zuzu

Working with text documents in foreign languages usually implies having the appropriate tools for setting the encoding method, so that text is correctly read by other applications.

zuzu is a lightweight utility that aims to simplify your task when it comes to converting Myanmar Zawgyi (Burmese) to Unicode. It rests in the taskbar after installation, creating a shortcut to provide quick access to its panel and options.

The program was designed with the Electron framework as well as React, Redux and React Router. It's free and open source, and also has an edition available for Mac OS X users.

Besides double-clicking the tray icon to reach the app's panel, you can use Ctrl+Shft+Spacebar, regardless of the application you're currently using. All you have to do write or paste Zawgyi words or phrases in the zuzu window and click a button to instantly convert it.

By default, the app automatically copies the converted Unicode text to the clipboard, so you can paste it into any program with text support. The autocopy option can be disabled from the settings panel, though.

Unfortunately, it doesn't have a feature implemented for copying text from any program (for example, using a global keyboard shortcut), in order to skip the part where you have to write it yourself in its window. Similarly, it cannot automatically paste text in other apps.

Nevertheless, zuzu has only been just recently released so there's plenty of room for improvements in future updates. Without any surprise, it ran smoothly on the latest Windows version in our testing and had minimal impact on system resources consumption.

Zuzu offers a simple and straightforward solution for formatting Myanmar Zawgyi (Burmese) text with Unicode. Too bad that it doesn't offer support for other languages as well.