[i18n-activity] language tag handling needs more attention (#1856)

aphillips has just created a new issue for https://github.com/w3c/i18n-activity:

== language tag handling needs more attention ==
## Proposed comment

Language tag handling
* https://github.com/WICG/translation-api/blob/main/README.md#for-a-known-source-language
* https://github.com/WICG/translation-api/blob/main/README.md#language-tag-handling

> Tentatively, pending consultation with internationalization and translation API experts, we propose the following model. Each user agent has a list of (language tag, availability) pairs, which is the same one returned by translation.supportedLanguages(). Only exact matches for entries in that list will be used for the API.

The proposed mechanisms don't make sense. They require absolute tag matches in order to work, when the normal way for translation and locale-based mechanisms to work is either BCP47 Lookup or BCP47 Filtering.

Generally, for this type of API, Lookup is the preferred mechanism, usually with some additional tailoring (the insertion of missing subtags: `Intl` already provides this).

For example, if a system supports `ja` and `en`, then `canTranslate()` should match requests for `en-US`, `en-GB`, `ja-JP` or `ja-u-ca-japanese`, but not requests for `eng`, `fr`, or `zh-Hans`.

Failing to provide this sort of support would mean that implementations would have to provide dozens or hundreds of tags that they "support" or would require the caller to massage the tag (instead of passing it blindly).


## Instructions: 

This follows the process at https://w3c.github.io/i18n-activity/guidelines/review-instructions.html

1. Create the review comment you want to propose by replacing the prompts above these instructions, but **LEAVE ALL THE INSTRUCTIONS INTACT** 

2. **Add one or more t:... labels. These should use ids from specdev establish a link to that doc.**

2. Set a label to identify the spec: this starts with s: followed by the spec's short name. If you are unable to do that, ask a W3C staff contact to help.

3. Ask the i18n WG to review your comment.

4. After discussion with the i18n WG, raise an issue in the repository of the WG that owns the spec. Use the text above these instructions as the starting point for that comment, but add any suggestions that arose from the i18n WG. In the other WG's repo, add an 'i18n-needs-resolution' label to the new issue. If you think any of the participants in layout requirements task force groups would be interested in following the discussion, add also the appropriate i18n-\*lreq label(s).

5. Delete the text below that says 'url_for_the_issue_raised', then add in its place the URL for the issue you raised in the other WG's repository. Do NOT remove the initial '§ '. Do NOT use \[...](...) notation – you need to delete the placeholder, then paste the URL.

6. Remove the 'pending' label, and add a 'needs-resolution' tag to this tracker issue. 

7. If you added an \*lreq label, add the label 'spec-type-issue', add the corresponding language label, and a label to indicate the relevant typographic feature(s), eg. 'i:line_breaking'. The latter represent categories related to the Language Enablement Index, and all start with i:.

8. Edit this issue to **REMOVE ALL THE INSTRUCTIONS & THE PROPOSED COMMENT**, ie. the line below that is '---' and all the text before it to the very start of the issue.

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Please view or discuss this issue at https://github.com/w3c/i18n-activity/issues/1856 using your GitHub account


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Received on Monday, 3 June 2024 20:58:26 UTC