Crazy! Interface language and new download problems

[jaiirapetjan]

Hi folks!

I'm running OO version 4.1.10 on a MacBook Pro running Sonoma 14.7.2. The laptop itself is getting old, it's from 2020 with an M1 chip. I am thinking of getting a newer Mac Mini.

I have read a bunch of posts here regarding interface language and nothing works for me. The whole program is in Italian. So, instead of seeing "Tools" for example, I see "Strumenti." I used to be bilingual but now I have been living in the USA for 24 years and I feel more comfortable in English. Plus all the help forums are in English.

Here is what I have found: going to the "tools" menu is not going to change the language of the whole program. Instead, under the Open Office menu on the top far left, there is a preferences menu which opens up and includes "user interface." Mine is set to Italian in the "User Interface Language" drop down menu. But there are no other choices in that menu! What do I have to do, remove the program entirely and download a new copy which I am sure is in English?

After reading more posts, I decided to try downloading the English language pack, hoping that by doing that I'd find English in the preferences dropdown. But when I went to the download site I decided to download the whole program, seeing that there is now version 4.1.15. It was strange that my Mac asked if I wanted to install the "older version," but whatever. I chose the option "keep both."

So here enters a brand new problem. When I tried opening it, I get a message “OpenOffice 2” cannot be opened because the developer cannot be verified. Mac OS cannot verify that this app is free from malware." And the only subsequent actions possible are MOVE TO TRASH or CANCEL. I then tried downloading just the English language pack and got the same result.

And another interesting fact: I closed OO and reopened it in the illogical hope that maybe something had magically changed in the language preferences, despite the fact that I couldn't open the download. And it had! (It seems technology also can have an illogical magic factor). But the problem got worse, not better! Now there isn't even a dropdown menu showing Italian, instead, there is nothing on that interface user page except a message that says something to the effect of "Here is is possible to specify the data relative to language setup." and under that, an OK button, a CANCEL button, a question mark that redirects me to the guide (written in Italian like everything else, of course) and a BACK button which doesn't work.

So, multiple problems here. Has anybody else experienced these problems lately, and how have you overcome them?

[Hagar Delest]

There are many topics about the verification issue. They lead to Q05:A05 of Tutorial: Mac FAQ is helpful.

AFAIR, the English version is the basic language that is shipped in every version of AOO. It should appear in the drop-down list for User interface language.
I were you I would remove the language pack and if the AOO installation is still messed up, reset your OpenOffice user profile.

Else, givve a try to LibreOffice, it is under much more active development [Tutorial] Considering a Switch from OpenOffice to LibreOffice? Some Useful Information.

[MrProgrammer]

I used to be bilingual but now I have been living in the USA for 24 years and I feel more comfortable in English. Plus all the help forums are in English.

Surely if you install the full English language OpenOffice suite all of the user interface will be in that language. Here is a picture of the download page showing that you can select the language that you want. This will be simpler than trying to use a language pack.
[Solved] Trouble with a download

What do I have to do, remove the program entirely and download a new copy which I am sure is in English?

Yes. That is what I would do.
Q04/A04: How do I uninstall OpenOffice on a Mac?
Remove all of the OpenOffice applications in your /Applications folder. Then download and install a new one for English.
Q03/A03: How do I install OpenOffice on a Mac?
Installing OpenOffice will not change your settings. Those are kept in the user profile, which is not part of the install. You will retain your former settings after the install.

I get a message “OpenOffice 2” cannot be opened because the developer cannot be verified.

Q05/A05: The Gatekeeper won't let me run OpenOffice. How do I proceed?
You can find many other posts in our Mac OSX forum if you need additional assistance with convincing the Gatekeeper to let you use OpenOffice.

If this solved your problem please go to your first post use the Edit ✏️ button and add [Solved] to the start of the Subject field. Select the green checkmark icon at the same time.