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RawrArt
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Quotation marks look like ">" in one InDesign document

Mar 20, 2012 10:57 AM

Tags: #wrong #indesign #incorrect #quotation #symbol #> #weird #" #quote #quote_marks #quotation_marks #' #weird_symbol

At my job I am updating an old InDesign file in CS5 with new content. Whenever I press the " or ' I get >> or > (not exactly, but it's a symbol that looks very similar to  >> or >). I have never had this problem and can't understand why it is doing this. There is nothing else in the document that makes the wrong symbol when the key is pressed.

 

I am using a Mac and none of that stereotypical IT advice helps (reset the computer, open and close the program, etc.)

 

I also already went into preferences & selected typographer's quotes, then changed the quote settings in Preferences > Dictionary to be the correct typographer's quotes, but it makes no difference. I feel like this should have been the solution to the problem.

 

Any ideas? I'm getting tired of making the proper quote mark in another document and copy-pasting it whenever I want to use one (the only thing that works).

1555 Views   11 Replies   Latest reply: David W. Goodrich, Mar 21, 2012 7:47 AM
 
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  • M Blackburn
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    1. M Blackburn,
    Mar 20, 2012 11:02 AM   in reply to RawrArt
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    You have  French assigned to the text.

     
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  • RawrArt
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    2. RawrArt,
    Mar 20, 2012 11:15 AM   in reply to M Blackburn
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    Could you please explain the solution to this instead of just pointing out a potential problem?

     

    If you mean what "Dictionary" language is selected, I do not have French selected. The current language selected is "English: USA".

     
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  • Bob Levine
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    3. Bob Levine,
    Mar 20, 2012 11:16 AM   in reply to RawrArt
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    The solution is to change the language to English.

     

     

     

    Bob

     
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  • Jeffrey_Smith
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    4. Jeffrey_Smith,
    Mar 20, 2012 11:17 AM   in reply to RawrArt
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    Check the Preferences > Dictionary > Double Quotes and Single Quotes (click the pull down to see various quote marks and select appropriate)

     
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  • [Jongware]
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    5. [Jongware],
    Mar 20, 2012 11:52 AM   in reply to Bob Levine
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    .. In addition, on itself changing the language assigned will NOT change the current characters (which are named "guillemots", by the way) into the Wnglish counterparts. You need to delete them and re-insert. But you can use Find-and-change for that.

     

    The link between preferences, language, and quotation marks is that the " and ' keys do NOT insert these symbols immediately. InDesign first checks the language that is applied to the text where you are inserting these characters. Hen it looks up in the Preferences for what actual characters to insert; and those end up in your document.

     

    Those "Dictionary" language settings are for something else.

     
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  • [Jongware]
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    6. [Jongware],
    Mar 20, 2012 11:53 AM   in reply to [Jongware]
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    "Wnglish" is a typo, rather than sth. like a Welsh-influence mix language ...

     
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  • RawrArt
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    7. RawrArt,
    Mar 20, 2012 11:55 AM   in reply to RawrArt
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    Never mind, I googled it based on M Blackburn's response and found the solution myself. I will now explain the solution in case anyone else who was wondering stumbles across this.

     

    The correct solution is:

     

    1. Select the text and go to the Character panel.

    2. In the Character panel at the bottom there is a drop down that is marked Language. If you have selected the text and the current selection of the dropdown is blank, it means there are multiple languages being used (in my case, somewhere in the document the original author of the document accidentally used French, I guess).

    3. Change the drop down to "English: USA".

     

    I had already changed the language and both the quote options in the Preferences > Dictionary section, and this didn't change anything. The French apparently overrides it.

     

    M Blackburn was right about it being French, but Bob Levine of course that's the solution... I wanted to know how to do it, and Jeffrey_Smith I said earlier that I already tried that. Please double-check your answers to make sure they are worthwhile!

     
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  • M Blackburn
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    8. M Blackburn,
    Mar 20, 2012 11:58 AM   in reply to RawrArt
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    I was referring to Language on the character palette or under advanced character formats in the paragraph styles palette.

     

    In my setup, as long as the language is English: USA, I always get English quotes. Changing the style of the quotes in Preferences has no effect. But it does have an effect if the language is English: Canadian (Adobe must figure  Canadians are bilingual or something.)

     
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  • Bob Levine
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    9. Bob Levine,
    Mar 20, 2012 12:00 PM   in reply to RawrArt
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    You might try double checking your questions to make sure they’re clear.

     

     

     

    Bob

     
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  • Jeffrey_Smith
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    10. Jeffrey_Smith,
    Mar 20, 2012 12:22 PM   in reply to RawrArt
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    and Jeffrey_Smith I said earlier that I already tried that. Please double-check your answers to make sure they are worthwhile!

    <<sorry>>

     

    Oops, I had French assigned... Let me change that, now let's see...

     

    "sorry"

     

    Message was edited by: Jeffrey_Smith

     
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  • David W. Goodrich
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    11. David W. Goodrich,
    Mar 21, 2012 7:47 AM   in reply to [Jongware]
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    I've been blundering more than usual lately, so in all fairness I really should not draw attention to a  minor typo.  But then it turns out Adobe may be responsible for confusion over "guillemet" vs. "guillemot."

     

    David

     
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