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Set up SCIM in XFCE
What is SCIM?
SCIM stands for 'Smart common input method' (http://www.scim-im.org). The SCIM engine can act as an input method for any language, including complex languages such as Chinese. It is easy to use SCIM tables to create a custom keyboard.
Why would I wish to use it?
If you need to switch between keyboard layouts, and your needs are beyond what xkb provides, SCIM provides a useful alternative. I personally use it to type ancient Greek, pointed Hebrew, and Chinese.
How do I set it up in XFCE
SCIM is no more difficult to setup in XFCE than in Gnome or KDE. The easiest user level way to set it up is to edit the .Xsession file.
LANG=en_US.UTF-8 export LANG XMODIFIERS="@im=SCIM" export XMODIFIERS GTK_IM_MODULE="scim" export GTK_IM_MODULE scim -d& startxfce4
Set LANG to your own local, of course. SCIM should work, as long as the locale is UTF-8. After doing this, by default, SCIM will work in XFCE.
Good luck, and have fun.