use a rich text editing script such as HTML Editor instead of a standard text area.
HTML Editor is based on the CKEditor script, you can see a demo here:
http://ckeditor.com/demo
in the toolbar, use the Clipboard icon with the w on in it, that is the paste from word tool. Word contains a lot of formatting that will not be valid, such as right and left angled quotes which are causing your ? symbol.
the past from word tool will strip harmful word formatting, but retain paragraphs.