April 1, 2026
Keeping API error text honest across languages
Partners trust an API reference when error descriptions match what the service returns and what support staff say on calls.
API references often describe success paths carefully and rush the failures. Error codes get copied from an old spreadsheet, while the live service returns newer messages that support staff already know by heart.
An editorial pass starts by sampling real error payloads from staging or production logs, then comparing them to the published table. Mismatches become the backlog, not stylistic nits.
Terminology matters across languages. If Korean-language partner materials use one name for a field and the English reference uses another, partners lose hours reconciling both. Keep a shared glossary and check it during the pass.
Examples should show the recovery step when one exists. Saying that a token is invalid is incomplete if the next action is to rotate credentials through a specific portal.
Leave the schema owners in charge of structure. Editorial work improves clarity and consistency; it does not silently change contract fields. That boundary keeps trust between writers and engineers.