathematica

Also, make sure that the language is set to English:

1.	Click Edit > Preferences.

2.	Select the Interface tab.

3.	Make sure that the “Language for menu and dialog boxes” is set to English.

Preferences Dialog Box

Working with Japanese versions of Linux/Unix

In certain Japanese Linux distributions, some error messages windows might appear while Mathematica is launching. In this case, it is recommended that you manually set the Mathematica 6 Front End preferences to use the appropriate font substitutions. (Please note that since the fonts are missing, it is possible that the error messages might be unreadable.)

Try this first...

If you see the following error message window, please click the Window Manager's close button (do not click Quit). Multiple windows may appear. Please continue clicking the close button.

Startup Error Dialog Box

The Mathematica Front End will eventually launch.

Next, try font substitution...

To do the font substitution manually, please follow these instructions:

1.	Launch the Option Inspector by clicking Format > Option Inspector.

2.	Change the “Show option values” field to Global Preferences.

3.	Navigate to Global Options → Menu Settings → FontSubstitutions.

Desktop Screen Capture

Change the values of DefaultKanjiFont and DefaultMonoKanjiFont. The values may be different across distributions. For example, if you use the Japanese language version of Mathematica 6 on Fedora Core 5, Fedora Core 6, or Fedora 7, change the DefaultKanjiFont to "Sazanami Gothic", and DefaultMonoKanjiFont to "Sazanami Gothic".

Desktop Screen Capture

If you are still having difficulty after going through these steps, please contact Wolfram Technical Support.

Download this FAQ as a Mathematica 6.0 Notebook

Questions or comments about this FAQ? Send email to support@wolfram.com.