IMEs in Linux and Games

[Fionn]

Hello,

I have some questions related to i18n programming, i know that you need IMEs for many languages but since i lack knowledge of any of those languages i got some questions how i would correctly implement it in my library.

Especially with games and applications like that (where you have a fullscreen window hiding anything of the window managers controls).

What I discovered so far:
You need some way to modify the current input language on the fly if you want to write a letter with chinese and thai together for example.

There seems the most wanted input modes are on-the-spot and over-the-spot.


But now where i am lost:
Inside a game what controls would you expect for best behaviour?
Is it enough to have something like a input language switch or do you need to change facets of a language too? (I have seen an example of japanese for windows where you can switch between direct input and hiragana [Haven't found anything better so far - for reference http://bulldog2.redlands.edu/dept/AsianStudiesDept/Language/japanese_write.htm])


It would be great if someone with knowledge of this topics can contact me over ICQ for some interactive talk.


Thanks,
Fionn