diff --git a/NAMESPACE b/NAMESPACE
index 9234e31..9c201c6 100644
--- a/NAMESPACE
+++ b/NAMESPACE
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@
 
 S3method(print,datadiff_coverage)
 S3method(print,datadiff_report)
-export("%||%")
 export(add_tolerance_columns)
 export(analyze_columns)
 export(compare_datasets_from_yaml)
diff --git a/NEWS.md b/NEWS.md
index 5cc91b5..cbb9a2c 100644
--- a/NEWS.md
+++ b/NEWS.md
@@ -88,6 +88,18 @@
 
 ## Bug fixes
 
+* Three NEWS-vs-code contradictions introduced by the "Perf (#1)" commit after
+  the 0.4.4 release are resolved in the direction 0.4.4 had announced or the
+  docs now tell the truth: `%||%` is internal again (exporting it masked
+  rlang's and base R's own operator at load time; the test that locked the
+  accidental re-export now locks the opposite), the default rules-template
+  label prefix is "comparison" (was still the French "comparaison"), and the
+  vignette states the real report language default (`lang = "fr"`, it claimed
+  English). The three exported helpers that no user-facing doc mentioned
+  (`normalize_text()`, `validate_row_counts()`, `setup_pointblank_agent()`)
+  are now documented in the vignette's utility-functions section with real
+  use cases (issue #26).
+
 * `setup_pointblank_agent()` cleanup: the `cols_reference` argument was never
   read (verified by grep since its introduction) and is now deprecated
   (warning when supplied, removal planned); the local equality steps validate
diff --git a/R/compare_datasets_from_yaml.R b/R/compare_datasets_from_yaml.R
index 0970389..6f2d58d 100644
--- a/R/compare_datasets_from_yaml.R
+++ b/R/compare_datasets_from_yaml.R
@@ -70,8 +70,8 @@ write_rules_template <- function(data_reference,
     }
   }
   validate_label(label)
-  if (is.null(label) || label == "") {label <- paste("comparaison", deparse1(substitute(data_reference)))
-
+  if (is.null(label) || label == "") {
+    label <- paste("comparison", deparse1(substitute(data_reference)))
   }
   types <- detect_column_types(.ref_schema)
   # With equal_mode "normalized", writing the default FALSE flags would
diff --git a/R/utils.R b/R/utils.R
index a8dba33..f38d9af 100644
--- a/R/utils.R
+++ b/R/utils.R
@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
-#' Operator for default values
-#'
-#' Returns y if x is NULL, otherwise returns x
-#' @name or_operator
-#' @param x Value to check
-#' @param y Default value to return if x is NULL
-#' @return x if not NULL, otherwise y
-#' @export
-`%||%` <- function(x, y) if (is.null(x)) y else x
+# Default-value operator: y if x is NULL, otherwise x. Internal: exporting it
+# would mask rlang's and base R's (R >= 4.4) own %||% at load time.
+`%||%` <- function(x, y) {
+  if (is.null(x)) {
+    y
+  } else {
+    x
+  }
+}
 
 get_col_names <- function(x) {
   nms <- colnames(x)
diff --git a/man/or_operator.Rd b/man/or_operator.Rd
deleted file mode 100644
index 20863e8..0000000
--- a/man/or_operator.Rd
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,20 +0,0 @@
-% Generated by roxygen2: do not edit by hand
-% Please edit documentation in R/utils.R
-\name{or_operator}
-\alias{or_operator}
-\alias{\%||\%}
-\title{Operator for default values}
-\usage{
-x \%||\% y
-}
-\arguments{
-\item{x}{Value to check}
-
-\item{y}{Default value to return if x is NULL}
-}
-\value{
-x if not NULL, otherwise y
-}
-\description{
-Returns y if x is NULL, otherwise returns x
-}
diff --git a/tests/testthat/test-input-validation.R b/tests/testthat/test-input-validation.R
index 2811fc0..3f1d49f 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/test-input-validation.R
+++ b/tests/testthat/test-input-validation.R
@@ -138,18 +138,18 @@ test_that("write_rules_template handles label edge cases", {
   df <- data.frame(id = 1:2, value = 1:2)
 
   # Test NULL label (should use default)
-  template_path <- "test_null_label.yaml"
+  template_path <- tempfile(fileext = ".yaml")
+  on.exit(unlink(template_path), add = TRUE)
   write_rules_template(df, key = "id", label = NULL, path = template_path)
   rules <- read_rules(template_path)
-  expect_match(rules$defaults$label, "comparaison")
-  unlink(template_path)
+  expect_match(rules$defaults$label, "comparison")
 
   # Test empty label (should use default)
-  template_path <- "test_empty_label.yaml"
-  write_rules_template(df, key = "id", label = "", path = template_path)
-  rules <- read_rules(template_path)
-  expect_match(rules$defaults$label, "comparaison")
-  unlink(template_path)
+  template_path2 <- tempfile(fileext = ".yaml")
+  on.exit(unlink(template_path2), add = TRUE)
+  write_rules_template(df, key = "id", label = "", path = template_path2)
+  rules <- read_rules(template_path2)
+  expect_match(rules$defaults$label, "comparison")
 
   # Test very long label
   long_label <- paste(rep("very_long_label", 100), collapse = "_")
diff --git a/tests/testthat/test-utils.R b/tests/testthat/test-utils.R
index 128dec1..e52e62f 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/test-utils.R
+++ b/tests/testthat/test-utils.R
@@ -5,8 +5,9 @@ test_that("%||% operator works correctly", {
   expect_equal(object = NULL %||% NULL, expected = NULL)
 })
 
-test_that("%||% is exported from the package namespace", {
-  expect_true("%||%" %in% getNamespaceExports("datadiff"))
+test_that("%||% is internal (not exported), per NEWS 0.4.4", {
+  # Exporting it masks rlang's and base R's (R >= 4.4) own %||% at load time
+  expect_false("%||%" %in% getNamespaceExports("datadiff"))
 })
 
 test_that("normalize_text handles basic cases", {
diff --git a/vignettes/datadiff.Rmd b/vignettes/datadiff.Rmd
index 530fbf5..6003f36 100644
--- a/vignettes/datadiff.Rmd
+++ b/vignettes/datadiff.Rmd
@@ -801,11 +801,42 @@ cmp_annotated <- add_tolerance_columns(cmp, "value", rules_debug,
 cmp_annotated[, c("value__absdiff", "value__thresh", "value__ok")]
 ```
 
+### `normalize_text()`
+
+The text-normalization primitive used by `preprocess_dataframe()`, handy on
+its own to normalize a vector the same way a comparison would:
+
+```{r normalize-text}
+normalize_text(c("  Hello ", "WORLD"), case_insensitive = TRUE, trim = TRUE)
+```
+
+### `validate_row_counts()`
+
+Computes the row-count validation information (counts, expected count,
+tolerance) for a pair of datasets and a rules object, without running the
+full comparison:
+
+```{r validate-row-counts}
+rules_rc <- list(row_validation = list(check_count = TRUE,
+                                       expected_count = NULL, tolerance = 0))
+validate_row_counts(ref, cand, rules = rules_rc)
+```
+
+### `setup_pointblank_agent()`
+
+Builds the configured (not yet interrogated) pointblank agent the comparison
+uses, for advanced consumers who want to add their own steps before
+interrogating. The equality steps validate `<col>__eq` booleans and the
+tolerance steps expect precomputed `<col>__ok` booleans (see
+`add_tolerance_columns()`); most users never need to call it directly.
+
 ---
 
 ## 14. Language and locale
 
-By default, pointblank reports are rendered in English. You can change
+By default, pointblank reports are rendered in French (`lang = "fr"`,
+`locale = "fr_FR"`; override globally with
+`options(datadiff.lang = "en", datadiff.locale = "en_US")`). You can change
 the language per call or globally for a session.
 
 ### Per call