About

Our mission is to provide you with all the tools you need to learn (or just survive in) a foreign language.

Initially, we are focusing on survival so that when you find yourself in a foreign language environment, just bring up one of our apps so you can hurdle the language barrier. This means dictionaries, translators and audio pronunciations.

In time, you will no doubt want to do more than survive in a foreign language. You’ll want to live it. That means language-learning and that means investing time. Lots of it. We aim to make this time as fun and effective as possible. Not by telling you this way or that way is a better way to learn, but by giving you the tools you need.

Think of it like this… Your goal is to become a magician and here you have a brilliant magic set. You don’t need to use all the tricks in the magic set, but you do need to spend lots of times practising and practising until you get it right. All you need is one trick that suits your style, and your path to magic-dom will be effortless and fun!

The trick is to find a path that’s best for you. Our goal is to make that path as smooth as possible.

Don’t forget to check out our forum and follow us on Twitter.

49 Responses to “About”

  1. tts says:

    I have an HTC G2 (Desire Z). Can it use hanping pro?
    Thanks.
    Jie

    • embermitre says:

      Hi – yes, it should work fine. You can try it out. If you have any problems, just contact me and I can refund.

  2. Enrico says:

    Hi, I’m trying to install Hanping dictionary on my Nexus One running Android 2.3.3. The dictionary files download, but when it is indexing the files I get the following error:

    Error: Malformed dictionary following plugin configuration: com.embermitre.dictroid.plugin.zhs.DictConfiguratorImpl

    I could not find your email so I decided to post here. What should I do?

    • embermitre says:

      Hi – just sent you an email.

      BTW, in the Market app, you can find the email address in the app’s description under “Send email to developer”

  3. Andrew Lee says:

    This is probably a really dumb question.

    Have a Motorola Xoom and but before I buy this app I just want to ensure that using this software on the Xoom, I can search the meaning of Chinese words by writing the Chinese character on the screen with my finger (rather than with a special pen).

    Thanks!

    • embermitre says:

      Most users use the gPen IME for Chinese handwriting. Unfortunately, it is only available with a Chinese interface so it may be tricky to understand unless you already have a good grasp of Chinese characters. I have not tested it on the Motorola Xoom, but feel free to go ahead and try it out. If it works, then it will also work with Hanping and so you will be able to enter Chinese characters by using your finger to draw on the touch screen. It works really well on smartphones, at least!

  4. Mike says:

    Hi, love the app and the recent upgrade to include the handwriting in the app. Just wanted to give you a heads up regarding a bug I seem to have found.
    When the input mode is set to Swiftkey or Swiftkey X Beta, writing the character on the screen adds a bunch of ‘strokes’ to the search terms. I am using Android 2.2.1 on a HTC Droid Incredible 2. I believe that only steps to duplicate this would be to install Swiftkey or Swiftkey X Beta, have one selected as input method and use the handwriting in Hanping.

    Totally understand that this problem is not necessarily yours and is due to a 3rd party keyboard, but would love for it to work with my favorite keyboard. ( I got really excited when I found out I wouldn’t need to switch input methods every time I wanted to write a character)

    Thanks so much for your app, its been a lifesaver as I’m working to learn Chinese.

    Cheers.

    • embermitre says:

      Thanks for the heads-up, Mike. The latest update (2.6.1) fixes the SwiftKey problem.

  5. JamesQ says:

    Just bought the Pro version. Tried dl the sound file and it got stuck at 41%. Please advise. Reinstall?

  6. David says:

    Does the Pro version have a larger dictionary database than the free version? I have to recognize a lot of technical words and this program so far (free version) recognizes about half, which has still been helpful =]. Please advice.

    • embermitre says:

      Hi David, the Pro version uses the same dictionary as the free version. The main difference is lots of additional features.

  7. Olli says:

    I’m having trouble installing the audio file to my Hanping Chinese dictionary Pro. I’m using a Samsung I9000 Galaxy S with Android. The dictionary attempts to download the audio file but always gets stuck somewhere between 4 and 25 percent. Everything else works fine, so it’s not a network problem. I’ve tried about two dozen times, always the same.

    Is there another way to install it the audio file? Download it on my computer and transfer the file?

    • embermitre says:

      Please can you confirm which version of the app you are using?

      • Olli says:

        I’m using version 2.6.4 of the dictionary and running Android 2.2 (?).

        • embermitre says:

          Ah, that’s disappointing because the 2.6.4 update should have fixed that bug 🙁

          Would it be possible for you to use CatLog (download from Android Market) to send me the log (you would need to reproduce the bug first of course)?

          • Olli says:

            Ok, I have saved the file from CatLog. How should I send it?

          • embermitre says:

            From CatLog > Menu button > Send > As Attachment > Gmail/Email app and send it to me at [email protected]

            Any problems, please send me an email at that address.

            Thanks a million for your help.

  8. Will says:

    Swiftkey problem – swiftkey seems to cause big problems with the application, causing it to go in a cycle of flashing from the word you are looking to translate to the translation itself. Is this a common problem? Any idea how to fix?

  9. marwan t. says:

    I already installed hanping chinese pro on my samsung galaxy S-II and its works very well but i don’t know how to delete the words i have put on starred and also when i put all the words that i picked to clipboard, i don’t how to find it back. Need your advice and please reply to my mail.

    • embermitre says:

      Simply unstar the word (i.e. click on the Star icon in the top-right corner when viewing the word on the Browse screen). This will remove it from your Starred lists.

      Words that are in your clipboard can be pasted anywhere by long-pressing on a text box and selecting Paste from the context menu.

  10. Oliver says:

    Is there anyway that I can buy the pro version using Paypal?

  11. Daniel says:

    Can you develop something that translates a character instantly when I hover over it (similar to firefox plugin “pera pera kun”. That would make reading 三国演义 10x easier. Thanks!

  12. Ashish says:

    Will the handwriting recognition feature work on all Android 1.5 and up mobile phones/tablets. Do you have any exhaustive list of such gadgets? Aim is to utilize all the features of the dictionary.

    • embermitre says:

      Yes, the handwriting recognizer should work on all Android 1.5+ devices. The only other requirement is that your device has Android Market installed (through this the license is checked).

      Feel free to try it out. There is a 15-minute refund window!

  13. Ashish says:

    Will handwriting recognition feature be supported by Micromax A60/A55(Bling2)/A70/A75, Samsung YS5360.

  14. Alexander says:

    How to view the words saved to the Clipboard?
    Thank you

    • embermitre says:

      Normally, when you start Hanping it will automatically fill the search box with any Chinese word in the clipboard. This only happens once (i.e. repeated app-starts do not always show the same clipboard text). Otherwise, you just need to long-press on the search box and Paste.

  15. Nicholas Buck says:

    Hi, do you think you can update the database for Hanping Pro to include photography and video related terms? As of now you have a lens, 镜头 listed as an optical device only, but in reality this is the term that most use when referring to a lens. Also, the term for a fixed focal length lens, or prime lens, is a 定焦镜头 as told to me by others and as found in a quick search on amazon.cn, which might be the easiest way for you to update your terms. Find out what the sellers are using. I am a photography and film major and I could really use these updates! Thanks.

  16. Nathan says:

    Hi. I have pro. Thanks for the great program. I would be very interested in seeing the dictionary include traditional characters. Are there any plans to include these? Thanks

    • embermitre says:

      Hi, yes the dictionaries already include traditional (as well as simplified) characters. Please press the Menu button and Settings to do this.

  17. philip says:

    Hi. how do i reinstall the pro version I have already paid for?(my Galaxy 2 went back to Samsung for repair under warranty and I lost all my apps)
    thanks. Philip

  18. Mark Evison says:

    Hi Guys
    Your dictionary is the best. Simple as that. But why no iPhone version? There’s nothing this good available, especially including idioms. Ah, I miss it a lot on my new phone
    Thanks a lot

    • embermitre says:

      Hi Mark – thanks! It’s a huge amount of work to port to the iPhone. But we will consider it if there is enough interest. *Sent from my MacBook Pro Retina* 🙂

  19. Elisabeth says:

    I cannot tell you how grateful I am for this app. It has transformed the way I study. Can I use it on Kindle FIre HD? My life would be complete!!

    Elisabeth

  20. AJ says:

    how can download and install this app on my chinese android phone , since i cannot get google play store to work in china

  21. Emma says:

    Hi
    I want to purchase the Chinese camera but just wondering before I do, do you have to be connected to the Internet to get the translations or does it work offline?

    Thanks

    • Hi Emma – the app works completely offline. The app gives dictionary definitions, rather than (sentence) translations. Please go ahead and purchase it. There is a 30-day money-back guarantee, if you are not totally satisfied.

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