To read and send international messages

Outlook Express can usually display messages in the language in which they were sent. However, some messages, particularly those from newsgroups, often do not have enough information (or the information is incorrect) in the header file to display the correct language.

To change the language encoding for a message you are reading

• In the message window, click the View menu, point to Encoding, and then click the language encoding you want to use. (You must already have support for that language, which you can get from the "International" area of the Internet Explorer Web site.)

Outlook Express displays incoming messages using the default encoding for reading messages unless the message header specifies a particular language encoding.

To set the default encoding for reading messages

1. On the Tools menu, click Options, and on the Read tab, click Fonts.
2. Select a language at the top, and then click the Set as Default button.

Sending international messages

When you reply to a message, it is sent in the same language encoding as the original. If you change the language encoding in your reply, the original characters may not appear properly unless you are sending the message in HTML (and the receiving program can read HTML). You can also send the message using Unicode; however, not all mail and newsreading programs can display a Unicode message.

To use a different encoding for sending a single message

• In the message window, on the Format menu, point to Encoding and then click the language encoding you want to use.

New messages use the default encoding setting for sending messages.

To set the default encoding for sending messages

• On the Tools menu, click Options, and on the Send tab, click International Settings and select the default encoding you want.

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