def _can_walk(base, subdirectories):
    """
    Determine if the first element of the 'subdirectories' list can be appended
    to the 'base' path and still specify a directory.
    """
    # Always consider the last part of the subdirectories the filename
    if len(subdirectories) < 2:
        return False
    # Allow any directory name that doesn't contain the <lang> placeholder
    return "<lang>" not in subdirectories[0]