Language pack update frequency

[HaviM]

Hi, everyone! I’ve been translating Linux Mint (and XFCE) into my language on Launchpad and Transifex. Yesterday, I upgraded to LM22, and I am glad to see some of my translations are included on it. I am very happy to be able to do my bit to help this project. Unfortunately, my language is relatively small, and there’s still much work to be done. My question is: When do language packs update? If I continue with my translations, will I have to wait until LM23 to see the new changes? Been diving into the internet to find an answer, but I couldn't.

Thank you in advance, and keep up the good work!

[xenopeek]

The answer to that has 4 parts I think. As per my best understanding:

1. New translations for Linux Mint projects (Cinnamon, Nemo, Mint tools, XApps) are pulled at least before each new release so at least once every 6 months. Improvements you make to translations for those projects now would get into Linux Mint 22.1 in 6 months, and so on.
2. Linux Mint also maintains packages for MATE and Xfce in its repository (http://packages.linuxmint.com/). If those projects have a new release in time to include it with a next Linux Mint release, improvements to translations for those are also included. Otherwise a next Linux Mint release would have the same MATE and Xfce versions as before so no improvements to translations. So this depends on the pace of development of the MATE and Xfce projects.
3. Firefox and Thunderbird packages are also maintained by Linux Mint in it repository and these are updated in all supported Linux Mint releases (Thunderbird from Linux Mint 22). Firefox does a new release every 4 weeks. I don't know the release cycle for Thunderbird. But anyway translation improvements for these make their way into all supported Linux Mint releases at a faster pace.
4. The package base Linux Mint 22 is built on, Ubuntu 24.04, has the translations for all other default software. As a rule of thumb packages from the Ubuntu repositories only get security updates during the release's lifetime, no new feature release or translation improvements. So not until Linux Mint 23 in 2 years time, when it moves to Ubuntu 26.04 as a package base, is it likely that translation improvements for software from the Ubuntu repositories become available.

[HaviM]

Oh, nice! You're response is perfect, you have cleared all of my doubts. Thank you very much!

[Pjotr]

To add: whenever one does translations (I'm a Dutch translator myself), one should always try to do them as upstream as possible. Because then they benefit not only one particular Linux distribution, but all of them. Your Xfce contributions, for example, will be used for every distro that has Xfce.