If it is actually using the description to pass the text to the widget, then that is my understanding. I didn’t dig too far after finding the similar post. For example, I didn’t find in the code base for tqdm how it is passing that text on and rendering it to the left of the widget.
There’s always the possibility of customizing the tqdm.notebook code.
Or possibly printing nothing to the description and possibly using an HBox to place HTML widget with text to the left of the progressbar, vague remiscent of Hbox use here.
But I don’t know how much that will require given it needs to update.
The supplied solution is requires less experimenting and is much less brittle.