I have never used Word, but my collaborator does. When he types a ', it gets converted to ascii 146 and he has been unable to stop this. Is there any way of getting what you type? He certainly doesn’t.
Hold down the alt key, type the ASCII code on the numeric pad (not the numbers above the letters). And they are 4 digit codes, so you would type 0039 while holding the alt key.
I don’t have a Windows unit handy, but I think Alt+39 will work as well, no?
I guess I didn’t ask the question properly. Is there a way to configure Word so that if you press the ’ key, you get ascii 39 in your file? Like any decent editor will. I am trying to convince him to use a decent editor, but he knows Word and only Word.
I guess this is because he has a non-english setting in his windows.
He’s got it set to a language like Norwegian…
Hold ALT and use the keypad to type 39 , let go of ALT ?
pressing ’ quickly twice should make it put one ’ ?
or change the setting back to english..
Sure, you can probably find a key remapper out there that will allow you to do this. Google “Windows key remapper” (or whatever OS you are using) and you’ll find various solutions. I cannot recommend a specific one, as I’ve never used them.
Word Autocorrect may also work for this. I haven’t personally used it but sounds viable.
I think part of the confusion here is that there isn’t actually a ASCII 146: proper ASCII only goes up to 127. There are several different extended ASCIIs, but they of course map 146 to different characters. One of them maps 146 to Æ, hence Isilder’s comment about Norwegian (or so I assume).
Another thing 146 can map to is a right single curly quote (’), which I imagine is what the OP is talking about, since that actually makes some sense as a replacement for an apostrophe. 
And I’m pretty sure you can turn that “feature” off, but I do not own Word so I couldn’t tell you how.
I think you’re talking about straight quotes and apostrophes being converted to curly ones. There are two solutions in Word for this:[ul][li]To correct this on an occasional basis, press Ctrl-Z (or go to Edit/Undo) IMMEDIATELY after Word converts the straight character to a curly one.[*]To permanently prevent these conversions, go to Tools and AutoCorrect, and then on both the “AutoFormat” and “AutoFormat As You Type” tabs, UNcheck the option for “Replace ‘Straight Quotes’ with ‘Smart Quotes’”.[/li][/ul]
The feature is called “smart quotes.” Tell him to turn that off.
ETA: What Keeve said.
In Word, click on the Microsoft Office button in the upper left, and choose Word Options, then Proofing, then AutoCorrect Options. On the AutoFormat tab, uncheck the box to that says Replace “straight quotes” with “smart quotes.” His apostrophes should now be straight instead of curly.
My instructions were for Word 2002. I’m confident that Micro$oft hid this in some impossible-to-find location in newer versions. But if you search Help for autoformat" or “smart quotes”, you’ll probably find it.
I believe what is happening is your collaborator has “smart quotes” enabled in Word (which is the default). This replaces the ’ and " with their curly counterparts. To turn this off in Word 2010 (and I think all versions since Windows 7), do the following:
File
Options
Proofing
AutoCorrect Options (this is a button near the top just to the righ tof center)
On the AutoFormat as you Type tab, uncheck “Straight quotes” with “smart quotes”
Then exit with a series of “OK:” buttons.
If he doesn’t wish to change the settings, you can also correct each instance if you type Ctl-Z immediately after Word makes the change, but it must be done immediately not just when the cursor is in the right spot.
ETA: or what the previous four poster said more or less.
I will tell him that. He is an extremely naive user and may balk. I can but try. Now that I understand the problem I can use my very powerful editor to undo the damage caused by Word.
The Ctrl-Z (Edit→Undo) option is applicable very generally: Whenever Word auto-corrects or otherwise makes any changes to your text as you type, you can always type Ctrl-Z to undo that and restore the text to just what you typed.
Micro$soft in their infinite wisdom (or whatever) had hidden just about everything in some impossible-to-find locations in recent versions of all their Office apps.
In Office 2007 and later, click the Office button and select Word Options at the bottom of the popout window. Then select Proofing > AutoCorrect Options… and you get the old AutoCorrect window, with tabs and all.