I HAVE just bought an IBM compatible PC (a 486) and, being able to read and write Chinese, would like to use it for Chinese document processing as well as for regular work which I will do in English. I know I can run both English and Chinese Windows on the same system, but I would rather not for financial reasons. The same goes for individual applications. I don't want to have to buy both Ami Pro in English and Chinese. Is there anything out there that can help me? PETER MUIR Tseung Kwan O As luck would have, one of our readers has just drawn our attention to a program that could be what you need. Called TwinBridge, this application allows you to use Chinese - or Japanese - characters with English Windows or any applications that run on the platform. For example, if you were using Ami Pro with Windows and wanted to write a Chinese phrase or word into a document, you would activate TwinBridge and type in the English phrase you want printed in Chinese. The program then gives you a few options for you to choose from, and you can cut and paste your choice into your document. The same method can be used to write a whole document, if you have the patience. TwinBridge also supports direct Chinese input methods such as pinyin, zhuyin and kanji. Among other features, the system has a built-in Chinese dictionary with 40,000 words, 13,000 characters and 50,000 phrases. It also comes with a Dictionary Manager that allows you to add new characters and phrases to the dictionary, and a Font Editor that allows you to edit or create new fonts. According to publicity material from PC Express, the US-based manufacturers of TwinBridge, the system is used by such organisations as AT&T, American Express, Beijing University and the US Embassy in China. TwinBridge is available in Hong Kong through distributors Infocan Computer Consultants at $999 for the standard version of the Chinese system version 3.2 with two fonts built in. Six additional Chinese packs can be bought for $1,000 each. A network version of TwinBridge supporting Novell Netware is also available. For more information, telephone Infocan on 882-2277. I WANT to buy a 16-bit SCSI-2 sound card and a CD-ROM drive, but I do not know whether or not they suit my computer - an Intel 486DX66-based PC with Vesa local bus IDE and VGA cards and a 345-megabyte hard disk. I also want to know what a SCSI-2 interface is and if it can be connected with the sound card. Does it transmit data faster than an AT-bus interface? Does the sound card support the CD-ROM drive produced by Creative Labs through the SCSI-2 interface? And is the external CD-ROM drive capable of playing ordinary audio CDs through the sound card? NORMAN HO Kowloon Yes, a 16-bit SCSI-2 sound card is compatible with your computer. SCSI, which stands for small computer systems interface, allows you to connect up to seven SCSI devices - ranging from CD-ROMs to floppy and hard disk drives - end-to-end to the one SCSI card. The last device in the chain has to have a network terminating unit connected to it, however. And, yes, a SCSI interface is indeed faster than an AT-bus interface. The SCSI card you want to buy does support the external CD-ROM drive from Creative Labs. In fact, Creative Labs' Sound Blaster 16 comes with the interface card as part of the package. And, finally, yes, the external CD-ROM drive - most CD-ROM drives currently in use, for that matter - can play standard audio CDs.
