Coverage table: the artefact this register is trying not to be
A coverage table is a grid of vendors against language counts. Most of them are undated, mix units, merge three different capabilities into one column and record an absence of disclosure as an absence of capability. As of 2026-09-22.
| Failure | Consequence | Avoidable |
|---|---|---|
| No date on any figure | Cannot be re-checked or corrected | Yes |
| Units mixed in one column | Ranking is meaningless | Yes |
| Interface and output merged | A translated menu counts as a voice | Yes |
| Blank read as no | A disclosure gap becomes a product claim | Yes |
Inclusion rule. The failures observable in published coverage tables of this kind. All four are editorial rather than technical. Order. Most common failure first.
1All four failures are choices
None of these is caused by the data being hard to get. Dates are free, units are visible in the vendor wording, the three capabilities are described on different pages, and a blank can be labelled as a blank.
They persist because a single ranked column is easier to read and easier to sell. The cost is a table that answers a question nobody asked while appearing to answer the one they did.
2The merge is the worst of them
Counting a translated marketing site as evidence that a model speaks the language is the error with the largest consequence, because the interface is the cheapest of the three to build and the most visible.
Among the vendors read here, the set with the longest voice lists and the set with the longest site lists overlap on very few companies. A merged column would put the wrong vendors at the top for either question.
3What is left when the failures are removed
A narrower table. Three columns instead of one, most cells empty, every figure dated, and no ranking at all. It answers fewer questions than the usual grid appears to and more than it actually does.
That is the trade this register takes. It is worth saying out loud, because a reader arriving from a ranked comparison will find this one frustrating before they find it useful.
A definition, not a measurement: no vendor figure appears here that is not also in the register. The three columns and their separate units are described on the columns page.
Nearby terms: Unit mismatch, Spot check. The whole vocabulary is at terms; nothing on this page is a claim about a named product.