diff --git a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Data/Balancing.hs b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Data/Balancing.hs
index 3cdc4d686..dc8e045ff 100644
--- a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Data/Balancing.hs
+++ b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Data/Balancing.hs
@@ -169,7 +169,7 @@ transactionBalanceError t errs =
 
 annotateErrorWithTransaction :: Transaction -> String -> String
 annotateErrorWithTransaction t s =
-  unlines [ showSourcePosPair $ tsourcepos t, s
+  unlines [ sourcePosPairPretty $ tsourcepos t, s
           , T.unpack . T.stripEnd $ showTransaction t
           ]
 
@@ -586,7 +586,7 @@ checkBalanceAssertionOneCommodityB p@Posting{paccount=assertedacct} assertedamt
       (case ptransaction p of
          Nothing -> "?" -- shouldn't happen
          Just t ->  printf "%s\ntransaction:\n%s"
-                      (showSourcePos pos)
+                      (sourcePosPretty pos)
                       (textChomp $ showTransaction t)
                       :: String
                       where
diff --git a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Read/Common.hs b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Read/Common.hs
index 30355e127..f32061d7e 100644
--- a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Read/Common.hs
+++ b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Read/Common.hs
@@ -374,7 +374,7 @@ journalCheckPayeesDeclared j = mapM_ checkpayee (jtxns j)
       | otherwise = Left $
           printf "undeclared payee \"%s\"\nat: %s\n\n%s"
             (T.unpack p)
-            (showSourcePosPair $ tsourcepos t)
+            (sourcePosPairPretty $ tsourcepos t)
             (linesPrepend2 "> " "  " . (<>"\n") . textChomp $ showTransaction t)
       where
         p  = transactionPayee t
@@ -392,7 +392,7 @@ journalCheckAccountsDeclared j = mapM_ checkacct (journalPostings j)
           ++ case ptransaction of
               Nothing -> ""
               Just t  -> printf "in transaction at: %s\n\n%s"
-                          (showSourcePosPair $ tsourcepos t)
+                          (sourcePosPairPretty $ tsourcepos t)
                           (linesPrepend "  " . (<>"\n") . textChomp $ showTransaction t)
       where
         as = journalAccountNamesDeclared j
@@ -411,7 +411,7 @@ journalCheckCommoditiesDeclared j =
           ++ case ptransaction of
               Nothing -> ""
               Just t  -> printf "in transaction at: %s\n\n%s"
-                          (showSourcePosPair $ tsourcepos t)
+                          (sourcePosPairPretty $ tsourcepos t)
                           (linesPrepend "  " . (<>"\n") . textChomp $ showTransaction t)
       where
         mfirstundeclaredcomm =
diff --git a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Utils/Parse.hs b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Utils/Parse.hs
index 230c5d957..e242ed70d 100644
--- a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Utils/Parse.hs
+++ b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Utils/Parse.hs
@@ -6,14 +6,13 @@ module Hledger.Utils.Parse (
   SimpleTextParser,
   TextParser,
 
+  -- * SourcePos
   SourcePos(..),
   mkPos,
   unPos,
   initialPos,
-
-  -- * SourcePos
-  showSourcePosPair,
-  showSourcePos,
+  sourcePosPretty,
+  sourcePosPairPretty,
 
   choice',
   choiceInState,
@@ -63,16 +62,12 @@ type SimpleTextParser = Parsec CustomErr Text  -- XXX an "a" argument breaks the
 -- | A parser of text that runs in some monad.
 type TextParser m a = ParsecT CustomErr Text m a
 
--- | Render source position in human-readable form.
-showSourcePos :: SourcePos -> String
-showSourcePos (SourcePos fp l c) =
-    show fp ++ " (line " ++ show (unPos l) ++ ", column " ++ show (unPos c) ++ ")"
-
--- | Render a pair of source position in human-readable form.
-showSourcePosPair :: (SourcePos, SourcePos) -> String
-showSourcePosPair (SourcePos fp l1 _, SourcePos _ l2 c2) =
-    show fp ++ " (lines " ++ show (unPos l1) ++ "-" ++ show l2' ++ ")"
-  where l2' = if unPos c2 == 1 then unPos l2 - 1 else unPos l2  -- might be at end of file withat last new-line
+-- | Render a pair of source positions in human-readable form, only displaying the range of lines.
+sourcePosPairPretty :: (SourcePos, SourcePos) -> String
+sourcePosPairPretty (SourcePos fp l1 _, SourcePos _ l2 c2) =
+    fp ++ ":" ++ show (unPos l1) ++ "-" ++ show l2'
+  where
+    l2' = if unPos c2 == 1 then unPos l2 - 1 else unPos l2  -- might be at end of file with a final new line
 
 -- | Backtracking choice, use this when alternatives share a prefix.
 -- Consumes no input if all choices fail.
diff --git a/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Commands/Check/Ordereddates.hs b/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Commands/Check/Ordereddates.hs
index 11e4677de..117fb4780 100755
--- a/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Commands/Check/Ordereddates.hs
+++ b/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Commands/Check/Ordereddates.hs
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ journalCheckOrdereddates CliOpts{reportspec_=rspec} j = do
         let
           datestr = if date2_ ropts then "2" else ""
           uniquestr = if checkunique then " and/or not unique" else ""
-          positionstr = showSourcePosPair $ tsourcepos error
+          positionstr = sourcePosPairPretty $ tsourcepos error
           txn1str = T.unpack . linesPrepend  (T.pack "  ")               $ showTransaction previous
           txn2str = T.unpack . linesPrepend2 (T.pack "> ") (T.pack "  ") $ showTransaction error
         Left $
diff --git a/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Commands/Check/Uniqueleafnames.hs b/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Commands/Check/Uniqueleafnames.hs
index 523244717..8e66a3641 100755
--- a/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Commands/Check/Uniqueleafnames.hs
+++ b/hledger/Hledger/Cli/Commands/Check/Uniqueleafnames.hs
@@ -49,5 +49,5 @@ checkposting leafandfullnames Posting{paccount,ptransaction} =
         Nothing -> ""
         Just t  -> printf "\nseen in \"%s\" in transaction at: %s\n\n%s"
                     paccount
-                    (showSourcePosPair $ tsourcepos t)
+                    (sourcePosPairPretty $ tsourcepos t)
                     (linesPrepend "> " . (<>"\n") . textChomp $ showTransaction t) :: String)
diff --git a/hledger/test/journal/balance-assertions.test b/hledger/test/journal/balance-assertions.test
index 9c01e56f1..1db0dfbd9 100755
--- a/hledger/test/journal/balance-assertions.test
+++ b/hledger/test/journal/balance-assertions.test
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ $ hledger -f - stats
   b   $-1  = $-3
 
 $ hledger -f - stats
->2 /balance assertion.*line 11, column 12/
+>2 /balance assertion.*11:12/
 >=1
 
 # 4. should also work without commodity symbols
@@ -314,7 +314,7 @@ $ hledger -f - stats
     a       0 == $1
 
 $ hledger -f - stats
->2 /balance assertion.*line 10, column 15/
+>2 /balance assertion.*10:15/
 >=1
 
 # 18. Mix different commodities and total assignments
diff --git a/hledger/test/journal/parse-errors.test b/hledger/test/journal/parse-errors.test
index 52c2a680a..4d0b93df5 100644
--- a/hledger/test/journal/parse-errors.test
+++ b/hledger/test/journal/parse-errors.test
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ $ hledger -f journal:- print
   [c]
 
 $ hledger -f journal:- print
->2 /lines 1-4/
+>2 /:1-4/
 >=1
 
 # 7. Balancing error messages show the recorded precision, not the display precision.
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ $ hledger -f- print
   b  1B
 $ hledger -f- print
 >2
-hledger: "-" (lines 1-3)
+hledger: -:1-3
 could not balance this transaction:
 real postings all have the same sign
 2020-01-01