diff --git a/frontend/messages/de.json b/frontend/messages/de.json
index ec5aac62..8cf0b7bf 100644
--- a/frontend/messages/de.json
+++ b/frontend/messages/de.json
@@ -460,6 +460,7 @@
 	"dashboard_badge_new": "Neu",
 	"dashboard_badge_updated": "Aktualisiert",
 	"dashboard_reader_all_stories": "Alle Geschichten →",
+	"dashboard_reader_doc_count_suffix": "Dok.",
 	"dashboard_resume_label": "Zuletzt geöffnet:",
 	"dashboard_resume_fallback": "Unbekanntes Dokument",
 	"doc_status_placeholder": "Platzhalter",
diff --git a/frontend/messages/en.json b/frontend/messages/en.json
index cc09ae99..5651df83 100644
--- a/frontend/messages/en.json
+++ b/frontend/messages/en.json
@@ -460,6 +460,7 @@
 	"dashboard_badge_new": "New",
 	"dashboard_badge_updated": "Updated",
 	"dashboard_reader_all_stories": "All Stories →",
+	"dashboard_reader_doc_count_suffix": "docs.",
 	"dashboard_resume_label": "Last opened:",
 	"dashboard_resume_fallback": "Unknown document",
 	"doc_status_placeholder": "Placeholder",
diff --git a/frontend/messages/es.json b/frontend/messages/es.json
index c57d32f4..44e7aebe 100644
--- a/frontend/messages/es.json
+++ b/frontend/messages/es.json
@@ -460,6 +460,7 @@
 	"dashboard_badge_new": "Nuevo",
 	"dashboard_badge_updated": "Actualizado",
 	"dashboard_reader_all_stories": "Todas las historias →",
+	"dashboard_reader_doc_count_suffix": "docs.",
 	"dashboard_resume_label": "Último abierto:",
 	"dashboard_resume_fallback": "Documento desconocido",
 	"doc_status_placeholder": "Marcador",
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/shared/dashboard/ReaderPersonChips.svelte b/frontend/src/lib/shared/dashboard/ReaderPersonChips.svelte
index 8aa8d8c3..57a602df 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/shared/dashboard/ReaderPersonChips.svelte
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/shared/dashboard/ReaderPersonChips.svelte
@@ -45,7 +45,9 @@ const { persons }: Props = $props();
 				</span>
 				<span class="flex min-w-0 flex-col">
 					<span class="text-ink-1 truncate font-serif text-sm">{p.displayName ?? p.lastName}</span>
-					<span class="font-sans text-xs text-ink-3">{p.documentCount ?? 0} Dok.</span>
+					<span class="font-sans text-xs text-ink-3"
+						>{p.documentCount ?? 0} {m.dashboard_reader_doc_count_suffix()}</span
+					>
 				</span>
 			</a>
 		{/each}
diff --git a/frontend/src/routes/page.server.spec.ts b/frontend/src/routes/page.server.spec.ts
index 1aae2752..b51540c3 100644
--- a/frontend/src/routes/page.server.spec.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/routes/page.server.spec.ts
@@ -375,4 +375,39 @@ describe('home page load — reader branch (isReader = !canWrite && !canAnnotate
 
 		expect(result.isReader).toBe(false);
 	});
+
+	it('returns topPersons=[] when topPersons fetch fails, rest of data still loads', async () => {
+		const okStats = {
+			response: { ok: true, status: 200 },
+			data: { totalDocuments: 5, totalPersons: 2, totalStories: 1 }
+		};
+		const failPersons = Promise.reject(new Error('timeout'));
+		const okSearch = { response: { ok: true, status: 200 }, data: { items: [] } };
+		const okStories = { response: { ok: true, status: 200 }, data: [] };
+
+		const mockGet = vi
+			.fn()
+			.mockResolvedValueOnce({ response: { ok: true, status: 200 }, data: [] }) // initial persons check
+			.mockResolvedValueOnce(okStats)
+			.mockReturnValueOnce(failPersons)
+			.mockResolvedValueOnce(okSearch)
+			.mockResolvedValueOnce(okStories);
+		vi.mocked(createApiClient).mockReturnValue({ GET: mockGet } as ReturnType<
+			typeof createApiClient
+		>);
+
+		const result = await load({
+			url: makeUrl(),
+			fetch: vi.fn() as unknown as typeof fetch,
+			parent: vi
+				.fn()
+				.mockResolvedValue({ canWrite: false, canAnnotate: false, canBlogWrite: false })
+		} as Parameters<typeof load>[0]);
+
+		expect(result.isReader).toBe(true);
+		if (result.isReader) {
+			expect(result.topPersons).toEqual([]);
+			expect(result.readerStats?.totalDocuments).toBe(5);
+		}
+	});
 });