How do I the type of smart quotes?

[garbanzhell]

This post is not about how to disable the smart-quotes function. It is about changing what words thinks is a good stylistic practice.

I write mostly in Spanish. In this language, the original quotation marks are the angular ones, also called guillemets (« »). However, due to the influence of the English language, nowadays the most common ones are the curly inverted commas (“ ”).

I would like to know how I can change the behaviour in which Word detects the dumb quotes and replaces them with smart ones, but the ones I want (the guillemets). I know for a fact that Word does this in French (in fact, it does this so well that it actually adds a space that is mandatory in its use).


Thanks in advance!!

 

[Ranger4]

When in Word, select Insert from the top menu & then click on Symbol, then select More Symbols. This will provide a list of Symbols that you can use. You may need to scroll down to find the symbol you want to use. If you double click on that Symbol it will transfer it to the Recently Used Symbols & you will see the Short Cut Key that is used to select that symbol, when you are typing.

This is from Word 2013, but it should be very similar for other versions of Word.

 

[garbanzhell]

Thanks, but I was not looking for a work-around. I could also use autocorrect, or even autohotkey. I am specifically interested in tweaking the Spanish setting that Word uses so that it stops trying to be smarter than me. Moreover, the solution you propose involves dedicating two shortcut keys for inserting the opening and closing guillemets. I would like to maintaint the benefit of Word realising that a dumb straight quotation mark has to be replaced for opening or closing quotes depending on the context.

I know it is too much to ask, but if I didn't ask I would remain in doubt

Could a macro solve this issue?

 

[Ranger4]

You might be able to work out a macro for doing what you want, but I am not an expert on macros. Someone else might come to rescue.