diff --git a/cms/templates/register.html b/cms/templates/register.html
index 404aae3b73..4c527a03bf 100644
--- a/cms/templates/register.html
+++ b/cms/templates/register.html
@@ -28,17 +28,20 @@
           <ol class="list-input">
             <li class="field text required" id="field-email">
               <label for="email">${_("E-mail")}</label>
-              <input id="email" type="email" name="email" placeholder="example: username@domain.com" />
+              ## Translators: This is the placeholder text for a field that requests an email address.
+              <input id="email" type="email" name="email" placeholder="${_("example: username@domain.com")}" />
             </li>
 
             <li class="field text required" id="field-name">
               <label for="name">${_("Full Name")}</label>
-              <input id="name" type="text" name="name" placeholder="example: Jane Doe" />
+              ## Translators: This is the placeholder text for a field that requests the user's full name.
+              <input id="name" type="text" name="name" placeholder="${_("example: Jane Doe")}" />
             </li>
 
             <li class="field text required" id="field-username">
               <label for="username">${_("Public Username")}</label>
-              <input id="username" type="text" name="username" placeholder="example: JaneDoe" />
+              ## Translators: This is the placeholder text for a field that asks the user to pick a username
+              <input id="username" type="text" name="username" placeholder="$(_("example: JaneDoe")}" />
               <span class="tip tip-stacked">${_("This will be used in public discussions with your courses and in our edX101 support forums")}</span>
             </li>
 
diff --git a/cms/templates/settings.html b/cms/templates/settings.html
index 590d6d3e2c..f8b05c13e4 100644
--- a/cms/templates/settings.html
+++ b/cms/templates/settings.html
@@ -263,7 +263,8 @@ CMS.URL.UPLOAD_ASSET = '${upload_asset_url}';
 
                   <div class="wrapper-input">
                     <div class="input">
-                      <input type="text" dir="ltr" class="long new-course-image-url" id="course-image-url" value="" placeholder="Your course image URL" autocomplete="off" />
+                      ## Translators: This is the placeholder text for a field that requests the URL for a course image
+                      <input type="text" dir="ltr" class="long new-course-image-url" id="course-image-url" value="" placeholder="${_("Your course image URL")}" autocomplete="off" />
                       <span class="tip tip-stacked">${_("Please provide a valid path and name to your course image (Note: only JPEG or PNG format supported)")}</span>
                     </div>
                     <button type="button" class="action action-upload-image">${_("Upload Course Image")}</button>
@@ -283,7 +284,8 @@ CMS.URL.UPLOAD_ASSET = '${upload_asset_url}';
                   </div>
 
                   <div class="input">
-                    <input type="text"  dir="ltr" class="long new-course-introduction-video add-video-data" id="course-introduction-video" value="" placeholder="your YouTube video's ID" autocomplete="off" />
+                    ## Translators: This is the placeholder text for a field that requests a YouTube video ID for a course video
+                    <input type="text"  dir="ltr" class="long new-course-introduction-video add-video-data" id="course-introduction-video" value="" placeholder="${_("your YouTube video's ID")}" autocomplete="off" />
                     <span class="tip tip-stacked">${_("Enter your YouTube video's ID (along with any restriction parameters)")}</span>
                   </div>
                 </li>