Mac OS X supports many different keyboard layouts and input methods, that can be activated through System Preferences -> International -> Input Menu.

For instance, my own system has activated the Spanish-ISO keyboard layout and a Yale-Cantonese input method.

So, when I am adding words to my cantonese dictionary, I can just swap from one input method to the other, changing between entering “western” and chinese characters.

keyboardmenu.png

However, it is a bit boring to have to click that menubar item everytime I want to change the input method (sorry, but I am definitely a keyboard person).

But Mac OS X also lets us assign keyboard shortcuts to many common operations. Like, for instance, changing the input method.

So, go to System Preferences -> Keyboard & Mouse -> Keyboard Shourtcuts and look for the “Input Menu” section, almost at the end of the list.

There, you can assign a shortcut to navigate the different Input Methods that you have previously activated.

iputmenu.png