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In this video, I’ve reviewed what I think of the latest update of PerfectIt.
I’ve also created a video about the update to the United Nations style sheet provided by PerfectIt.
In summary, I’m disappointed at the lack of development of PerfectIt for Word for Professional users.
Since recording the video, I heard that PerfectIt are moving towards a new interface that will be similar to the one in Powerpoint, which I haven’t yet tested. I look forward to seeing what they have in store.
For more information about my upcoming PerfectIt Masterclass and Advanced Word for Editors, see the Magistrad website and follow #PerfectItMasterclass and #AdvancedWord4Editors on social media.
Scores of changes have been introduced in the 18th edition of the Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS). You can find a list of all the changes here.
***Update: I wrote this blog post before PerfectIt released version 6, which includes an updated style sheet that the developers say has been brought in line with the 18th edition of CMOS. I have left this post on my blog because the tips I’ve provided could be useful for other updates to your style sheets.***
PerfectIt includes a style sheet for the Chicago Manual of Style, but it has not been updated for the 18th edition, so I decided to give a few examples of how we can get PerfectIt to apply some of the new rules. (For more examples of advanced methods to enforce style rules, don’t miss my PerfectIt masterclass, which you can sign up for here.)
Written instructions are provided below the video.
Before adding these rules, I recommend you create a copy of the CMOS style sheet. You might want to call it something like “Chicago plus my edits”.
1 New CMOS rule 7.96: “The word ebook is now closed rather than hyphenated.”
PerfectIt’s existing CMOS style sheet included a rule to ensure a hyphen was used. Under “Always Find”, go to the “Search” box (bottom-left) and enter “e-book” (without the quotation marks.
Notice that the old checks were incorrectly added as “Preferred spelling” checks. They should have been entered as “Hyphenation of words” checks. In any case, we need to delete them, as they are now obsolete.
Click on the first line containing “e-book”, so that the row is highlighted in blue, then click on “Delete” four times, to delete the four entries.
Next, add the following simple rules to replace them (basic rules like these are covered in my “Introduction to PerfectIt” course):
When PerfectIt is running the check for: Hyphenation of words
PerfectIt should warn if it finds the phrase: e-book
If it finds the phrase, it should suggest: ebook
Instructions: The word ebook is now closed rather than hyphenated.
When PerfectIt is running the check for: Hyphenation of words
PerfectIt should warn if it finds the phrase: e-books
If it finds the phrase, it should suggest: ebooks
Instructions: The word ebook is now closed rather than hyphenated.
You can also add the capitalization rules to ensure that the initial e is not capitalized (unless it’s at the start of a sentence):
When PerfectIt is running the check for: Capitalization of phrases
If it finds the phrase, it should suggest: Ebook
Instructions: The word “ebook” does not take an initial cap.
You can also add the capitalization rules to ensure that the initial e is not capitalized (unless it’s at the start of a sentence):
When PerfectIt is running the check for: Capitalization of phrases
If it finds the phrase, it should suggest: Ebooks
Instructions: The word “ebook” does not take an initial cap.
2 New CMOS rule 6.85: “An en dash rather than a hyphen should be used between the names of two or more people used as a compound modifier before a noun (e.g., “Ali–Frazier match”; “Epstein–Barr virus”).”
PerfectIt’s existing CMOS style sheet did not include such a check for the old rule (with a hyphen), so there is no check to replace.
Simply add the following check in Wildcards:
When PerfectIt is running the check for: Wildcard Find and Replace
PerfectIt should warn if it finds the phrase: (<[A-Z][a-z]@)-([A-Z][a-z]@>)
If it finds the phrase, it should suggest: \1–\2
Instructions: Use an en dash, not a hyphen, between the names of two or more people used as a compound modifier before a noun (e.g., “Ali–Frazier match”; “Epstein–Barr virus”).
3 New CMOS rule 7.86: “An apostrophe is now used before the “s” to form the plural of a capital letter.”
Again, PerfectIt’s existing CMOS style sheet did not include such a check for the old rule (with a hyphen), so there is no check to replace.
Simply add the following check in Wildcards:
When PerfectIt is running the check for: Wildcard Find and Replace
PerfectIt should warn if it finds the phrase: <([A-Z])s>
If it finds the phrase, it should suggest: \1’s
Instructions: Use an apostrophe before the “s” to form the plural of a capital letter.
Note the “Except after” rules, designed to prevent, for example, the words “As” and “They” from being flagged when they appear at the beginning of a sentence.
If you want to test the above rules, you can use the dummy text at the bottom of this post. With rule number 3, notice the false positives if you don’t include the “Except after” rule.
If you found this post useful, please like and share it.
Is there something you’d like to have checked in your documents but you don’t know how? Leave a comment below, and I’ll do my best to help.
Dummy text for testing the above rules (paste this dummy text into Word then run PerfectIt with the style sheet you edited):
This is a dummy text for testing the rules described above. First, I’m going to mention an e-book. Then I’m going to write about the Duckworth-Lewis method. As Messieurs Duckworth and Lewis are so smart, they must have got straight As at school. Is that not true?
If you translate from French, you’re probably sick of clicking “Ignore” or “Add” during the spell check every time a French place name crops up in your text. I’ve got good news!
Updated version uploaded on 1 December 2022. This updated version includes a correction of the error that was in the video and other minor tweaks, and it now updates the language in certain cases where it previously did not work.
Ever felt frustrated when Word keeps selecting the wrong language every time you add a comment? This video explains how to change the language for all elements of a Word document, including footnotes, comments and text boxed, in an instant.
The macro code is below. The video explains how to import the code. Note that near the top of the code, sandwiched between asterisks, there is a line you may need to change, depending on the language and variety that you want to use.
Please leave a comment to let me know whether it works for you.
Sub LanguageAllStyles()
Dim LanguageId As MsoLanguageID
'***************
LanguageId = msoLanguageIDEnglishUK ' Insert the Name or the Value listed at https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/vba/api/word.wdlanguageid.
'***************
' Macro to change language in styles
' Loosely based on a macro posted by Macropod (17 July 2012)
' http://www.vbaexpress.com/forum/showthread.php?42993-Solved-Macro-to-change-all-styles-to-a-specific-languageDim TrackChangesActive As Boolean ' Only possible values are True/False
Dim CheckSpellingAsYouTypeActive As Boolean
Dim CheckGrammarAsYouTypeActive As Boolean
Dim ShowFormatChanges As Boolean
Dim doc As Document
Dim SkipTrackChangesQuestion As Boolean
Dim oDoc As Document, oSty As Style, oStor As Range
Application.ScreenUpdating = False
'Block taken from my personal “MacroSwitchesOff” code
If Options.CheckSpellingAsYouType = True Then CheckSpellingAsYouTypeActive = True Else CheckSpellingAsYouTypeActive = False ' Checks whether CheckSpellingAsYouType is switched on.
Options.CheckSpellingAsYouType = False
' Forces Word to check everything again with the new language. Cancel the above line if you don’t want Word to forget when you’ve “Ignored” a flagged spelling.
' Without switching this setting off and on, Word still underlines words that are correctly written in the new language.
If Options.CheckGrammarAsYouType = True Then CheckGrammarAsYouTypeActive = True Else CheckGrammarAsYouTypeActive = False
Options.CheckGrammarAsYouType = False
' See previous comment
If ActiveDocument.ActiveWindow.View.ShowFormatChanges = True Then ShowFormatChanges = True Else ShowFormatChanges = False
ActiveDocument.ActiveWindow.View.ShowFormatChanges = False
'Check whether Format changes are shown
If ActiveDocument.TrackRevisions = True Then TrackChangesActive = True Else TrackChangesActive = False
If SkipTrackChangesQuestion <> True Then ' Skip the track changes question
If MsgBox("Perform the operation with track changes?", _
vbYesNoCancel) = vbNo Then
ActiveDocument.TrackRevisions = False
Else
ActiveDocument.TrackRevisions = True
End If
End If
Set oDoc = ActiveDocument
With oDoc
For Each oSty In .Styles
StatusBar = oSty
On Error Resume Next
oSty.LanguageId = LanguageId
On Error GoTo 0
Next
End With
With oDoc
For Each oStor In .StoryRanges
StatusBar = "Setting story " & oStor & " to language " & LanguageId
oStor.LanguageId = LanguageId
Next oStor
End With
ActiveDocument.Range.LanguageId = LanguageId ' Uses the normal method, equivalent of pressing ctrl+a and setting the language.
'Block taken from my personal “MacroSwitchesOnAgain” code
' The lines below revert settings to the status they had before the macro was run
If TrackChangesActive = True Then ActiveDocument.TrackRevisions = True
If CheckSpellingAsYouTypeActive = True Then Options.CheckSpellingAsYouType = True
If CheckGrammarAsYouTypeActive = True Then Options.CheckGrammarAsYouType = True
If ShowFormatChanges = True Then ActiveDocument.ActiveWindow.View.ShowFormatChanges = True
ActiveDocument.ActiveWindow.View.ShowFormatChanges = True
Application.ScreenUpdating = True
MsgBox ("Finished! The language of all sections of the document has been set to " & LanguageId & ". If you wanted to select another language, open the VBA editor by pressing alt+f11 and change the 'LanguageID' shown at the top of the script")
End Sub
MemoQ’s monolingual review feature works best with clean Word documents containing no tracked changes or comments. If you import a document in which changes are still visible or in which there are comments, memoQ will add lots of code to the target text, which you don’t want.
This macro cleans the document up and saves it under a new filename (so that you don’t overwrite the commented version), making it ready to be imported as a monolingual review.
The macro includes comments to explain what some of the lines are doing and how you can adjust the macro to meet your needs.
Since many translators use only straight apostrophes and quotation marks in memoQ, then convert them to the curly variety in the final document sent to the client, the macro includes an optional line (deactivated by default) that will revert all apostrophes and quotation marks to the straight variety. Please read the instructions carefully if you wish to use that line.
Thanks to Kevin Mote, who provided the code for the part of the macro that renames the file. My code is a slightly modified version of his. In particular, unlike Kevin’s version, mine does not overwrite the old version, since most translators would want to keep a copy of the commented version they sent to their client.
Sub PrepareForMemoQMonolingualReview()
' memoQ's monolingual review feature works best when you import a document with no tracked changes and no comments.
' This macro removes them, then resaves the file with "clean-for-import" appended to the file name.
' The part that appends the filename is adapted from the macro provided by Kevin Mote (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinmote/) at https://superuser.com/a/781501. Thank you Kevin. This was very helpful!
' Please note that, unlike Kevin's macro, this version does not delete the original file.
Dim strFileFullName, strFileName, strNewName, strFileExtension As String
'
ActiveDocument.AcceptAllRevisions ' Accepts all tracked changes
ActiveDocument.TrackRevisions = False ' Switches off track changes
ActiveDocument.DeleteAllComments ' Deletes all comments in the active document.
ReplaceQuotes ' Reverts quotation marks and apostrophes back to the straight variety, assuming that this is the variety that was used while working in the CAT tool.
' Remove the apostrophe from the above line if you want the monolingual review document to revert to straight apostrophes and quotation marks.
' Note that to run the above line you also need to have installed the "ReplaceQuotes" and "QuotesReplacementBothWays" macros, which I provided along with several others in a blog post at http://www.anglopremier.com/blog/?p=1119.
' *****ADDITIONAL OPTION DESCRIBED ABOVE*****
' Get current name:
strFileFullName = ActiveDocument.FullName 'for Word docs
'strFileFullName = ActiveWorkbook.FullName 'Use this line instead for for Excel docs
'strFileFullName = Application.ActivePresentation.FullName 'Use this line instead for Powerpoint presentations
If (InStr(strFileFullName, ".") = 0) Then ' Checks whether the full file name contains a file extension by looking for a dot.
res = MsgBox("File has not been saved. Can't rename it.", , "Rename File")
Exit Sub
End If
' strFileName = Right(strFileFullName, Len(strFileFullName) - InStrRev(strFileFullName, "\")) 'strip path - not used. Next line used instead.
strFileName = strFileFullName
strFileExtension = Right(strFileName, Len(strFileName) - InStrRev(strFileName, ".")) ' Identifies the file extension
strFileName = Left(strFileName, (InStr(strFileName, ".") - 1)) ' Strips the extension from the strFileName variable
' If InStr(3, strFileName, "_Delivery", 1) <> 0 Then strFileName = Left(strFileName, (InStr(strFileName, "_Delivery", 1) - 1))
' The above line is not used. Originally intended to strip the word "_Delivery" and the delivery number from the file name (assumes "Delivery" is at least the third character; not case-sensitive). But I dedcided I wanted to keep the delivery number.
' If you wish to remove something from the file name you can reinstate the above line (remove the apostrophe) and replace "_Delivery" with whatever you want to remove.
' Prompt for new name. Replace "_clean-for-import" on the next line if you prefer something else to be appended by default.
strNewName = InputBox("Rename this file to:", "Rename File", strFileName & "_clean-for-import." & strFileExtension) 'Saves with the new name. Extension is not changed.
If (strNewName = "") Or (strNewName = strFileName) Then ' (Check whether user cancelled)
Exit Sub
End If
' Save file with new name:
ActiveDocument.SaveAs2 FileName:=strNewName 'for Word docs
'ActiveWorkbook.SaveAs2 FileName:=strNewName 'for Excel docs
'Application.ActivePresentation.SaveAs FileName:=strNewName 'for Powerpoint presentations
Sometimes you want to keep the MemoQ Concordance window open on your second screen while you work on your document. But there’s no built-in method to achieve this with the keyboard. You can only do so by clicking with the mouse.
This short script moves the focus away from the Concordance window and to the main MemoQ window, allowing you to work on the document while keeping the Concordance window open. Just press ctrl+k to activate the script.
PerfectIt settings tab: What the options in the Settings tab do and how to configure them.
Introduction to MS Word wildcards: An exercise providing a basic introduction to using wildcards in Microsoft Word. Includes links to other, more comprehensive resources on Word wildcards.
Users’ Facebook group: A Facebook group for PerfectIt users. Users ask how to configure certain settings. Particularly useful if you can’t get a wildcard search working.
I organise PerfectIt workshops for translators’ and editors’ associations in which I provide an overview of the program, then delve into its advanced features. I usually end with an interactive section in which participants can ask me how to enforce certain style rules using PerfectIt. For more information, write to the e-mail address found on my main website.
If you have already attended one of my workshops and have not received How-to…with-PerfectIt4.pdf, send me an e-mail and I’ll send you a copy.
Masterclasses
Are there some things in your client’s style manual that you’re not sure how to check for in PerfectIt? Or perhaps you’d need to add a long list of entries and you think it would take hours to do. Attend my PerfectIt masterclass. The first one will take place in February 2025. Sign up here.
IntelligentEditing’s playlist on building stylesheets
La loi française permet la facturation en monnaie étrangère, et le portail de l’Économie, des Finances, de l’Action et des Comptes publics explique comment le faire.
Pour le calcul du montant en euros de vos factures, j’ai créé un formulaire Excel. Il suffit d’introduire la date de facture, le montant et la devise pour que le formulaire vous calcule le montant en euros selon les deux méthodes permis par la loi française. Les taux de changes utilisés pour les conversions sont les taux officiaux de la Banque centrale européenne, qui publie les taux de référence utilisés par les autorités françaises.
Many online glossaries start every term with a capital letter, such as in this example:
Comptes d’accumulation
Accumulation accounts
Since these terms would only be capped at the start of a sentence, translators ought to import them without the initial caps.
Use the following formula in Excel to remove leading caps. The formula below assumes the first term is in cell E1, but to change it to wherever your first term is, then paste it down all the rows containing terms.
Please note that if you don’t use Excel in English, you will need to translate the formula words. Also, if you have your system set to use decimal commas, replace the commas in the formula with semi-colons.
The reason the formula is so long is because it initially checks to see whether the second character is capped. If the second character is also capped, it assumes the term is an acronym, and therefore does not change the first character to lower case.
UPDATE: I no longer recommend this macro because it does not look at footnotes and text boxes. Instead, you should use the macro available here.
Many users of CAT tools like to convert smart quotes and apostrophes to straight ones before translating their documents, because if the straight versions are always used, it means concordance searches for words including apostrophes will always work.
The problem is that it takes quite a while to do this in MS Word. You can’t just find/replace the apostrophes, because even if you put a straight apostrophe in the replace box, Word will interpret it as a smart apostrophe if you have set Word up to use straight apostrophes and quotes.
Of course, you could change that setting, but then it is more complicated to convert the straight varieties to the smart varieties after exporting from your CAT tool.
The solution is to use a macro that will automatically switch smart quotes and apostrophes off, then perform the search, then switch them back on.
Here’s a macro that will do just that.
Option Explicit
Sub ReplaceQuotes()
' ReplaceQuotes Macro, by Timothy Barton, Anglo Premier Translations
'
Application.Options.AutoFormatAsYouTypeReplaceQuotes = False
Selection.find.ClearFormatting
Selection.find.Replacement.ClearFormatting
With Selection.find
.Text = ChrW(8220)
.Replacement.Text = """"
Dim oShell As Object
Dim iResponse As Integer
Set oShell = CreateObject("Wscript.Shell")
iResponse = MsgBox("Procedure complete. Code provided by Timothy Barton, Anglo Premier Translations. Would you like to visit the website?", _
vbYesNo, "Procedure complete")
If iResponse = vbYes Then
oShell.Run ("http://www.anglopremier.com?utm_campaign=apostrophesmacro&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=blog")
Else
Exit Sub
End If