Interpreter FAQ

Compadre Interpreter Frequently Asked Questions

I. Installation

How do I register Interpreter?

Your registration key is based on the Owner Name on your PDA. Go to Settings->Personal->Owner Information->Name. This text is space and case sensitive. Please include any leading or trailing spaces and capitalize the same letters. Submit this to the web site and use all five digits when the program asks you for your key.

What kind of PDA do I need for Interpreter?

You can use any PDA that runs Windows Mobile 5.0 or Mobile 6.0. It must have a touchscreen and must have 25 MB main memory. This is needed for installation.

What are the System Requirements?

Required Storage Space

25 MB minimum for the installed program and dictionaries
Additional language pairs require additional storage space.
Windows Mobile™ 5.0 and 6.0 need at least 22 MB in Main memory for Interpreter to be installed correctly. The installers in these OSs expand all the files to Main memory and then move them to their destination folders. Therefore this is a temporary but essential need.

Required Hardware

Desktop PC
Windows Mobile™ Pocket PC with touchscreen
Pocket PC Cradle
USB connection port

Required Software

Desktop PC Operating System: Windows® 98, Windows® 2000, Windows® ME, Windows® XP, or later version
On Desktop PC: Microsoft® ActiveSync® 3.5 or later version
PDA Operating System: Windows Mobile™ 5.0 or Windows Mobile™ 6.0

Does Interpreter support Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 or 6.0?

Yes, it supports Windows Mobile 5.0 and Mobile 6.0.

I loaded Interpreter to my storage card and now it cannot find the dictionaries.

After you launch the application go to File->Open... You can choose either one and use the Switch Direction icon (chasing red arrows) from within the application to switch to the other dictionary.
NOTE: The Interpreter installer temporarily needs a lot of main memory on the PDA in order to uncompress and install all the components to the SD card. If you don't have enough then the dictionaries will not be installed.
The solution is:

Install the program as you would normally (as if it will work) (and that's what you've already done)
Then install again and answer NO to the questions asking "Do you want to proceed with the reinstall / upgrade?" You will be asked that question three times. Answer NO to all of them.

The first install will put the programs on your SD card: Interpreter, Speech Engine and Speech Recognition. The second install will put the dictionaries on the SD card.

Can I install the full version over the top of the trial?

Yes as long as there is enough memory. If there is not, delete the Program Files\SpeechGear\SpeechTTS and My Documents\English-Language. Then reinstall everything. After reinstallation the user settings will be kept.

How do I uninstall (e.g the trial version)?

You will need to completely Exit the program and remove the trial version of Interpreter before installing your full version. To Exit the program while it is running use the File->Exit menu. If you have minimized Interpreter by clicking the "X" in the upper right corner then go to Start->Settings->System->Memory->Running Programs. Select Interpreter and click the Stop button. To uninstall Interpreter, go to Start->Settings->System->Remove Programs and Remove all the programs that begin with SpeechGear.

What should my installation look like when it's right?

When you are finished this is what your installation should look like:

Go to Start->Settings->System->Remove Programs. (Don't remove them, of course.) There should be 4 SpeechGear programs:
- English-Language
- Speech Engines(Language)
- Compadre Interpreter
- .Speech Recognition (if you have purchased the ASR feature)
Then Go to Start->Programs->File Explorer. If you installed to the SD Card then your install location is SD Card. If you installed to main memory then your install location is My Documents or Program Files .
- There should be 6 files in <install location>\English-Language
- The following should be in <install location>\SpeechGear Compadre Interpreter
  - Help folder
  - Voice folder
  - Interpreter program
  - Tips file
- The following should be in <install location>\SpeechGear\SpeechTTS
  - English-US folder
  - Language folder
  - Several files, some with "_small" in the name
- There is an empty folder called <install location>\SpeechGear .Speech Recognition (if you have purchased the ASR feature)

Can I do anything to improve the quality of the spoken text?

Our experience is that external speakers work very well. If your device is equipped with Bluetooth, there are several external speakers that link with Bluetooth. Here are two:

II. Execution

What is the blue "+" for?

This adds the current selection in the Words, Phrases or Found tab to the current Favorites List.

What are the chasing red arrows for?

This changes the direction of the dictionary. If you are currently in English2Spanish, click this icon and the dictionary will change to Spanish2English.

What does "Show Variable Categories" mean on the Configure screen?

Many of the Phrases have multiple choice sections, called variable categories, that you can use to build custom Phrases for your situation. If you check this option on the Configure screen then these categories will show up in the dropdown on the Phrases tab and you can edit the entries.

What does "Record Mode" mean on the Configure screen?

You can re-record the translations in your own voice. You can use this to give emphasis or emotion, or just to make it personal. Check this box, select a translation, push and hold the Recording Button, wait 2 seconds and speak the translation into your PDA. To revert back to the original recording, Edit the Word or Phrase for which you have created a recording and click the "Del. Rec." button.

What does "Record Whole Phrase" mean on the Configure screen?

See the FAQ about "Record Mode". Phrases that have multiple parts, i.e. variable categories or place holders, can be recorded in multiple passes or in one pass. Checking this option means to record multiple part Phrases in one pass.

Why are there duplicates on the Found tab sometimes when I Find an item?

These represent the same Phrase in different categories. For example "I would like a receipt" shows up in categories about shopping and transportation so a search for "receipt" Finds this Phrase several times.