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El ingeniero usa una pantalla táctil. La abogada, en cambio, escribe en papel.

El ingeniero usa una pantalla táctil. La abogada, en cambio, escribe en papel.
The engineer uses a touch screen. The lawyer, on the other hand, writes on paper.
From Lesson 411:Contrastive connectors (en cambio, por el contrario)·Spanish (Spain)

Questions & Answers about El ingeniero usa una pantalla táctil. La abogada, en cambio, escribe en papel.

How does en cambio function here, and could I use por el contrario instead?
En cambio shows a contrast between two different subjects doing different things (the engineer vs. the lawyer). Yes, por el contrario works here too, as both express opposition like "on the other hand". However, en cambio is very natural for simply contrasting two different situations, while por el contrario often emphasizes a stricter, more direct opposition.
Why is en cambio surrounded by commas here?
Just like "on the other hand" in English, en cambio acts as an interrupting phrase in this sentence. When you place it right after the subject (La abogada) instead of at the beginning of the sentence, it must be set off by commas. You could also correctly say: En cambio, la abogada escribe en papel.
Why do we say pantalla táctil instead of translating "touch" literally as a noun?
In Spanish, specific technologies often use true adjectives rather than noun combinations. Táctil is an adjective meaning "tactile" or "related to touch." So, a "touch screen" is always una pantalla táctil. Notice the accent on the "a"; since it ends in a consonant other than "n" or "s" and the stress is on the second-to-last syllable, it requires a written accent.
Why use the preposition en for escribe en papel instead of sobre?
Escribir en papel is the standard, fixed way to say "to write on paper" in Spanish. While sobre does mean "on" or "on top of" physically, en is the natural choice when referring to the medium or format you are using, similar to how we say a document is en PDF or written en español.

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