Excel to CSV with UTF8 encoding

Question

I want to use an Excel file that has some Spanish characters (tildes, etc.) as an import file, so I need to convert it to a CSV file. However, the "special" Spanish characters that aren't ASCII characters become mangled when I choose Save As CSV. The left and right quotes, as well as the lengthy dashes, that appear to have been included by the original Mac user who created the Excel file, likewise appear to behave in this manner.

I assume it is a restriction of Excel because CSV is just a text file and can accept a UTF8 encoding, but I'm seeking for a solution to transfer data from Excel to CSV while preserving the non-ASCII characters.

Answer 1

Use of Google Spreadsheet is a straightforward fix. You can import the sheet or paste (values only if you have complicated formulas) it before downloading CSV. I only tested a few characters, and it seems to function rather well.

NOTE: There are import restrictions in Google Sheets.