OBJECTIVE: Compare the operational meaning of two notices before treating them as interchangeable. Use synthetic text, not private participant correspondence. The English variants below model a discrepancy; they do not constitute a test of any actual language translation.
1. Define the Intended Process
Write a short reference scenario: a person receives a fictional station notice on day zero, may request review within ten days, and receives an appointment assigned by the station. Record what counts as a request and who can clarify the deadline. Real services must define their own timing rules rather than borrowing this example.
2. Compare the Instructions
Version A says, “Request a review within ten days.” Version B says, “Complete your review within ten days.” Extract the actor, action, timing, condition and consequence from each. Mark missing information as missing; do not fill it in with assumptions about how the service probably works.
The expected discrepancy is request versus completion. If the station assigns appointments, the second wording may put an obligation on the reader that the reader cannot control.
3. Walk Through an Edge Case
The synthetic traveler requests review on day three and receives an appointment for day twelve. Ask reviewers what each notice tells that traveler to do. Then ask whether either notice explains how to challenge an apparent conflict.
For actual multilingual material, involve qualified language reviewers and the accountable service owner. Reader testing should be voluntary and appropriate to the audience; do not infer translation quality from a single fluent reviewer or an automated score.
4. Record and Recheck the Correction
Save the disputed wording, intended meaning, decision owner and affected versions. Have the replacement reviewed against the reference scenario, then check that the website, downloadable copy and available printed materials no longer present inconsistent instructions as current.
Retain a correction record and decide what help is available to people who received the earlier notice. A clean replacement does not demonstrate that earlier consequences have been repaired.
Completion criterion: reviewers can identify the same required action and timing, and unresolved differences have a named owner. Continue with Translation Drift and the fictional Other Notice.