01 August 2016

Preparing Word files for InDesign

As discussed in Workflow for low-tech .doc or .docx to .idml, this workflow requires that the translator carefully format Word files containing text to be imported into InDesign. Today I want to say a little more about adding hard spaces (aka NBSPs) to the said files to reduce the workload when proofreading documents laid out using InDesign.

Thanks to some excellent support by Stanislav Okhvat the developer of TransTools, I now have this excellent bag of tricks properly configured. I have now configured the suite's NBSP Checker to automate the otherwise fastidious task of inserting NBSPs.

Stanislav's procedure to configure this TransTools function is described here.
It took me a while to get my head around a couple of key steps, but it was well worth the effort.

Thanks to Workflow for low-tech .doc or .docx to .idml and TransTools I can now insert hard spaces automatically, more systematically and far more quickly.

For me, the procedure needs to go just one step further. Stansilav, perhaps you could now apply your proven skills to develop a Hard hyphen checker similar to your excellent NBSP checker.

A few hours later:
... And you know what, Stanislav just informed me that he's actually working on a hard hyphen and dash checker. He says it may take a while to finalise, but I, for one, am looking forward to the results.

ChatGPT, a drafting aid for translation by emulation

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