How do I set numbers in left margin?

[smithster]

I am a translator. I would like to be able to insert the page number of the
original text from which I am translating to the immediate left of the
appropriate line of my translation. Is there any way of doing that^?

 

[Jay Freedman]

See http://sbarnhill.mvps.org/WordFAQs/MarginalText.htm.

--
Regards,
Jay Freedman
Microsoft Word MVP
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[smithster]

Thank you very much, Jay. I may in fact decide not to use it (but am glad to
know how to), because my manuscript is going to a university press, and they
tell me to avoid "styles" and anything fancy, because they just want the
text, and to be able do all the rest at the press.
Let me add that most presses seem to like this sparseness, and to agree
on a lot of what they (don't) want. For example, no italics, underlining
instead. I say this because it occurs to me that it might be useful for
Microsoft to come out with a template that the majority of presses would
like. It would probably be used by quite a lot of authors and translators.
Gratefully,
Michael

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

FWIW, I think it is shortsighted in the extreme to prefer underlining to
italics for the simple reason that, while underlines should not be applied
to following punctuation, italics often should, and this alone makes for a
lot of clean-up work. I can well understand the press's assumption that the
writer is an idiot, incapable of correctly formatting the document, so that
a lot of reformatting work will be required (and yes, this is usually the
case), but that particular stricture seems especially unproductive.

 

[Jay Freedman]

Fair enough.

Publishers find themselves in a difficult place with respect to
word-processed manuscripts. If they could rely on authors to use
styles and formatting consistently, they could save thousands of
dollars per manuscript that they now spend to employ highly skilled
typesetters. The truth, though, is that not one author in a hundred
can be expected to be consistent enough, and some of them create
horrible messes. One of our MVP colleagues, Klaus Linke, works in this
area and can tell you stories that would curdle your blood. The
drastic result at most publishers is to request no formatting at all.

--
Regards,
Jay Freedman
Microsoft Word MVP
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the
newsgroup so all may benefit.