2-characters language code

[quinta@ebf.cz]

Seems template expression {languages} returns (ISO 639.2) 3-characters language code (actually "terminology" variant).
fra for French, deu for German, ces for Czech, etc.

Is there a way how to get (ISO 639.1) 2-characters code?
fr, de, cs, ...

[chaley]

Originally Posted by quinta@ebf.cz

Seems template expression {languages} returns (ISO 639.2) 3-characters language code (actually "terminology" variant).
fra for French, deu for German, ces for Czech, etc.

Is there a way how to get (ISO 639.1) 2-characters code?
fr, de, cs, ...

No, there isn't, in the template languge. It might be possible in a python template. I would need to check the calibre API, which I can't do at the moment.

[quinta@ebf.cz]

It's not particulary important. 2-character language codes just seem more readable to me.

Although... Seems Calibre writes 3-chars into OPF of converted e-books... Isn't _this_ behavior in contrary of EPUB standard? I mean:

Originally Posted by RFC 3066, 2.3 Choice of language tag:

2. When a language has both an ISO 639-1 2-character code and an ISO 639-2 3-character code, you MUST use the tag derived from the ISO 639-1 2-character code.

[jackie_w]

Originally Posted by quinta@ebf.cz

It's not particulary important. 2-character language codes just seem more readable to me.

Although... Seems Calibre writes 3-chars into OPF of converted e-books... Isn't _this_ behavior in contrary of EPUB standard? I mean:

As far as I know calibre doesn't write a 3-char language code into a converted epub, it writes a 2-char code.

I think it may use a 3-char code (e.g. eng) in its own main database plus the metadata.opf backup file stored with each book record in the calibre library.

[quinta@ebf.cz]

Originally Posted by jackie_w

As far as I know calibre doesn't write a 3-char language code into a converted epub, it writes a 2-char code.

You are right. Sorry. I did not see 3-char in epub, but in azw3. It was just quick epub>azw3 conversion test...
- library metadata.opf file uses 3-chars, as mentioned
- conversion to epub makes 2-chars (even if there are only 3-char sources in library...)

So 3-chars "issue" actually detected just in azw3.

[jhowell]

Where in the azw3 file are you seeing this? If it is in the OPF file as shown by the calibre editor then you should be aware that is a recreation of what the equivalent EPUB metadata would be for the book. Kindle formats do not actually have an OPF. They encode metadata in a proprietary way. And the book’s language is actually stored as a number, not an ISO code.

[quinta@ebf.cz]

As you said. In OPF file, when AZW3 is opened in Calibre editor... Thx for background info.