Localizable location?

[jspitz]

Many of the (larger) cities where publishers locate have different or differently spelled names in different languages (e.g., Wien -- Vienna -- Vienne -- Beć, ...; Brüssel -- Brussels -- Bruxelles, ...). In bibliographic entries, the publisher location normally should be given in the main language of the document.

So I wonder whether \DeclareListFormat{location} should not use

\ifbibstring{#1}{\bibstring{#1}}{#1\isdot}%

(actually just like patent location). Biblatex could include bibkeys for the most common publisher locations, but even if it didn't, it would help to maintain an own list. Currently I am working around this with @strings which change depending on the document language.

Another related issue which I am not sure how to deal with concerns the (mainly US?) convention to give state names (Cambridge, MA), the use and form (cf. Cambridge, Mass.) of which seems to depend on style. Maybe this could be approached via data annotation, or \locstate{<bibkey>} macros. Anyways, this seems less central than the issue above.