Before you start
A chat assistant and a fictional everyday message such as arranging lunch. Ask a fluent speaker to check language you cannot assess.
Why this lesson exists
Patrick’s communication experiments focused on whether two people understood each other. The transferable lesson is a complete exchange: original meaning, translation, confirmation and correction.
Do the exercise
Keep the message small
Write one intention per sentence. For practice use “Can we meet at the café at two?” Avoid idioms, unexplained names and long chains of instructions.
Add conversational context
Tell the assistant the languages, relationship, desired politeness and situation. Ask it to preserve names, times and uncertainty rather than silently improving the facts.
Check meaning in reverse
Ask for a plain-language explanation and a back-translation. These can reveal drift but are not independent proof. Mark unfamiliar terms for a fluent speaker to verify.
Close the loop
Have the recipient confirm the intended action in their own words. Correct the source message if there is confusion, then translate again. Keep both original and translated versions together.
A prompt to adapt
Replace the bracketed parts with your own practice details.
Translate this everyday message from [language] to [language] for [relationship and situation]: [message]. Keep names, quantities and times unchanged. Give the translation, a literal back-translation, and any ambiguity I should ask a fluent speaker about. Do not add facts.
What this looks like
A translation that swaps 2 p.m. for “later today” loses useful information. Confirmation should establish the café, time and whether the other person agreed.
Check your result
Use evidence from your output. A confident explanation from the AI is not enough.
- Names, quantities and times match.
- The recipient can explain the intended action.
- Uncertain phrases are marked rather than presented as verified.
If it isn’t working
For medical, legal or other consequential communication, use a qualified interpreter. This practice workflow teaches message checking and is not a replacement for professional interpretation.
Optional. Progress stays in this browser.
Where this came from
Adapted from the archived LinkedIn theme “The Best AI Use Case I Built Was Not About Productivity.” See the post coverage and editorial method.
Prepared September 2026. Tools and interfaces change; use current official setup instructions. Session lengths are estimates.