Partner ER400 Professional User manual

Partner® ER400 Professional User's Manual
1
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION..................................................................................... 2
General View...................................................................................... 3
Power Supply..................................................................................... 4
Initialization ........................................................................................ 4
Keyboard............................................................................................ 5
Display ............................................................................................... 6
Main Menu ......................................................................................... 7
DICTIONARIES....................................................................................... 8
REFERENCE ........................................................................................ 12
Business Correspondence............................................................... 12
Phrasebook...................................................................................... 13
Popular Idioms ................................................................................. 14
Irregular Verbs ................................................................................. 14
User's Dictionary .............................................................................. 14
Grammar.......................................................................................... 15
ORGANIZER ......................................................................................... 16
Telephones ...................................................................................... 16
Schedule .......................................................................................... 16
Calculator......................................................................................... 18
Local Time........................................................................................ 18
World Time....................................................................................... 18
Currency Conversion ....................................................................... 19
Metric Conversion ............................................................................ 19
MISCELLANEOUS................................................................................ 19
Game ............................................................................................... 19
PC communication........................................................................... 20
Setup................................................................................................ 21
Interface Language..................................................................... 21
Dictionary.................................................................................... 21
Organizer .................................................................................... 22
Security and Memory.................................................................. 23
Settings....................................................................................... 24

Partner® ER400 Professional User's Manual
2
INTRODUCTION
Congratulations on purchasing the Partner®ER400 Professional! This product is
the result of the combined efforts of Ectaco’s linguists, engineers, and
programmers, and represents the last generation of the highest-performance
integrated linguistic tools available. Partner®ER400 Professional will be
especially helpful for the professionals dealing with both English and Russian, as
it contains all you may need for successful career.
The Partner®ER400 Professional features:
Main vocabulary contains more than 950,000 words in English-Russian &
Russian-English general and specialized dictionaries:
General – 750,000 words
Medical – 29,000 words
Business – 22,000 words
Telecommunication & Computers – 21,000 words
Law – 65,000 words
Oil – 39,000 words
Financial – 54,000 words
Business correspondence phrases
Recording function for new words
Advanced English speech synthesis
Instant reverse translation
Request History list
Award-winning Vector Ultima
 bilingual spell-checking system
Electronic English Grammar book
English irregular verbs
A selection of the most popular American idioms
English/Russian phrasebook
128K English/Russian personal organizer for scheduling and telephone
numbers, equipped with search function
Metric and currency converters
Local and World time
High-speed data exchange with a PC
Bilingual interface
Data protection system
Slang lock
External power jack for AC operation
9As continuous efforts are made by the manufacturer to ensure the best
quality and performance of the Partner®products, some characteristics of the

Partner® ER400 Professional User's Manual
3
device you have purchased may slightly differ from their description in this
manual.
The standard package includes a CD with the PC-Link program and dictionary
software for various operating systems. Set of the dictionaries and their contents
may be different from those stored in the ER400 Professional.
General View
The general view and external features of the Partner® ER400 Professional are
shown below.

Partner® ER400 Professional User's Manual
4
Power Supply
The ER400 Professional is powered by two AAA (LR03) batteries. When the
batteries become weak, a warning message will be displayed.
In order to prevent excessively discharging the batteries and undergoing a
resulting loss of data in RAM, the Say function will be disabled if battery power is
low. To restore full functionality of the device and to avoid risk of losing user data,
replace the complete set of batteries as soon as possible. Do not mix old and
new batteries.
9If you plug in the AC adapter, full functionality of the device will be restored
during 1 minute.
9It is recommended to use an external power supply while using the speech
and PC-Link functions.
How to replace the batteries
yEnsure the power is off. Press ON/OFF to turn the device off.
9Never try to remove batteries from the device when the power is on. This can
seriously damage the device. If you experience difficulty turning the device
off, press the RESET button on the right-hand side of the keyboard (over the
O button) and reset the system.
yRemove the battery compartment cover by sliding it away from the device.
yRemove the used batteries and replace them with new ones.
9When replacing the batteries, you have 2 minutes to place new ones in the
device without risk of losing any data stored in RAM. Do not exceed the 2-
minute limit! Neither the manufacturer nor the dealer may be held
responsible for loss of user data.
yMake sure to place the batteries according to the polarity marks (+ -) inside
the compartment.
yReplace the battery compartment cover by sliding it toward the device. Make
sure the cover sits in place properly.
9The ER400 Professional is equipped with a jack for external power supply.
9Use of an inappropriate external power supply may cause failure of the
device and may void the warranty. The AC/DC adapter should provide 6V
and min 300mA DC.
Initialization
The initialization routine is started
▫when ER400 Professional is turned on for the first time;
▫when you remove the batteries (e.g. during replacement);
▫after the system has been reset with the RESET button.

Partner® ER400 Professional User's Manual
5
9The RESET button is located on the right-hand side of the keyboard (over
the O button). It can be accessed with any thin object like a paper clip. Never
use a needle or pin for this purpose since it can damage the device.
yIf you see Initialize system?(y/n), press the N button to abort initialization and
customization.
yThen you will see the Delete user's data? message. Press the N button to
save your data.
The System initialized! message indicates that system initialization has been
completed and the factory defined default settings have been restored.
Keyboard
The standard American QWERTY keyboard is combined with the standard
Russian layout.
To enter the additional letters marked over the buttons, press ALT+ the desired
button.1
To enter such letters in caps, press SHIFT+ALT+ the desired button.
ER400 Professional features standard and phonetic modes of entering Russian
letters:
Russian standard mode allows you to enter Russian letters corresponding to the
keyboard marks.
Russian phonetic mode allows you to enter Russian letters by their phonetic
consonance with English letters, e.g. you can press the F button to enter the
Russian letter “Ф”.
The table below shows the Russian and English layouts in the Russian phonetic
mode. 2
q
я
w
ш/щ
e
е/э
r
р
t
т
y
ы
u
у/ю
i
и
o
о
p
п
a
а
s
с
d
д
f
ф
g
г/ж
h
х
j
й
k
к
l
л
z
з
x
ь/ъ
c
ц/ч
v
в
b
б
n
н
m
м
9Unlike PC keyboards, there is no need to keep a key (such as SHIFT) down
while pressing another one. It is enough to press it only once and release.
1Key1+Key2 here and further on signifies the combination of keys to use – first press and
release Key1, then press and release Key2.
2Press ALT to enter letters shown after the slash (/) in the table.

Partner® ER400 Professional User's Manual
6
The available set of national characters is dependent on which language input
mode is selected. Language modes can be toggled by pressing the Ùbutton.
ENG or RUS is displayed in the upper right corner respectively.
Function shortcut keys
ON/OFF Turn the device On or Off
RESET Re-initialize system
SPELLER (SHIFT+ uor t) Launch spell-checker
Other shortcut keys open sections corresponding to the marks over the buttons
(press SHIFT+ shortcut key; for example, SHIFT+DICT).
Control and edit keys
Í, ÎMove cursor / highlight / switch main menu
Ð, ÏHighlight / scroll lines / switch main menu / change
values. Use Ïto switch between the Insert and
Overwrite modes.
u, tScroll pages
ENTER Execute
Enter space
ESC Close active window / cancel / return to the previous
page
ALT Enter additional letters marked over the buttons
(SHIFT) Type in uppercase
ÍBS Delete character to the left of the cursor
ÙSwitch translation direction
SHIFT+ÏOpen additional symbols3
SHIFT+ÐOpen record to edit
SHIFT+ ÍBS Delete record
Pronounce English headword
SHIFT+ Pronounce English translation(s)
A, P Specify AM or PM (when the 12-hour format is set)
Display
Partner®ER400 Professional features a high-resolution screen (160x64 pixels).
The indicator line is at the top of the display and shows the following indicators:
SHIFT key pressed
3Press u, tto move between three lines of symbols. Press the corresponding
number button to enter the desired symbol.

Partner® ER400 Professional User's Manual
7
Current record opened in the edit mode
Insert mode selected
Batteries low
Device locked
Daily Alarm on
Vertical scrolling or paging enabled (more text available)
Horizontal scrolling enabled
Main Menu
The ER400 Professional MAIN MENU consists of four menus: Dictionaries,
Reference, Organizer, and Miscellaneous, which conveniently organize access to
the various sections.
yTo display the MAIN MENU, turn the device on or close a current section.
yMove between the menus by using u, t. Select the desired section by
using Ð, Ï.
yTo open the highlighted section, press ENTER.
The icons shown in the MAIN MENU represent the following applications:
Dictionaries Menu
Main Dictionary Law Dictionary
Medical Dictionary Oil Dictionary
Business Dictionary Financial Dictionary
Telecom Dictionary
Reference Menu
Business Correspondence Irregular Verbs
Phrasebook
User's Dictionary

Partner® ER400 Professional User's Manual
8
Popular Idioms Grammar
Organizer Menu
Telephones World Time
Schedule Currency
Calculator Metrics
Local Time
Miscellaneous Menu
Game Setup
PC Communication
DICTIONARIES
The Dictionaries menu includes EnglishÙRussian General and specialized
dictionaries: Medical, Business, Telecommunication & Computers (Telecom),
Law, Oil, Financial, containing over 950,000 words in total.
yPress SHIFT+DICT to enter the Main Dictionary.
9Following system initialization, the English-Russian dictionary is selected by
default.

Partner® ER400 Professional User's Manual
9
You can attach specialized dictionaries to the Main dictionary at the Setup
section (see Page 21). Icons of the attached dictionaries are displayed in the
upper right corner of the screen and have the following meanings:
Main Dictionary Law Dictionary
Medical Dictionary Oil Dictionary
Business Dictionary Financial Dictionary
Telecom Dictionary
Viewing entries
yStart entering the desired word from the keyboard.
yIf the Advanced Search mode is turned ON, the headword closest in spelling
to the portion you have entered so far will be displayed under the input line.
When the desired word is displayed, press ENTER to see its translation(s).
9If the Advanced Search mode is OFF, the Dictionary will work faster (see
Page 22).
You can also search a particular dictionary for the word in question.
ySelect the desired dictionary by using Ð, Ïand press ENTER.
Meanings of certain words depend on the case of letters the word is written. For
example, Archer – Стрелец [астр.]; archer – стрелок из лука, лучник. Such
words are shown in different entries.
Use:

Partner® ER400 Professional User's Manual
10
•Ð,Ïto scroll through the translations
•t, uto switch between adjacent entries.
yPress ESC or any letter button to return to the input line and translate
another word.
You can change the translation direction by pressing Ù.
Request History
The last 20 of the previously opened entries are stored in the Request History list.
yChoose the desired translation direction by pressing Ù.
yPress Ðwhen in the input line.
yChoose the desired headword by using Ð, Ï. Press ENTER.
To restrict the search within the Request History list, enter the first letters of the
word in the input line before pressing Ð.
The Request History list may be cleared in the Data deletion subsection (see
Page 24).
Parts of Speech, Gender Labels, Abbreviations
Translations of a headword are listed in the alphabetical order by part of speech.
A – adjective ID – idiom PHR – phrase
ABBR – abbreviation INTRJ – interjection PREF – prefix
ADV – adverb N – noun PREP – preposition
ART – article NPR – proper noun PRON – pronoun
AUX – auxiliary NUM – numeral SUFF – suffix
CONJ – conjunction PART – particle V – verb
Russian nouns are marked with gender and number labels.
F– feminine N– neuter
M– masculine PL – plural
MF – masculine or feminine
Certain words and expressions in the dictionary are marked with the following
abbreviations:
agr. – agriculture
alleg. – allegorical
Amer. – Americanism
anat. – anatomy
Anc. Gr. – Ancient Greek
arch. – archaic
archeol. – archaeology
archit. – architecture
ent. – entomology
fenc. – fencing
fig. – figurative
fin. – finance
Fr. – French
geogr. – geography
geol. – geology
geom. – geometry
myth. – mythology
naut. – nautical
opt. – optics
pharm. – pharmacy
philos. – philosophy
phon. – phonetics
phot. – photography
phys. – physics

Partner® ER400 Professional User's Manual
11
arithm. – arithmetic
art. – art
astron. – astronomy
aviat. – aviation
bact. – bacteriology
bibl. – biblical
biochem. – biochemistry
biol. – biology
bot. – botany
Brit. – British
bsn. – business
cards – cards
chem. – chemistry
chess. – chess
cin. – cinema
coll. – collective
comp. – computers
cook. – cooking
dent. – dentistry
econ. – economics
elelctr. – electronics
elev. – elevated
gram. – grammar
hist. – historical
hunt. – hunting
inf. – informal
infant. – infantile
iron. – ironic
jur. – juridical
Lat. – Latin
leath. – leather
ling. – linguistics
liter. – theory of
literature
math. – mathematics
mech. – mechanics
med. – medicine
met. – meteorology
metal. – metallurgy
mil. – military
min. – mining
miner. – mineralogy
mot.– motor transport
mus. – music
physiol. – physiology
poet. – poetic
pol. – political
psych. – psychology
rad. – radio
railw. – railways
rel. – religion
Rom. – Roman
S. Afr. – South African
Scot. – Scottish
ski. – skiing
sl. – slang
spec. – special
tech. – technical
telecom. –
telecommunication
tex. – textile
theat. – theatre
typ. – typing
vet. – veterinary
vulg. – vulgar
zool. – zoology
Instant Reverse Translation
For your convenience, the ER400 Professional provides an Instant Reverse
Translation for all words and expressions in the dictionaries.
yPress Í, Îto select a word or expression for the reverse translation.
yPress ENTER.
You can make up to four reverse translations in succession (without closing
windows). The message Last translation is displayed if the limit is reached.
Use:
•ESC to close the Reverse translation windows4
4The windows will be closed in the reverse order.

Partner® ER400 Professional User's Manual
12
•SHIFT+DICT or any letter button to return to the input line.
Spell-checker Vector Ultima
When you are unsure of the spelling of a word, the multilingual spell-checker
Vector Ultimawill help you.
yType the word as you hear it. For example, “foll” for “fall”.
yPress SHIFT+SPELLER (SHIFT and either of the t, ubuttons). A list of
suggested variants appears on the screen.
ySelect the desired word and press ENTER.
9If the spell-checker is unable to suggest any variants, the No variants
message is shown.
Pronunciation of words and sentences
The Text-To-Speech technology provides pronunciation of any English words and
phrases.
yDisplay an entry.
Use:
•to listen to the pronunciation of the headword
•SHIFT+ to listen to the pronunciation of all displayed translations.
yYou also can listen to any selected word or phrase listed in the entry. Simply
make the selection by using Í, Îand press the button.
9The device is able to generate pronunciation of any text, not limited to
dictionary entries. Simply type a word or phrase in the input line of any
English-Russian dictionary and press the button.
REFERENCE
Business Correspondence
The section contains over 800 topically arranged phrases and sentences with
their translations on various subjects concerning business activity.
1. Starting a letter. 17. Exhibitions and Fairs.
2. Detailing your experience and
applying for a job.
3. Asking for and giving references.
18. Visits Exchange.
19. Letters of recommendation.
20. Congratulations.
21. Condolences.4. Accepting and refusing.
5. References to previous letters,
phone calls.
22. About change of address and
addressee.
6. Introducing your company. 23. Useful phrases.

Partner® ER400 Professional User's Manual
13
7. Advertisement activity. 23a. Questions. Notifications.
8. Ordering. 23b. Notifications. Information.
9. Sending samples and expertise. 23c. Assurance.
10. Proposing Conditions. 23d. Hope.
11. Doubt. Refusal. Consent. 23e. Requests.
12. Limited acceptance.
Counterproposal.
13. Compromise seeking.
23f. Gratitude.
23g. Regrets.
23h. Apologies.
14. Contract. 23i. Satisfaction.
15. Outstanding. 23j. Dissatisfaction.
16. Claim. 24. Complimentary close.
9Direction of the translation depends on the selected Interface language (see
Page 21).
Phrasebook
The Phrasebook section contains over 1,100 phrases in the English and Russian
languages. The phrases are arranged in 12 conversational topics:
Basic conversation Shopping Transport
Traveling Sightseeing Health
Hotel Communication Cosmetology
In the Restaurant At the Bank Calling for Police
Most of the topics contain a number of subtopics.
yPress SHIFT+PHRASES to enter the Phrasebook section.
ySelect a topic. Press ENTER to see its subtopics.
9Direction of the translation depends on the selected Interface language (see
Page 21).

Partner® ER400 Professional User's Manual
14
Popular Idioms
Over 200 widely used American idioms and their equivalents or translations are
included in the Popular Idioms section.
yPress SHIFT+IDIOMS to enter the Popular Idioms section.
yType the first letter of the desired idiom and scroll through the list to find it.
Irregular Verbs
All commonly used English irregular verbs are stored in alphabetical order in the
Irregular Verbs section.
yPress SHIFT+VERBS to enter the Irregular Verbs section.
yType the first letter of the desired verb and scroll through the list to find it.
User's Dictionary
ER400 Professional allows you to create your own vocabulary.
yEnter the User’s Dictionary section and choose one of the user’s
dictionaries – English or Russian.
Record
The record consists of a word or expression, its translation, and its part of
speech. It also has information about the index number of the current record and
the total number of records.
Creating a Record
yWhen in the dictionary, press ENTER to open a new record template.

Partner® ER400 Professional User's Manual
15
9If the dictionary is empty, a new record template will be opened
automatically.
yType in a word or expression. Press ENTER.
yType in a translation(s).
yPress ENTER.
yChoose an appropriate abbreviation of the part of speech by using Ð, Ï.
yPress ENTER. The record will be saved.
Finding a Record
There are three ways to find a record:
I. When in the dictionary, you may start typing the headword of a stored record.
Use the Backspace key to delete the inputted word.
II. The records are sorted alphabetically by headword. You can scroll the record
list by using uor t.
III. Open the main dictionary, set the corresponding translation direction, type in a
word saved in the user's dictionary and press ENTER.
9When the security mode is ON, words from the User's Dictionary are not
shown in the Main Dictionary.
Grammar
The ER400 Professional contains the English Grammar in the English and
Russian languages, depending on the selected Interface language.
yPress SHIFT+GRAM to enter the Grammar section.

Partner® ER400 Professional User's Manual
16
The Grammar contains three-level hierarchical menus. You can reach a menu’s
third level by consecutively selecting topics from the menu.
ORGANIZER
Telephones
In this section you can store names, telephone and fax numbers, as well as
postal and e-mail addresses in English and Russian.
yPress SHIFT+PHONES to enter the Telephones section.
You will see the first of existing telephone records sorted by name.
Creating a Record
yTo open a new record template, press ENTER when you are in Telephones.
If there are no records stored yet, a new record template will be opened
automatically when you enter the section.
yStart filling out the Name page.
yTo open the next page, press ENTER.
9It is necessary to complete the Name page to open the next one.
yTo return to the previous page, press ESC.
Finding a Record
There are two ways to find a record:
I. When in the section, you may start typing a name included in a stored record.
Use:
•ÍBS to delete the inputted word
•Ùto switch between English and Russian input modes.
II. The records are sorted alphabetically by name. You can scroll the record list
by using uor t.
Schedule
You may effectively manage your time by using the Schedule section.
yPress SHIFT+SCHEDULE to enter the Schedule section. The first of existing
records will be shown.
Records are sorted by date and time.

Partner® ER400 Professional User's Manual
17
9The check in the upper right corner indicates the past events.
Creating a Record
yTo open a new record template, press ENTER when you are in Schedule. If
there are no records stored yet, a new record template will be opened
automatically when you enter the section.
The first page of a record includes information on Date, Time and the audible
Reminder. Date and Time specify the moment of the Schedule alarm operation.
The Reminder specifies the time period until a Schedule alarm will be issued.
The second page – Content – is designed for information about the event.
ySet the date and time and specify the time period until a Schedule alarm will
be issued.
yPress ENTER to open the Content page.
yPress ENTER to save a record.
9The Schedule memory is limited to 50 records. The Not enough memory
message is displayed when the record list is full.
Finding a Record
The records are sorted by date and time. Use u, tto scroll the record list.
Reminder and Schedule alarm
If enabled, the Reminder sounds at the determined time until a Schedule alarm
will be issued, producing an audible beep. The Reminder is turned OFF by
default for a new record. The Reminder time is adjusted separately for every
individual record.
9Reminders and Schedule alarms sound even if the device is OFF.
9If a Reminder and a Daily alarm are timed to go off for the same time, only
the Reminder will be displayed since it has higher priority.
The corresponding Schedule record will be displayed in the view mode at this
time.

Partner® ER400 Professional User's Manual
18
yPress any key to interrupt a Schedule alarm or a Reminder beep.
You can change the record and set the Reminder for a later time. Closing the
Schedule reminder window will bring you back to the section (for example, Main
Dictionary) as you were before the alarm went off.
Calculator
yPress SHIFT+CALC to enter the Calculator section.
When entering numbers and operations from the keyboard, there is no need to
press the SHIFT key while in the Calculator mode. Use this application as an
ordinary pocket calculator.
Local time
yPress SHIFT+TIME to enter the Local time section.
The Local time screen shows the names of the selected city and country (default:
Moscow, Russia), the date, day of the week, and the current time for that city.
You may specify these settings in the Setup section.
World time
Using the World time section, you may view the current time in cities around the
globe.
yEnter the World time section.
The World time screen shows the names of the selected city and country (default:
New York, USA), the date, day of the week, and the current time for that city.
•To see information for another city, scroll through the alphabetic list by
using Ð,Ï.
•To see information for another city of the same country, scroll through
the alphabetic list by pressing u, t.
•Also, you can quickly find a desired city by pressing the first letter of its
name and scrolling through the list by using Ð,Ï.
yWhen you find a desired city, press ENTER to save changes. The next time
you enter this section, the city you have chosen will be displayed first.

Partner® ER400 Professional User's Manual
19
Currency Conversion
The Currency Conversion function allows you to instantly calculate conversion
values between nine pre-installed currencies and three user-defined currencies.
yEnter the Currency section.
Setting and Checking Rates
ySelect the Set rate subsection to specify currency names and rates.
ySelect a currency. Press ENTER.
9You can specify or change the names of any of the currencies listed. New
currencies may be added in place of ???.
yChange/specify the currency name. Press ENTER to open the next window.
ySpecify an exchange rate relative to the basic currency (whose rate should
equal 1).
9The default exchange rate for all currencies is 1.
yPress ENTER to save changes.
Conversion
yEnter the Calculation subsection.
ySelect a currency name and enter an amount.
While you are typing a new amount, the conversion is being performed.
Metric Conversion
With the ER400 Professional you may easily convert measurements from the
British-American system into the metric system commonly used in Europe and
vice versa, as well as convert within each system.
yEnter the Metrics section.
yChoose a subsection by pressing Ð,Ï. Press ENTER.
yInput the value.
9There may be more than four units of measure in the subsection.
MISCELLANEOUS
Game
The ER400 Professional features the learning game Hangman, which can
enhance your vocabulary.
yPress SHIFT+GAME to enter the Hangman section.
ySelect a language for the game by pressing Ù. Press ENTER.
Once the language is chosen, a new game will begin.

Partner® ER400 Professional User's Manual
20
yTry to guess letters in the word by entering them from the keyboard.
If you guess a letter correctly, it will appear in place of an asterisk in the word.
The number displayed shows the number of tries remaining.
yWhen playing, press ENTER to display the translation of the hidden word
(counts as one try). To hide the translation, press ESC.
yPress the button to hear the hidden English word (counts as one try).
yAfter the game ends, the hidden word and its translation(s) will be shown.
yPress ESC to return to a new game.
PC Communication
Using the ER400 Professional PC-Link cable (available separately as a part of
the Communication Package) and the PC-Link software (provided in the standard
package on a CD-ROM) you may exchange data between your ER400
Professional and a personal computer. This feature will allow you to keep a
backup copy of the Telephones, Schedule, and User’s Dictionaries data on your
PC.
Software
yInsert the CD into the CD-ROM drive of a PC. If the installation program does
not start automatically, run the INSTALL.exe file from the CD root catalog.
yChoose ER400 Professional PC-Link from the menu displayed on the PC.
yAfter the program is installed, start it from Start/Programs/Ectaco. The
icon will appear in the System Tray.
9The latest version of the PC-Link software can be downloaded from Ectaco's
Web site at www.ectaco.com.
Sending and Receiving
yConnect the PC-Link cable to the PC-Link jack located on the right-hand
edge of the device.
yPress SHIFT+PC-LINK to enter the PC communication section.
yRight-click the PC-Link icon in the System Tray. In the PC-Link program,
select an appropriate data transfer mode.
9Make sure to select an appropriate COM port.
9Make sure you have no other PC-Link program running simultaneously with
ER400 Professional PC-Link.
ySelect the Send data transfer mode. Press ENTER.
yChoose the section(s) you wish to send. Use SPACE to check or uncheck a
section.