Ectaco Partner ES B-3 User manual

ECTACO Partner®ES B-3 User Manual
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CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION ---------------------------------------------------------------------3
GETTING STARTED ----------------------------------------------------------------5
General View ------------------------------------------------------------------------5
Display --------------------------------------------------------------------------------5
Power Supply------------------------------------------------------------------------7
MultiMedia Card --------------------------------------------------------------------7
Initialization---------------------------------------------------------------------------9
Control Pad ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 10
Control Wheel --------------------------------------------------------------------- 13
Opening and Closing Programs----------------------------------------------- 14
Natural Handwriting -------------------------------------------------------------- 14
Writing Punctuation -------------------------------------------------------------- 15
Writing Functions ----------------------------------------------------------------- 15
Deleting Characters-------------------------------------------------------------- 15
Writing Accented Characters -------------------------------------------------- 16
Hints for Successful Handwriting --------------------------------------------- 16
On-screen Keyboard------------------------------------------------------------- 17
APPLICATIONS -------------------------------------------------------------------- 17
Dictionary--------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17
English Idioms--------------------------------------------------------------------- 21
Flash Cards ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 22
Hangman --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 24
Irregular Verbs -------------------------------------------------------------------- 24
Phrasebook ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 25
Spanish Verbs--------------------------------------------------------------------- 25
Address Book---------------------------------------------------------------------- 26
Calculator--------------------------------------------------------------------------- 30

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Currency Conversion ------------------------------------------------------------ 30
Date Book -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 31
Memo Book ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 34
Metric Conversion ---------------------------------------------------------------- 36
Music Player ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 36
ToDo Book ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 38
Voice Memo------------------------------------------------------------------------ 40
English Grammar ----------------------------------------------------------------- 42
Local Time-------------------------------------------------------------------------- 42
Spanish Grammar ---------------------------------------------------------------- 43
U.S. Interview---------------------------------------------------------------------- 43
World Time------------------------------------------------------------------------- 44
SETUP -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 44
Interface Language -------------------------------------------------------------- 44
Select Date------------------------------------------------------------------------- 45
Select Time ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 45
Volume ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 45
Password --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 45
Sounds ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 46
Pen Language--------------------------------------------------------------------- 46
Shutoff Time ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 46
Time Format ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 46
Date Format------------------------------------------------------------------------ 47
Numbers ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 47
Week Starts------------------------------------------------------------------------ 47
Double-click------------------------------------------------------------------------ 47
PC COMMUNICATION ----------------------------------------------------------- 47

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INTRODUCTION
Congratulations on purchasing ECTACO Partner®ES B-3! This product is the
result of combined efforts of Ectaco staff of linguists, engineers, and programmers.
You are now the owner of the versatile, handheld electronic device which will serve
you as a comprehensive EnglishÙSpanish dictionary, personal organizer, and a
music player.
ECTACO Partner®ES B-3 features:
English-Spanish bidirectional dictionary containing over 450,000 words,
including idioms, medical, technical, legal, and business terms, as well as
slang and general expressions
Advanced English and Spanish speech synthesis
Transcription
Vector Ultima™ Spell Checker
Look-up function
User's Dictionary
Bilingual interface
English and Spanish Grammar guide
U.S. citizenship exam preparation guide
Most popular English and Spanish idioms
English irregular verbs
Spanish verbs
Flash Cards
Word game
Instant Reverse Translation
The MorphoFinder™ function
Over 1,100 useful phrases in the English
Ù Spanish phrasebook
Currency and metric converters
Local and World time with a map
Address Book
ToDo Book
Date Book with audio reminders
Memo Book
Music Player

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Calculator
Voice Memo
High-speed data exchange and synchronization with PC
Password protection
Slang Lock
High resolution touch screen
MMC slot
USB port
Headphone jack
The latest speech technology employed by ECTACO Partner®ES B-3 allows you
to listen to clearly pronounced English and Spanish words and phrases.
This model features a break-through combination of two input methods −a well-
designed on-screen keyboard and a high-resolution touch-sensitive handwriting
area which makes character input simple, fast and accurate.
♦Note: As continuous efforts are made by the manufacturer to ensure better
quality and performance of the ECTACO Partner®products, some
characteristics or the design of the actual device you purchased may slightly
differ from their description in this manual.
ECTACO Partner®ES B-3 gives you the freedom of speech and communication.
Enjoy your ECTACO Partner®ES B-3 and make it your companion!

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GETTING STARTED
General View
The general view and external appliances of ECTACO Partner®ES B-3 are shown
below.
Display
ECTACO Partner®ES B-3 features a large-size touch screen with efficient
windows-driven graphic interface.
Touch-screen elements
By tapping certain types of screen items – a push-button or pre-highlighted text –
you perform an action associated with this item. In most windows or dialog boxes,
tap Done to accept changes or Cancel to exit without saving any changes.

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Stylus
Tap the screen with the supplied pointing device called the stylus which, when not
in use, is conveniently kept in a special slot at the side of the device’s back panel.
The stylus is especially useful for operations which cannot be performed by the
control wheel, for example, highlighting an arbitrary text fragment or a multi-word
translation in a dictionary entry.
♦Note: If, for some reason, using the stylus does not provide the desired effect,
you may need to recalibrate the screen (see page 12).
Cover
ECTACO Partner®ES B-3 comes with a hard plastic cover to protect the screen
when the device is not in use. To attach the cover, insert the pegs on the cover into
the holes on either side of the device. To detach the cover, gently snap the pegs

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out of the holes. We recommend that you keep the cover attached when you are
not using your ECTACO Partner®ES B-3.
Power Supply
ECTACO Partner®ES B-3 is powered by two AAA (LR03) batteries. Please insert
the batteries before connecting your device to a PC. Use the universal indicator to
check the current condition of the batteries (see page 11). Replace the batteries
when the indicator runs low.
♦Note: If the battery power runs too low, the unit will start up when you press the
On/Off button but will then shut off automatically. When this happens, please
replace the batteries immediately to avoid the risk of losing user data.
How to replace the batteries
•Press the On/Off button to turn the device off.
•Make sure the device is not on a hard surface – if the On/Off button is pressed
accidentally, user data may be lost.
♦Note: To avoid data loss, never try to remove the batteries from the device
when the power is on. If you experience difficulties turning the device off,
press the RESET button on the back of the device and restart the system.
•Remove the battery compartment cover by sliding it away from the device.
•Remove the used batteries and replace them with new ones.
♦Note: Do not mix old and new batteries.
•Make sure to place the batteries according to the polarity marks (+ -) inside the
battery compartment.
•Put back the battery compartment cover by sliding it toward the device. Make
sure the cover sits in place properly.
♦Note: You have one minute to replace the batteries without risk of losing the
data stored in RAM. Do not exceed the one-minute limit! Neither the
manufacturer nor the dealer may be held responsible for the loss of user data.
MultiMedia Card
ECTACO Partner®ES B-3 MultiMedia Card is included in the standard package.
The card contains the operating system and a set of applications described in the
Applications chapter (see page 17).

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•Please insert ECTACO Partner®ES B-3 MultiMedia Card into the MMC slot
before you turn the device on.
♦Note: Always make sure the device is turned off before installing or removing
the MMC. Never insert or remove the card when the device is on. Use the
On/Off button to turn the device off.
Installing MMC
•Put your thumb on the MMC slot cover and slide it off.
•Slide the MMC into the compartment with the contacts facing up and the label
facing down. Push the card gently until it clicks into place.
•Snap the cover back on.
•Turn the device on.
The operating system and program files will be installed on your ECTACO Partner®
ES B-3. This will take about 2.5 minutes. When the installation procedure is
completed and the screen is calibrated, the Setup application will be shown.
•Set the desired preferences (see page 44 for details) and tap Done.
If the MMC is not installed, a brief tour will be shown.
♦Note: The tour appears only after the device is left without battery power for
more than five minutes or when a hard reset is performed.
•Tap the introductory sentence in the language you want to view the tour.
•To skip pages in the tour, tap anywhere on the screen.
•Turn the device off and insert the MMC as described above.
Removing MMC
•Turn the device off by using the On/Off button.

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•Remove the MMC slot cover.
•Push the MMC in slightly.
You will hear a click and the card will pop out.
•Slide it out and snap the cover back on.
Initialization
The initialization routine is started:
•when ECTACO Partner®ES B-3 is turned on for the first time;
•when you remove the batteries (e.g. when replacing them) for longer than
five minutes;
•after the system has been reset with the RESET button – see Soft Reset
and Hard Reset below.
Soft Reset
Occasionally, ECTACO Partner®ES B-3 may need to be reset to clear its memory.
In most cases, a soft reset is sufficient. The soft reset does not affect programs or
user data.
•Tap to go to the Main Menu.
•Tap to open the Launcher Menu.
•Tap Restart system on the Launcher Menu.
•In the Ready for Restart screen, tap Restart now.
♦Note: On completion of the reboot, you will be prompted to conduct the touch-
screen calibration, which configures the proper spacing and alignment of the
touch-sensitive screen elements (see page 12).
If the Launcher Menu is not accessible, use the blunt end of a paperclip to gently
press the RESET button located on the back of the device.
♦Note: The RESET button is located on the back of the device and can be
accessed with any thin object like a paper clip. Never use a needle or a pin
since it can damage the device.
Hard Reset
In the rare event that the data on the screen is corrupted, a program is not
responding properly, or you forgot your password, you will need to perform a hard

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reset. After a hard reset all user data will be lost. Synchronize your data often so
that you always have a copy on your PC.
•To perform the hard reset, keep the On/Off button pressed while pressing the
RESET button.
After a completed system initialization, or when using the device for the first time,
the interface language is set to English. Users who prefer to see menus and
messages in Spanish please see page 44 for instructions.
Control Pad
The Control Pad is the area below the touch-sensitive screen where you can tap
icons, write characters, or use the scroll area to control your ECTACO Partner®ES
B-3.
Control Pad Elements and Their Functions
Launcher icon Switch to the Main Menu.
Menu icon Show the available menus. Menus shortcuts, where
available, are shown to the right of the menu items.
Handwriting area Input letters (in the Letter input area), input punctuation
marks (in the Punctuation input area), input numbers (in
the Number input area).
Scroll area Scroll the screen content.
Main Menu
•Tap to switch to the Main Menu.
All programs and some content files in RAM and on MultiMedia Card (MMC) are
represented by icons on this screen. Program and content icons of an MMC have
an M on the bottom right corner. ECTACO Partner®ES B-3 Main Menu contains a
row of three tabs at the bottom of the screen and the universal indicator. The tabs
are named as follows: Dictionary, Organizer, and Extras.

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Dictionary
•Use the Dictionary tab to access the following applications: Dictionary, English
Idioms, Flash Cards, Hangman, Irregular Verbs, Phrasebook, and Spanish
Verbs.
Organizer
•Use the Organizer tab to access the following applications: Address Book,
Calculator, Currency Conversion, Date Book, Memo Book, Metric Conversion,
Music Player, ToDo Book,and Voice Memo.
Extras
•Use the Extras tab to access the following applications: Setup, English
Grammar, Local Time, Spanish Grammar,U.S. Interview, and World Time.
Universal Indicator
This is a graphic item located in the lower right corner of the Main Menu. By
default, it shows the current time.
•Tap the universal indicator a few times to successively display the current date,
percent of remaining battery power, battery graphic power, and the amount of
available memory in the device.
Launcher Menu
•When in the Main Menu, tap to invoke the Launcher Menu.
The options available on the Launcher Menu are described below.
Handwriting Guide
Provides a quick, on-screen reference for natural handwriting input. It shows all
supported letter styles. For more information about handwriting, see page 14.
Restart System
Closes programs and then restarts the system.

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Pen Calibration
Displays the Calibration screen and allows you to re-calibrate your ECTACO
Partner®ES B-3.
•To perform the calibration, tap the center of the target with the stylus. Repeat
the process with three more targets, which will appear one after another.
Set Contrast
Allows you to adjust the screen contrast level.
Disable Password
Allows you to turn your password off or on. When no password is set, the menu
item is grayed and inactive. When you set a password, Disable Password becomes
active. Tap this menu item to temporarily disable the password. The menu item
becomes Enable Password. To turn your password on again, tap Enable
Password. For more information, see page 45.
MMC Backup
Allows you to copy all files from your ECTACO Partner®ES B-3 to MMC, restore
files from MMC to your ECTACO Partner®ES B-3, or erase MMC content. The
menu item is grayed (inactive) when no MMC is installed.
Launcher Help
Displays on-screen help for the Launcher.
Active Programs
Allows you to view and manage currently open applications. Programs can be
closed quickly from this location to allocate memory for other programs.
File Manager
Displays the name and size of all program and content files stored in RAM. Also
allows you to move files into categories or remove files from your ECTACO
Partner®ES B-3.
About
Displays ECTACO Partner®ES B-3 ID, the operating system version number, the
unique device identifier, and other information.
Handwriting Area
Natural handwriting is the recognition system used by the device allowing data
entry through writing. It makes character input simple, fast and accurate by
supporting multiple ways of writing most characters. All writing must be entered in

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the appropriate section of the Handwriting area, located at the center of the Control
Pad.
The Handwriting area is divided into the Letter input area, Number input area and
Punctuation input area. Write letters in the Letter input area "abc", punctuation in
the Punctuation input area ":-)", and numbers in the Number input area "123".
Handwriting Guide
To open the Handwriting Guide, please follow the steps below.
•From the Main Menu, tap .
•Tap Handwriting Guide.
The first screen of the Handwriting Guide will be displayed.
•Tap the arrows , at the top right corner to scroll through each screen of
the Handwriting Guide.
♦Note: Before you input accented characters, please make sure you have
selected the appropriate Pen Language (see Pen Language on page 46).
Control Wheel
The round control in the rear of ECTACO Partner®ES B-3 functions as an "Enter"
key, a scrolling mechanism, or volume control.
•In a program, turn or push the control wheel to select or open the desired item.
•Turn the control wheel to scroll one page when reading.
♦Note: The control wheel turns up and down; it does not spin. Please do not
put excessive force on the control wheel.
•Hold the control wheel up or down to scroll continuously.
•Turn the control wheel to control the volume when listening. Hold the wheel up
or down to change volume continuously.

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Opening and Closing Programs
•To open a program or file, tap its corresponding icon.
•When a program is running, you can return to the Main Menu without closing
the program – just tap .
•Tap once again to return to the program immediately.
ECTACO Partner®ES B-3 features multitasking. Each time you close a program,
you return to the Main Menu.
You can close a program using one of the following options:
•In most programs, appears in the top right corner. Tap to exit.
•From the Launcher Menu by using Active Programs.
•In some programs, you can exit by using the File menu. From the program, tap
then select File /Exit.
Natural Handwriting
Entering data with natural handwriting takes some practice. Please follow the steps
below to enter a sentence in the Memo Book.
•From the Main Menu, tap an icon for a program allowing data entry. For
example, Memo Book.
•Locate a field for data entry. For example, tap New to go to the Edit screen.
A blinking cursor appears in all fields where data can be entered. If the blinking
cursor does not appear, the field is not active.
•Place the pointed end of the stylus at the center of the Letter input area and
draw a line straight up to write the following letter in uppercase (Shift mode).
A single dot appears in the cursor to indicate shift.
•In the center of the Letter input area, write the letter "a". Start the stroke where
indicated by the point and draw it as it appears in the Handwriting Guide. Write
the characters left to right.
•Take the stylus off the screen, and the character will appear in the data entry
field.

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Natural handwriting also recognizes simple strokes for Backspace, Return and
Space, as well as Shift and Cap Lock.
♦Note: Always write in lowercase, as shown in the Handwriting Guide. If you
want to enter letters in uppercase, first write the stroke for Shift or Caps Lock.
•To enter a space, place the pointed end of the stylus in the center or left side of
the Letter input area and draw a horizontal straight line to the right.
If the character is composed of more than one stroke, you may see interim results
on the screen. For example, when you write "k," an "l" may show on the screen
before the "k" appears.
♦Note: If a character is not recognized, you will hear a beep.
Writing Punctuation
Please follow these guidelines when entering punctuation marks:
Period and
Comma
Write in the lower part of the appropriate input area.
Apostrophe Write in the upper part of the appropriate input area.
Writing Functions
Simple strokes make it easy to write functions, such as Backspace, Space, Shift,
and Caps Lock.
Stroke Function
Delete the previous character (Backspace).
Insert a space.
Insert a line break (Enter).
Write the next letter in uppercase (Shift).
Switch to uppercase (Caps Lock). When it is necessary to return
to lowercase, draw the Shift key symbol, as shown above.
Deleting Characters
The deletion of characters in the data entry field is performed by writing the
Backspace symbol.

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•To delete one character, place the cursor to the right of the character you want
to delete and write the Backspace function in the Letter input area.
To delete several characters at once, do the following:
•Drag the stylus over the characters to highlight them.
•Write the Backspace function in the Letter input area.
Writing Accented Characters
Natural handwriting supports accented character recognition for Spanish,
Portuguese, French, German, Italian, and Dutch. To enable accented characters,
first set the desired Pen Language (see page 46).
♦Note: The following special characters can only be written in the Punctuation
input area:
French << >>
Spanish ¡ ¿
The table below lists the accented characters available for each language.
Spanish á é í ñ ó ú ü ¡ ¿
Dutch à á ä â è é ë ê ì í ï î ò ó ô ö ù ú ü û ñ ç
French à â ç ë è é ê ï î ô œ ü ù û
German ä ö ü ß
Italian à è é ì ò ù
Portuguese ã á â ç è é ê í ò ó ô õ ü ú
Hints for Successful Handwriting
•Write characters as they appear in the Handwriting Guide.
•Always write in lower case.
•For an initial capital letter, use the Shift symbol.
•Write the characters large enough in the appropriate input area.
•For a series of capital letters, use the Caps Lock function. Double dots appear
in the cursor to indicate Caps Lock.

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On-screen Keyboard
The on-screen keyboard offers an alternative way of entering data in your
ECTACO Partner®ES B-3. It supports all English and Spanish letters, numerals,
and punctuation marks. The keyboard is available in most programs in every
screen allowing data entry.
•To invoke the on-screen keyboard, draw a line straight up outside the
Handwriting area or tap , where available.
The on-screen keyboard will appear. The basic layout contains the letters of the
respective alphabet and a set of symbols. The control key images have the
following legend:
Touch key Function
Backspace
Enter
Shift
Caps Lock
Access Spanish accented letters
Switch back to English layout
•To delete more than one character, drag the stylus across the characters you
want to delete to highlight them and start entering new data. The highlighted
portion will be overwritten.
•Tap ENTER to save your text and hide the keyboard.
•Tap to hide the keyboard without saving.
APPLICATIONS
This chapter describes work in a variety of applications recorded on ECTACO
Partner®ES B-3 MultiMedia Card.
♦Note: Before turning on your ECTACO Partner®ES B-3, please make sure the
supplied MultiMedia Card is inserted into the MMC slot.
Dictionary
The Dictionary application includes English-Spanish and Spanish-English
dictionaries containing a total of over 450,000 words. The pronunciation of English

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headwords in the English-Spanish dictionary is illustrated by means of the
International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA).
•Tap the Dictionary icon from the Dictionary tab to launch the application.
The English-Spanish dictionary is selected by default.
•To view a word translation, enter it either from the Handwriting area or from the
on-screen keyboard.
The headword closest in spelling to the entered letter combination will be displayed
under the input line. It is possible to retrieve a translation or explanation for word
forms entered in the input line. The source word entry for the requested word will
be displayed. For example, if you enter "rains" and there is not such an entry in the
dictionary, you will get the "rain" entry, as it is the headword for "rains". The
MorphoFinder™ function helps you find source words (headwords) of English past
participles, gerunds, plural forms, and of Spanish forms of various parts of speech.
•Tap the requested entry or highlight it and push the control wheel to look up its
translation(s).
Spell-checker Vector Ultima 
The multilingual spell-checker Vector Ultimais one of the most advanced on the
market. When you are unsure of the spelling of a word, Vector Ultimaallows you
to enter the word as you hear it and choose a spelling version from a list of
suggestions.
For example:
•Type the word "board" as you hear it: bord.

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•Tap to open the Variants list.
•Tap the desired variant to look up its translation(s).
Pronunciation of Words and Phrases
One of the most exciting features of ECTACO Partner®ES B-3 is the TTS (Text-to-
Speech) technology allowing you to listen to the pronunciation of English and
Spanish words and phrases.
•Open an entry in the Dictionary.
•Tap to listen to the pronunciation of the headword.
•Highlight any portion of the translation by using the stylus and tap to listen
to its pronunciation.
Changing Font Size
There are three font sizes in the Dictionary.
•Tap twice to reduce the screen font size and see more translations of the
given headword on the screen without scrolling.
•Tap once again to restore the initial font size.
Instant Reverse Translation
•Tap the word to highlight it.
•Tap to make the reverse translation.
You can make up to five successive reverse translations (without closing windows).
The message Last translation is displayed if the limit is reached.
•Tap to close the reverse translation windows successively.
Touch Buttons
The following touch buttons are available in the Dictionary:
Button Function
Check spelling
Open the User Dictionary
Change font size

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Change the direction of translation
Hide / unhide slang words and phrases. The default password
is showslan.
Invoke the on-screen keyboard
Make a reverse translation
Open a new record template in the User Dictionary
Save a record to the User Dictionary
Delete a record from the User Dictionary
Go to the previous entry
Go to the next entry
Pronounce a headword or a highlighted portion of translation
Parts of Speech, Gender Labels, Abbreviations
Translations of a headword are listed in alphabetical order of parts of speech. A–
adjective, NPR – proper noun, ABBR – abbreviation, NUM – numeral, ADV –
adverb, PART – particle, ART – article, PHR – phrase, AUX – auxiliary, PREF –
prefix, CONJ – conjunction, PREP – preposition, ID – idiom, PRON – pronoun,
INTRJ – interjection, SUFF – suffix, N– noun, V– verb.
Spanish nouns are marked with gender and number labels.
F– feminine, M– masculine, N– neuter, MPL – masculine plural, FPL – feminine
plural, MF – masculine or feminine, MFPL – masculine or feminine plural.
Certain words and expressions in the dictionary are marked with the following
Spanish abbreviations: [bot.] for botany, [dep.] for sport, [sl.] for slang, [téc.] for
technical, [vulg.] for vulgarism, and [zool.] for zoology.
User Dictionary
ECTACO Partner®ES B-3 allows you to create your own vocabulary which
automatically links to the main dictionary.
•Set the desired direction of translation by tapping .
•Tap to open the User Dictionary.
•Tap to open a new record template.