Study Abroad - Australia and Ireland

Profile: Australia and Ireland

Although Americans studying in Australia and Ireland find the English language (mostly) familiar, computers and software can have a more difficult time making the transition across the ocean. The Irish language is unfamiliar to most Americans, but English is spoken in most places (and used in most software).

Power issues

Both the power levels and the electrical plug types are different in Australia and Ireland than in America. The power frequencies and levels are standardized throughout the United Kingdom and its former colonies; however, there are several different plug types in use, and you may need different types of sockets in different rooms of the same building.

Generally speaking, a power adapter kit that works for you in Ireland will also work in England, Scotland, or Wales. For Australia, you will need a different plug type to add to your adapter. Read the power adapter on any electric or electronic equipment that you bring with you, and make sure to buy an adapter kit that supplies the correct transformation of amperage, voltage, and frequency, as well as having interchangeable ends so that you can connect to any of the three socket types in Ireland or the type I socket used in Australia.

An illustrated list organized by country is available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_with_mains_power_plugs%2C_voltages_and_frequencies.

Keyboard issues

An Irish or Australian keyboard's layout is generally similar to an American keyboard's, with letters in the same locations, but punctuation is in different places. The standard British keyboard layout is shown at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keyboard_layout#UK.

In addition, there are several different ways that computers encode and communicate characters with each other; if your computer is working with a different encoding than a web page or networked application, you may encounter difficulties in reading or interacting with a page. If the page shows some strange characters (like •¶Žš‰) in place of what should logically be punctuation or accented letters, you're using a different encoding than the web page or application (resulting in a phenomenon named mojibake).

If you're working in a web browser, you can try to correct the mismatch by selecting another language from the languages shown under View -> Encoding or View -> Character Encoding. Many browsers also offer an auto-select option; however, depending on how the web page's author created it, the auto-select may not produce correct results and you may need to try one at a time.

If you're working in an application such as Microsoft Office or Outlook, check the Help section for information on "character encoding" or "keyboard layout" for assistance.

Network issues

ADSL is the most common connection method in Australia and Ireland. However, in both countries, one provider has had a virtual monopoly on the physical wiring, and other companies lease bandwidth from that provider. In Australia the network speed is artificially capped by that company at approximately one-tenth of the ADSL technology's theoretical maximum speed. In Ireland, on the other hand, about one-fifth of the country's telephone system is not able to handle ADSL networking. In both countries, satellite-based wireless may be the only alternative available for rural residents.