diff --git a/tests/unit/python/utils/i18n/test_catalog.py b/tests/unit/python/utils/i18n/test_catalog.py
index 7224f51e67..40c62d2700 100644
--- a/tests/unit/python/utils/i18n/test_catalog.py
+++ b/tests/unit/python/utils/i18n/test_catalog.py
@@ -12,6 +12,25 @@ from utils.i18n.catalog import (
 from utils.i18n.translate import pending
 
 
+class TestBuildTemplate(unittest.TestCase):
+    def test_a_message_that_is_only_a_name_never_enters_the_template(self) -> None:
+        template = build_template(
+            [("a", "Mastodon"), ("b", "Mastodon is a federated network.")], "core"
+        )
+
+        self.assertEqual(
+            [message.id for message in template if message.id],
+            ["Mastodon is a federated network."],
+            "core never passes through sphinx, so without this the docs domain "
+            "withholds a name its own catalog still carries",
+        )
+
+    def test_a_message_without_a_word_never_enters_the_template(self) -> None:
+        template = build_template([("a", "`x`"), ("b", "Real prose.")], "core")
+
+        self.assertEqual([message.id for message in template if message.id], ["Real prose."])
+
+
 class TestMerge(unittest.TestCase):
     def test_changed_source_comes_back_empty_for_the_translator(self):
         catalog = merge(build_template([("a", "Hello world")], "core"), None, "de")
diff --git a/utils/i18n/catalog.py b/utils/i18n/catalog.py
index 333fb0ffb8..9aab2448a7 100644
--- a/utils/i18n/catalog.py
+++ b/utils/i18n/catalog.py
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ from babel.messages.catalog import Catalog
 from babel.messages.pofile import read_po, write_po
 
 from utils.i18n.placeholders import carries_placeholder
+from utils.i18n.untranslatable import untranslatable
 from utils.software import (
     SOFTWARE_AUTHOR,
     SOFTWARE_CONTACT,
@@ -65,7 +66,12 @@ def new_catalog(domain: str, code: str | None = None) -> Catalog:
 
 
 def build_template(messages: Iterable[tuple[str, str]], domain: str) -> Catalog:
-    """Return a template catalog holding ``messages``.
+    """Return a template catalog holding the translatable part of ``messages``.
+
+    This is the ``core`` domain's counterpart to the sphinx transform the
+    ``docs`` domain carries: ``core`` never passes through sphinx, so a message
+    that is nothing but a name would otherwise reach its catalog while the same
+    message is withheld from the other domain.
 
     Args:
         messages: ``(msgctxt, msgid)`` pairs; ``msgctxt`` may be ``None``.
@@ -73,7 +79,8 @@ def build_template(messages: Iterable[tuple[str, str]], domain: str) -> Catalog:
     """
     template = new_catalog(domain)
     for context, msgid in messages:
-        template.add(msgid, context=context)
+        if not untranslatable(msgid):
+            template.add(msgid, context=context)
     return template