In order to help you quickly get accustomed with the program we have compiled the following list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).

• What is yochina?
• What should I use the program for?
• Can I rely on the content of Yocoy?
• Why is yochina subdivided into different dialogue situations?
• I've chosen a phrase and now it is displayed in a speech bubble on a new page. What do I do now?
• Why are there empty fields in some phrases?
• How can a foreign person input text in their native language?
• How do the selection lists work?
• What is the dictionary for?
• What is a photo phrase?
• How do I find a particular phrase?
• I can't find a word or phrase I am looking for in the program. What should I do?
• What does "Tell a friend" mean?
• How does voice output work?
• Where does the voice come from?
• What does the picture show that I see while the program loads?
• How does the app react to incoming phone calls?
• When does yochina perform best?
• How is Chinese relevant as a language?
• Who developed yochina?
• How can I contact you?

What is yochina? Back to top

yochina is your personal language assistant, which helps you communicate with people who speak a different language. Just choose what you want to say and yochina translates it for you. yochina also offers your dialogue partners likely answers in their native tongue so that they can respond to you.

What should I use the program for? Back to top

yochina is meant to be a language assistant that acts as an interpreter between speakers of different languages. It is designed to be used in all kinds of everyday situations ranging from exchanging simple greetings to expressing more complex content such as social talk and emergencies.

Can I rely on the content of Yocoy? Back to top

Yocoy tries to make sure that the content provided in yochina is as accurrate and complete as possible. However, Yocoy cannot make any guarantees for the correctness and completeness. Liability claims regarding damage caused by the use of any information provided, including information which is incomplete or incorrect, will therefore be rejected. Yocoy is not responsible to you (the user) or anyone else for any loss, damage, liability, cost or expense in connection with your use of yochina. Names of brands and organizations belong to the respective trademark owners.

Why is yochina subdivided into different dialogue situations? Back to top

In order to achieve meaningful communication quicker and more effectively, yochina offers a selection of dialogue components for specific situations. Every dialogue situation has sub-situations that help narrow down the choices. To select a situation, press its button on the Homepage and then select the phrase or subsituation that best suits your communication needs.

I've chosen a phrase and now it is displayed in a speech bubble on a new page. What do I do now? Back to top

Simply allow your dialogue partners to read the phrase or let them listen to it by either pressing the loudspeaker symbol or shaking the phone. Then let them choose from the answers given in the lower half of the page. Once they tap an answer, it will be translated back into your language so that you will know what they said.

Why are there empty fields in some phrases? Back to top

The empty fields are meant to be filled by you with words, names or numbers that best fit your needs. These phrases are called dynamic phrases since they are not limited to one single meaning. Some phrases have a selection list that offers several popular choices while others allow you to search

yochina's dictionary for a word, which will then be inserted into the phrase.

How can a foreign person input text in their native language? Back to top

If you want to enable Chinese dialogue partners to enter text in their language you first have to enable the input of Chinese characters on your device. To do so, go to the Home Screen of your device, select Settings > General > Keyboard > International Keyboards. Choose "Chinese (Simplified)" on the list and enable either both "Handwriting" and "Pinyin" or one of the two. Note that this needs to be done only once. When entering text using the onscreen keyboard it is now possible to switch between the various types of keyboards using the button with a world globe symbol on it. Note that your dialogue partners may not be familiar with the use of a touchscreen device so they may need help accessing the international keyboard. As a courtesy you may want to switch to the Chinese keyboard before allowing them to type in their answer.

How do the selection lists work? Back to top

The selection lists contain a number of meaningful insertions that can be chosen to complete the sentence that is to be translated. You can also use the dictionary, which is located at the bottom of the list. There, you can search for further terms that can be inserted into the sentences.

What is the dictionary for? Back to top

yochina comes with a comprehensive dictionary that allows you to search for specific words to express or to learn. To access the dictionary, simply press the button "Dictionary" at the bottom of the screen. The dictionary is also used for completing dynamic phrases, that is for filling empty fields in sentences with the appropriate words.

What is a photo phrase? Back to top

Some phrases allow you to show your dialog partner a photograph along with an accompanying phrase, e.g. "Excuse me, where can I find the location in this picture?" Once you select such a phrase you will see a button that links to your phone's photo album. You may then choose a photo, crop it to focus the image on the portion you want to show, and finally link it to your phrase. Once on the phrase page, a thumbnail of the photo will appear below the sentence. Clicking on it will enlarge the image. To shrink it back to its smaller size, press the "Done" button.

Tipp: You can use any kind of picture in the so called picture phrases. Not only can you use the pictures you have already saved on your device, for example those downloaded from iTunes or taken with your camera, but you can also use screenshots. To take a screenshot, press the top Sleep (On/ Off) button and the bottom Home button at the same time. Screenshots are then saved in Photos as Saved Photos. For example, you can take a screenshot while you are viewing a picture or an address in yochina. You can then use the screenshot in a picture (input) phrase.

How do I find a particular phrase? Back to top

Tap the search bar on the program's home page and enter the word you are looking for.

I can't find a word or phrase I am looking for in the program. What should I do? Back to top

We are always looking for ways to improve our software based on our users' feedback. Therefore, please let us know should you encounter any gaps in the inventory of phrases and words. Simply press the "Feedback" button on the Info page to send us a message.

What does "Tell a friend" on the Info Page mean? Back to top

If you find that using yochina provides you with a positive experience, simply press the "Tell a friend" button on the Info page. This opens your mail application and allows you to send a message to friends to inform them about yochina.s

What does the picture show that I see while the program loads? Back to top

The image shows a Chinese fortune cookie, a special type of confection that holds a slip of paper with a saying written on it. Naturally the cookies have to be broken before they are eaten. Every time yochina loads, a different saying is displayed so watch carefully after launching the program to see what fortune has in store for you.

How does the app react to incoming phone calls? Back to top

We recommend you to restart the app after declining an incoming phone call.

When does yochina perform best? Back to top

yochina has been optimized to run satisfactorily on any iPhone and iPod touch device by using less than the maximum available system memory. However, due to individual users' preferences, other programs and services might be occupying a portion of that memory which can impact yochina's performance and lessen your user experience. Therefore, we recommend that you turn off any other unused services or programs running in the background, such as Mail or data roaming to free enough system resources for optimal performance. You can also simply restart your device to free enough memory for the system and applications to run properly.

How is Chinese relevant as a language? Back to top

Chinese is the most frequently spoken language in the world. China is the country with the largest population. Its 1.3 billion citizens make up 22% of the entire world population and an additional 40 million Chinese live outside of China. Though Chinese has many dialects, Mandarin (in Chinese: Putonghua) is considered the official language, which is based on the pronunciation originating in the Chinese capital Beijing. It is ispoken by about two-thirds of the population and understood by virtually all citizens. yochina uses Mandarin and two ways to spell it: Simplified Chinese characters (of which there are tens of thousands) and Pinyin. The latter is also known as romanization, a way to spell Chinese words using the Latin alphabet which makes it easier for foreigners to read and learn the Chinese language. The four tones of the Chinese language are represented by diacritical marks.

Who developed yochina? Back to top

yochina was developed by an international team of software engineers, linguists and other researchers. Our goal was to create a software that enables its users to overcome language barriers and achieve bidirectional communication. yochina is equipped with an intuitive and easy to use interface since it is intended for all travellers across cultures such as business people, tourists or language students.

How can I contact you? Back to top

Should you have questions or comments about the program, feel free to contact us.

At yochina@yocoy.com, we welcome feedback about our product. For more information on our company, products, and updates visit www.yocoy.com.