An English article moves and ends up on the German version. The redirect works technically, but it does not preserve the reader’s language choice.
Map each language separately
Fictional example: after a relaunch, /en/blog/delivery/ redirects to /wissen/versand/, even though /en/insights/delivery/ exists. The migration spreadsheet stored only one German destination per topic.
Compare old and new addresses for each language. Open them without a saved session and keep language settings consistent. Check whether the redirect itself chooses the wrong language or the destination triggers another change based on browser settings or location.
Automatic language redirects can prevent people and search engines from reaching every version. A visible language switch leaves the choice with the visitor.
Do not invent an equivalent destination in the mapping. Record that the old version was not carried over, then decide whether to retain it, provide a relevant alternative or remove it.
After correction, inspect the final language, canonical URL and language links. A global redirect rule should not silently collapse different language versions. The check succeeds when the originally chosen version remains available at its intended destination, including a direct request from a new session.
Related check: Prioritise a redirect mapping.
An identified frontend language-mapping fault can be requested as a scoped Frontend optimisation.