Program or macro for word/line counts in Track Changes?

[benkree]

Hello...

I'm a technical editor and translator. When editing, I correct clients'
texts using Track Changes in Word 2002. To facilitate more accurate
pricing, I'd like a program or macro that enables me to count a) number
of lines that include one or more changes, and/or b) total number of
words modified or inserted. [Secondarily, I'd also like the program or
macro to count the number of empty lines, so I can subtract them from
my reckonings. I'd also like to be able to do all these things within a
highlighted section of text, not just for the whole document.]

I've tried Practiline, which says it will count number of insertions,
but I can't get it to work. [Possibly my fault, not theirs, don't want
to do their program down]

Any other suggestions? Would it be possible to write a macro myself?
Perhaps I can achieve the same thing some other way, e.g. by comparing
before and after versions?

Many thanks in anticipation of your help.

Ben

 

[Afoklala]

Op 19 Dec 2006 09:47:43 -0800 schreef (e-mail address removed):

Hello...

I'm a technical editor and translator. When editing, I correct clients'
texts using Track Changes in Word 2002. To facilitate more accurate
pricing, I'd like a program or macro that enables me to count a) number
of lines that include one or more changes, and/or b) total number of
words modified or inserted. [Secondarily, I'd also like the program or
macro to count the number of empty lines, so I can subtract them from
my reckonings. I'd also like to be able to do all these things within a
highlighted section of text, not just for the whole document.]

I've tried Practiline, which says it will count number of insertions,
but I can't get it to work. [Possibly my fault, not theirs, don't want
to do their program down]

Any other suggestions? Would it be possible to write a macro myself?
Perhaps I can achieve the same thing some other way, e.g. by comparing
before and after versions?

I would use the before-and-after approach. Seems uncomplicated enough...
Alternatively, you could write a macro that selects all text with a certain
formatting (the one used for changed text), copy+paste the selection into a
new, empty document and then count the words. But that seems to be much
more trouble than it's worth.
BTW, I've never encountered an agency that lets me charge reviews by the
word; they always make me charge by the hour. Makes more sense, since some
reviews are MUCH more trouble then others, depending on the quality of the
translation to be reviewed.
--
Jan Willem from Odijk, Netherlands
e-mail in From-field is wrong, real e-mail is:
jw point van point dormolen on xs4all point nl
(change point into dot, on into at)

And then there's this:
'No, `Eureka' is Greek for `This bath is too hot.'' -- Dr. Who

 

[Steven M (remove wax and invalid to reply)]

Je 19 Dec 2006 09:47:43 -0800, (e-mail address removed) skribis:

Hello...

I'm a technical editor and translator. When editing, I correct clients'
texts using Track Changes in Word 2002. To facilitate more accurate
pricing, I'd like a program or macro that enables me to count a) number
of lines that include one or more changes, and/or b) total number of
words modified or inserted. [Secondarily, I'd also like the program or
macro to count the number of empty lines, so I can subtract them from
my reckonings. I'd also like to be able to do all these things within a
highlighted section of text, not just for the whole document.]

I've tried Practiline, which says it will count number of insertions,
but I can't get it to work. [Possibly my fault, not theirs, don't want
to do their program down]

Any other suggestions? Would it be possible to write a macro myself?
Perhaps I can achieve the same thing some other way, e.g. by comparing
before and after versions?

I used to think about that sort of thing. After using Word Track
Changes or Document Compare, the document will contains text that is
either (a) unchanged from version 1 to version 2, (b) present in 1 but
not 2, and (c) present in 2 but not 1. In effect you can either
accept the changes, by deleting text (b), or reject them, by deleting
text (c).

So I wondered, how can I count the text in (b) or (c).

I started on a macro that did something like this, but about that time
someone offered this one:

http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/dejavu-l/message/49105


= = = = = = = = = = = =
Sub RevisionsToFormat()

' Macro from ' http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dejavu-l/message/49105

Dim aRev As Revision
Dim aType

ActiveDocument.TrackRevisions = False

For Each aRev In ActiveDocument.Revisions
If aRev.Type = wdRevisionDelete Then
With aRev.Range.Font
.StrikeThrough = True
.ColorIndex = wdRed
End With
aRev.Reject
ElseIf aRev.Type = wdRevisionInsert Then
With aRev.Range.Font
.Underline = wdUnderlineSingle
.ColorIndex = wdBlue
End With
aRev.Accept
End If
Next

End Sub

= = = = = = = = = = = =

If you're familiar with macros, you should be able to see how it works
and change it. After the text has been re-colored, you should be able
to manipulate it some more to get the statistics you want.

But it's probably not worth it, depending on what you need it for. If
your purpose is estimate the word count, or in some other way, the
effort, that it will take to translate the changed portion, it's
misleading. Especially if the changes only affect partial sentences.

Most TM (translation memory) programs offer better statistics, and a
better environment to work in. Assuming that the first version and
its translation are stored in your memory, you can import the
revision, and run a Pretranslate step or Analyze step. This will give
you a better idea of what work it will take to update the translation.
It's also a better environment to work in, to actually produce the
translation.

If you're not familiar with TM, you should be. The market leader is
Trados, now owned by SDL. I have used the Trados demo but for my
purposes Déjà Vu from Atril is fine.



--
Steven M - (e-mail address removed)
(remove wax and invalid to reply)

"Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear;
not absence of fear." -- Mark Twain

 

[Thomas Weber]

Op 19 Dec 2006 09:47:43 -0800 schreef (e-mail address removed):

I agree with Afkolala that this method does not always or even often result
in more accurate pricing of proofing, editing or revising. Isn't pricing
only accurate if it reflects your time?

[snip]

BTW, I've never encountered an agency that lets me charge reviews by the
word; they always make me charge by the hour. Makes more sense, since some
reviews are MUCH more trouble then others, depending on the quality of the
translation to be reviewed.

My experience is also that good clients or agencies let you work on that
basis.

Thomas

 

[benkree]

Many thanks, gentlemen, and my apologies for not thanking you
sooner.... I´ve been offline and out and about. I take note of your
suggestions: that there's no easy way to count changes made, and that I
might be better off using TM software and/or charging by the hour. OK,
will think about this. Charging by the hour strikes me as difficult a)
because it´s not so easy to give the client a rough quote, and b)
because at least in my working week there are intensive hours and
patchy hours. At present I work directly with clients, not through
agencies. But I´ll think carefully about what you say - many thanks
once more, and may you all have a great 2007. - Ben