The original wording is the evidence

Every label on a sheet or target page has a visible wording and a place where it appeared. Both matter. When you only keep your impression of a label, you have already begun rewriting it — and a rewritten label can no longer be checked against its source.

Step 1 — Preserve the exact wording

Copy the label exactly as it is shown, including any abbreviation, capitalization, or phrasing that looks odd. An unfamiliar term is a signal to slow down, not a cue to substitute a familiar one.

Step 2 — Note the source position

Record where the label came from: the sheet row, the category page, the listing title, the option selector. A label only means something in the place it was found. The same words in a different position can mean a different thing.

Step 3 — Hold back from expanding

When you are unsure, do not enlarge the meaning. A label that shows a single word should not quietly grow into a full description. If you must add an interpretation, write it as a separate note — never as a replacement for the original.

Parallel ruleOriginal wording and your note sit side by side and never merge. The note explains how you read it; the original remains the evidence.
!Margin note: an abbreviation you are unsure of is an unknown to mark, not a meaning to assume.

A worked reading

  1. Visible label: kept exactly as it appears, including the abbreviation.
  2. Source position: noted as the listing title or the option selector.
  3. Plain note: a cautious restatement, clearly flagged as a reading aid.
  4. Unknown: the ambiguous part left in its own marked space.

Reading example — not translation output, product verification, or a saved note.

Continue your review

Next, tie option names to the current page with the option context guide, and separate notes from facts with the translation boundary guide.

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