Automated proofreading of Spanish texts in MS Word using a text clean-up macro

Abstract

This study presents the results of a teaching innovation project developed during the 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25 academic years in the external internship subjects of the Master's Degree in Editorial Translation at the University of Murcia. The project focused on the implementation of 'Dr. Macro's Stain Remover,' a text cleaning macro as a tool for automating revision and correction processes in MS Word, created and distributed free of charge by philologist Antonio Martín.The research analyses the revision habits of three groups (60 students, 22 academic tutors and 10 editors) and their experience with this tool. Surveys were used to study revision methods, the application of orthotypographical rules, prior knowledge of macros, their perceived usefulness and the intention to use them in the future. The results reveal a 'paradox of knowledge and usefulness': although prior knowledge is limited (28.3 % among students, 45.5 % among tutors, and 0 % among editors), the assessment after use is very high (93.3 %, 100 %, and 100 %, respectively). The study concludes that these tools represent an efficient innovation, with benefits for both training and professional practice. The implementation of text cleaning macros in academic and professional environments demonstrates significant potential for optimizing editorial workflows and improving the quality of revisión and correction processes.