diff --git a/src/orca/settings.py b/src/orca/settings.py
index 8e3470d..b869894 100644
--- a/src/orca/settings.py
+++ b/src/orca/settings.py
@@ -1517,6 +1517,16 @@ presentTimeFormat = TIME_FORMAT_LOCALE
 # http://docs.python.org/library/time.html#time.strftime
 #
 DATE_FORMAT_LOCALE = "%x"
-DATE_FORMAT_WITH_LONG_NAMES = "%A, %d, %B, %Y."
-DATE_FORMAT_WITH_SHORT_NAMES = "%a, %d, %b, %Y."
+# Translators: Orca has a feature to speak the date
+# when the user presses a shortcut key.
+# This is one of the alternative longer word formats that the 
+# user may wish to be presented with.
+#
+DATE_FORMAT_WITH_LONG_NAMES = _("%A, %d, %B, %Y.")
+# Translators: Orca has a feature to speak the date
+# when the user presses a shortcut key.
+# This is one of the alternative shorter word formats that the 
+# user may wish to be presented with.
+#
+DATE_FORMAT_WITH_SHORT_NAMES = _("%a, %d, %b, %Y.")
 presentDateFormat = DATE_FORMAT_LOCALE
