Translation IME Wrong Candidate Language? Fix Source–Target Pairing
Bar present, languages twisted: lock source→target, disable auto-detect, separate system input source from the internal pair.
When Translation IME shows wrong candidate language or language mix-up, first confirm the candidate bar appears: if it does, open the source→target pair panel, turn off auto-detect, keep one direction only, and verify with fixed short phrases in Notepad—the taskbar language icon is not the internal pair. No candidates → missing-candidate article; candidates without translation → not-translating guide.
1 Separate wrong pairing from missing candidates
The bar is there; the arrow is wrong—do not chase multi-monitor coordinates.
Translation IME wrong candidate language / language mix-up: the candidate bar appears and you can commit, but the candidate language or source→target direction disagrees with intent—English glosses when you wanted Chinese output, a zh–en pair stuck on ja–en, auto-detect treating pinyin as English. The fault is pairing, not “whether a candidate window exists.”
No candidate bar or stuck off Chinese → missing-candidate article. Candidates exist but never translate → not-translating guide. How to switch directions and proofread while chatting → cross-language chat article; this page only verifies a broken pair.
Thirty-second check: Notepad on Translation IME, fixed short phrase. Candidates with wrong language/direction → stay here. No candidates → switch articles. Candidates without translation → not-working.
2 Open the language-pair panel: is source/target reversed?
Most “mix-ups” are simply the arrow flipped.
In Translation IME settings, find Language pair / Translation direction / Source · Target (labels vary by build). Confirm the direction you want—e.g. Chinese input → English output—not en→zh or an undefined same-language pair.
Keep one clear source and one clear target. Multiple pairs enabled, or a leftover ja→en from the last session, looks like language chaos. Disable extras, leave one pair, retest in Notepad.
After changing direction, quit and relaunch the IME (or hit Apply/Save) so an old session does not keep emitting the previous pair.
3 System input source vs internal pair: two layers
Taskbar can say “Chinese” while the IME is still locked on en→ja.
The system input source decides who receives keystrokes; the IME’s internal pair decides which arrow translates/suggests. Both must be right for stable candidate languages.
If the system sits on an English keyboard while the internal pair is zh→en, you may get raw Latin with almost no Chinese candidates—that feels like “missing candidates.” Switch to the Translation IME source first, then inspect the pair. Already inside Translation IME with a visible bar but wrong languages → keep fixing the internal pair.
Multilingual users often leave Japanese/Korean sources in the system list. Landing on a Japanese source while expecting zh–en candidates also looks like wrong candidate language. Rotate until the name is clearly Translation IME, then open the internal pair.
4 Turn off auto-detect: lock one pair for acceptance
Auto-detect helps steady prose; during triage it is noise.
If settings offer auto-detect source language / smart direction switching, disable it for triage. Lock one manual pair and type ten short phrases: when direction and candidate language match intent, consider turning auto back on.
Auto-detect misfires on pinyin, mixed English, abbreviations, and code snippets—candidates jump across Chinese/English (or a third language). That is strategy mismatch, not a “broken” engine.
For live chat type-and-translate, use the short-commit pacing in the cross-language article; still verify the pair itself with this page.
5 Retest by surface: Notepad, chat, browser
Wrong language in one app only—suspect the app layer before the global pair.
Notepad (or a stock text editor) correct, WeChat/web wrong: the app may force an input language, or an on-page translate/spell layer confuses what you see. Prove the pair healthy in Notepad, then retest that app alone.
Every app shows reversed candidate languages: return to the pair panel and auto-detect—do not reinstall first.
Language correct but translation quality fails, or no translation at all → not-working. Do not toggle the same pair endlessly.
6 Acceptance order: reinstall only after five checks
Reinstall will not fix a reversed arrow or jumpy auto-detect.
Verify: (1) Translation IME is the active source and the candidate bar is visible; (2) only one source→target pair enabled; (3) auto-detect off and direction matches intent; (4) ten Notepad phrases stay on the right language; (5) chat/browser do not wildly mix languages. Fail (1) with no bar → missing-candidate article; (4) with candidates but no translation → not-working; chat pacing → cross-language article.
Still globally wrong after five steps: clean-reinstall the current package from the download page, run a day on the default pair, then re-add custom dictionaries and auto-detect.
Packages and versions: download page; stepwise settings: guides hub; symptom routing: FAQ. This page owns “candidates exist but pairing is wrong”—not missing bars, blank translations, or dead hotkeys.
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FAQ
The candidate bar shows words, but they are all English when I want Chinese. Is that “wrong language”?
Yes—if the bar actually appears. Check whether source/target is reversed or locked on en→zh before hunting window coordinates. If no candidate strip appears at all, open the missing-candidate article instead of spinning on language pairs.
The taskbar shows Chinese—why do translation candidates still look Japanese?
The taskbar icon is the system input source, not the IME’s internal source→target pair. A wrong internal pair looks like “source seems right, candidates are the wrong language.” Open the language-pair panel and match the side you intend to output—do not trust the taskbar abbreviation alone.
With auto-detect on, candidates flip between Chinese and English. Normal?
Mixed typing, short phrases, and proper nouns make auto-detect jump—feels like “wrong candidate language.” During triage, turn auto-detect off, lock one pair (e.g. zh→en), and type ten fixed-direction phrases in Notepad. Re-enable auto only after that is stable.
How is this different from “IME not translating”?
Candidates appear and commit, but the language/direction is wrong → stay here. Candidates appear but never produce a translation, or the translation pane stays blank → not-translating guide. No candidates → missing-candidate article. Do not reinstall for all three at once.
After the language pair is stable, verify the current build on the download page
If you are ready to install or update, return to the download page and verify the current public version, platform notes, and on-site release information.