Track Changes: how to show only relevant final changes?

[ben]

I'm a translator using Track Changes for correction of clients' texts
already written in the target language, in this case English. To give
to the client and for my own records, I want 1) a copy of the final
corrected document and 2) a copy of the original showing all my
insertions and deletions. In general, no problem. But... using Track
Changes, if I delete a "the" then change my mind and type it in again,
the marked version shows both the inserted "the" and the deleted "the".
Can I do anything to prevent this happening? I mean to say that both
for the client and for my own records, what's of interest are my FINAL
changes with respect to the client's original.

[Yes, I know I can manually resolve this using Accept Insertion and
Accept Deletion of the word in question, but this is tedious. Also, I
know this problem doesn't always arise (for example, it doesn't arise
if I undo a change, rather than retyping)... but in a complex editing
process I will often retype rather than use undo.]

Thanks in anticipation of your help.

- Ben

 

[Cindy M -WordMVP-]

Hi Ben,

Which version of Word is this?

FWIW, I generally don't see this, as long as Word is recognizing me as
the same author... But you could change your initials and user name in
Tools/Options/User Info for a "final" session. Then you can choose to
display changes only for that author?

I'm a translator using Track Changes for correction of clients' texts
already written in the target language, in this case English. To give
to the client and for my own records, I want 1) a copy of the final
corrected document and 2) a copy of the original showing all my
insertions and deletions. In general, no problem. But... using Track
Changes, if I delete a "the" then change my mind and type it in again,
the marked version shows both the inserted "the" and the deleted "the".
Can I do anything to prevent this happening? I mean to say that both
for the client and for my own records, what's of interest are my FINAL
changes with respect to the client's original.

[Yes, I know I can manually resolve this using Accept Insertion and
Accept Deletion of the word in question, but this is tedious. Also, I
know this problem doesn't always arise (for example, it doesn't arise
if I undo a change, rather than retyping)... but in a complex editing
process I will often retype rather than use undo.]

Cindy Meister
INTER-Solutions, Switzerland
http://homepage.swissonline.ch/cindymeister (last update Jun 8 2004)
http://www.word.mvps.org

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[ben]

Hi Cindy, thanks for reply and sorry not to have replied sooner. I'm
using Word 2003. I'll try what you suggest. Another possibility I
suppose is not to use Track Changes, but simply Compare Documents when
I'm finished. Still, for various reasons neither seems to be very well
adapted for my use: for an easy-to-read record of changes made to a
document, nothing beats pencil and paper (showing insertions and
deletions, of words or letters or indeed punctuation, and moved text,
and format changes) ... it'd be nice if there was an easier way to do
this within a Word document... I guess what I'd really need is
alternating lines (old text showing deletions; new/replacement text
showing where inserted) and a sort of boxes-and-arrows graphical
representation facilitating indication of moved text. I once saw a Word
(?) document with "post-it notes" in the text, which I guess is a move
in this direction: perhaps this was in a more recent version of Word
than mine? Thanks again - Ben

 

[Cindy M -WordMVP-]

Hi Ben,

Well, Word 2003 is the most recent, publicly available version. Can't say
I've ever seen anything other than what you get in Word 2000-and-earlier
/ Word 2002/2003. Certainly nothing resembling "post-it notes IN the
text".

Basically, what Word offers:
- the old Word 2000 interface, where everything is in the text
(strikethrough, underlines, colors...)
- the pure Word 2003 interface: all the changes (deletions OR
insertions) are in "balloons" (is this what you mean by "post-its"?) in
an expanded margin, with lines to the edited text.
- a task pane, displayed across the bottom of the document, that
lists the changes. Click on an entry, and the text should jump to it.

I'm
using Word 2003. I'll try what you suggest. Another possibility I
suppose is not to use Track Changes, but simply Compare Documents when
I'm finished. Still, for various reasons neither seems to be very well
adapted for my use: for an easy-to-read record of changes made to a
document, nothing beats pencil and paper (showing insertions and
deletions, of words or letters or indeed punctuation, and moved text,
and format changes) ... it'd be nice if there was an easier way to do
this within a Word document... I guess what I'd really need is
alternating lines (old text showing deletions; new/replacement text
showing where inserted) and a sort of boxes-and-arrows graphical
representation facilitating indication of moved text. I once saw a Word
(?) document with "post-it notes" in the text, which I guess is a move
in this direction: perhaps this was in a more recent version of Word
than mine?

Cindy Meister
INTER-Solutions, Switzerland
http://homepage.swissonline.ch/cindymeister (last update Jun 8 2004)
http://www.word.mvps.org

This reply is posted in the Newsgroup; please post any follow question or
reply in the newsgroup and not by e-mail