Don't translate Snap Store name

It was in Launchpad, but no one paid attention.

I noticed that “Snap Store” is translated on application icon and source name to Russian.

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I looked at .desktop file:

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Snap Store in different languages is named differently. This may confuse users, because brands usually aren’t translated.

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looks like somebody needs to have a word with the translators. On the other hand it’s possible it’s simply that some of the translations are older, and there was a name change? that happens as well.

Maybe @kenvandine is the right person to ask?

As a translator I would against doing so, IMO “Snap商店” is much friendlier than “Snap Store”. If the translation has problems, fix the translation.

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ah, yes, I took it as “don’t translate the ‘Snap’ in ‘Snap Store’”

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It sounds like the solution is to add a translator comment. I’m not a translation expert but here’s a proposal:

“This is a brand name, so consider if this should be translated. The Snap part should not be translated, and Store only if it doesn’t make sense in your language. See Install Linux apps using the Snap Store | Snapcraft for how it is translated on the web.”

It could be made non-translatable, but I expect there will be cases like the one shown by @Lin-Buo-Ren where it would not work without some form of translation.

Thoughts from experts welcome :slight_smile:

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Heyo, a translator here. Thanks for bringing this issue up.

I know for a fact that “Snap” is a Canonical trademark, so that part shouldn’t be translatable. However, I take issue with suggesting to disallow the translation of the “Snap Store” phrase. “Store” here is a generic term for an application distribution service, and making the full phrase English-only is an affront to people who don’t speak that language (and constitutes, in my opinion, even more Anglo colonization).

Can a Canonical lawyer chime in and confirm that they have only trademarked “Snap” rather than the full “Snap Store” phrase?

@fito I don’t think anybody is proposing blocking translating the “store” bit

Reworded to make clearer:

“The word Snap is a trade mark and should not be translated. The word Store should only be translated if it doesn’t make sense in your language. See https://snapcraft.io/store for how it is translated on the web.”

I am not a lawyer so not clear on the trade mark status / correct terms to use here.

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I’ve confirmed with the legal team that there is no legal reason not to translate the word “Store” in the name.

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Translation comment updated.

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My proposal isn’t related to legal, it’s related to marketing.

While that may be the case, Canonical is a business and we need to take advice from our legal team sometimes when dealing with the outward view of our products. This is especially prudent when dealing with trademarked terms. Often nothing needs to be done, but it’s a good practice for us to check with our legal team. So it was a good plan for Ken to do so.

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