Issue with merging multi-language Word documents and maintaining their original headers and footers

[misschant]

Hello,

I'm encountering a challenge when merging two multi-language Word documents while preserving their original headers and footers. These documents are in different languages, with the first document in English and the second document in Spanish. I have explored various options but haven't found a satisfactory solution.

Summary of the issue and steps taken:

• I attempted to use the "Text from File" option to insert the second document into the first, but it resulted in the headers and footers of the first document overriding those of the second document.
• I have tried different pasting techniques without success.
• Unlinking the headers and footers after inserting the second document did not resolve the issue, as the headers and footers from the first document persisted and replaced the second document's headers and footers.
• Consulting with a Word expert did not provide a solution or explanation for the issue.
• Copying and pasting the content section by section also failed to retain the original headers and footers.
• I have exhausted various methods, including using Word options like "Text Only" to maintain the integrity of headers and footers when merging different documents.

I'm unsure if installing language-specific proofing tools related to the merged document's language (e.g., Spanish) is necessary for Word to recognize and preserve the headers and footers correctly.

Please note that utilizing Acrobat or converting to PDF format is not feasible due to workflow constraints.

I would greatly appreciate any guidance or insights from the community to effectively address this issue.

Thank you in advance for any assistance you can provide.

Best regards,

MissChant

[#2]

@misschant 

If you are using the Insert File dialog box, first modify each document that you are trying to insert so that it contains two additional continuous section breaks: one at the very beginning and one at the very end of the document. This preserves header/footer contents. See https://wordmvp.com/FAQs/Formatting/WorkWithSections.htm (but note that the instructions haven't been updated for the most recent versions of Word).

[#3]

Hello Stefan,

I have already tried this option without success. If you have any other suggestions other than what you have indicated here and the link you offered, that would be helpful.

Thank you,

misschant

[#4]

@miss_chant 

What is lost in headers and footers, specifically? Could you elaborate on what you see and what you would like to see? 

Note that using the "trick" with continuous section breaks should preserve section formatting, such as header/footer content, but it won't preserve the text formatting because the text formatting is controlled by the underlying style definitions in the target document.