So I finally managed to have my spelling checked on the go. But there is more to it. CafeTran not only shows you the word you misspelled, it also offers you alternatives. Select the misspelled word, and hit CTRL+ALT+Space, and if necessary, repeat the process by pressing CTRL+Space till you see the word you want. It will be inserted automatically.
For several languages, there is also a thesaurus available for OpenOffice. Hold the CTRL key while clicking with the right mouse button on a word. The list of meanings and their synonyms for the word will pop up to check or replace. The keyboard shortcut for this action is CTRL+SHIFT+Space.
Go to the OOo extensions website for an extensive list of dictionaries.
TIP: The OpenOffice dictionaries will only work for OOo. You can't blame OOo, and they are great for working with CT. For as far as I know all native Mac applications and most third party apps, you can try Aspell, a free and Open Source spell checker. It's cross-platform, so it will also work under Linux and Windows, although to my knowledge, support for Windows was terminated ages ago. For the Mac, Aspell comes in handy, especially for "unusual" languages. The list of dictionaries boasts almost 100 supported languages, including Zula, Kinyarwanda, Tetum, and several other languages I never heard of.
Click to enlarge
Since this tip has little or nothing to do with CafeTran, I will not mention it in my TIPS entry.
OK then, one more thing (as they say) on spelling: On the Mac, you can even activate the spell checker in Skype, including Aspell. Just right-click in the text field, and choose Spelling and Grammar>Show Spelling and Grammar
