diff --git a/cms/templates/asset_index.html b/cms/templates/asset_index.html
index 0f4a3660a5..8b96881f70 100644
--- a/cms/templates/asset_index.html
+++ b/cms/templates/asset_index.html
@@ -18,13 +18,14 @@
 
 <%block name="jsextra">
 <script type="text/javascript">
-require(["domReady", "jquery", "gettext", "js/models/asset", "js/collections/asset",
+require(["domReady", "jquery", "js/models/asset", "js/collections/asset",
          "js/views/assets", "js/views/feedback_prompt",
          "js/views/feedback_notification", "js/views/paging_header", "js/views/paging_footer",
          "js/utils/modal", "jquery.fileupload"],
-        function(domReady, $, gettext, AssetModel, AssetCollection, AssetsView, PromptView, NotificationView,
+        function(domReady, $, AssetModel, AssetCollection, AssetsView, PromptView, NotificationView,
                  PagingHeader, PagingFooter, ModalUtils) {
     var assets = new AssetCollection();
+
     assets.url = "${asset_callback_url}";
     var assetsView = new AssetsView({collection: assets, el: $('#asset-library')});
     assetsView.render();
@@ -74,7 +75,7 @@ require(["domReady", "jquery", "gettext", "js/models/asset", "js/collections/ass
     var startUpload = function (e) {
         var file = e.target.value;
 
-        $('.upload-modal h1').html(gettext('Uploading…'));
+        $('.upload-modal h1').text("${_(u'Uploading…')}");
         $('.upload-modal .file-name').html(file.substring(file.lastIndexOf("\\") + 1));
         $('.upload-modal .choose-file-button').hide();
         $('.upload-modal .progress-bar').removeClass('loaded').show();
@@ -90,7 +91,7 @@ require(["domReady", "jquery", "gettext", "js/models/asset", "js/collections/ass
 
         $('.upload-modal .file-name').show();
         $('.upload-modal .file-name').html('');
-        $('.upload-modal .choose-file-button').html(gettext('Choose File'));
+        $('.upload-modal .choose-file-button').text("${_('Choose File')}");
         $('.upload-modal .embeddable-xml-input').val('');
         $('.upload-modal .embeddable').hide();
     };
@@ -104,12 +105,12 @@ require(["domReady", "jquery", "gettext", "js/models/asset", "js/collections/ass
     var displayFinishedUpload = function (resp) {
         var asset = resp.asset;
 
-        $('.upload-modal h1').html(gettext('Upload New File'));
+        $('.upload-modal h1').text("${_('Upload New File')}");
         $('.upload-modal .embeddable-xml-input').val(asset.portable_url);
         $('.upload-modal .embeddable').show();
         $('.upload-modal .file-name').hide();
         $('.upload-modal .progress-fill').html(resp.msg);
-        $('.upload-modal .choose-file-button').html(gettext('Load Another File')).show();
+        $('.upload-modal .choose-file-button').text("${_('Load Another File')}").show();
         $('.upload-modal .progress-fill').width('100%');
 
         assetsView.addAsset(new AssetModel(asset));
diff --git a/cms/templates/textbooks.html b/cms/templates/textbooks.html
index a8d73319ec..5967fea30b 100644
--- a/cms/templates/textbooks.html
+++ b/cms/templates/textbooks.html
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ require(["js/models/section", "js/collections/textbook", "js/views/list_textbook
       $(window).on("beforeunload", function() {
           var dirty = textbooks.find(function(textbook) { return textbook.isDirty(); });
           if(dirty) {
-              return gettext("You have unsaved changes. Do you really want to leave this page?");
+              return "${_('You have unsaved changes. Do you really want to leave this page?')}";
           }
       })
   })
diff --git a/lms/envs/common.py b/lms/envs/common.py
index e8dc187401..c7b4744032 100644
--- a/lms/envs/common.py
+++ b/lms/envs/common.py
@@ -144,7 +144,7 @@ FEATURES = {
     # Enables the student notes API and UI.
     'ENABLE_STUDENT_NOTES': True,
 
-    # Provide a UI to allow users to submit feedback from the LMS
+    # Provide a UI to allow users to submit feedback from the LMS (left-hand help modal)
     'ENABLE_FEEDBACK_SUBMISSION': False,
 
     # Turn on a page that lets staff enter Python code to be run in the
diff --git a/lms/templates/help_modal.html b/lms/templates/help_modal.html
index 7568af9c75..88f16d242a 100644
--- a/lms/templates/help_modal.html
+++ b/lms/templates/help_modal.html
@@ -60,14 +60,14 @@ discussion_link = get_discussion_link(course) if course else None
     <form id="feedback_form" class="feedback_form" method="post" data-remote="true" action="/submit_feedback">
       <div id="feedback_error" class="modal-form-error" tabindex="-1"></div>
 % if not user.is_authenticated():
-      <label data-field="name" for="feedback_form_name">${_('Name*')}</label>
+      <label data-field="name" for="feedback_form_name">${_('Name')}*</label>
       <input name="name" type="text" id="feedback_form_name" aria-required="true">
-      <label data-field="email" for="feedback_form_email">${_('E-mail*')}</label>
+      <label data-field="email" for="feedback_form_email">${_('E-mail')}*</label>
       <input name="email" type="text" id="feedback_form_email" aria-required="true">
 % endif
-      <label data-field="subject" for="feedback_form_subject">${_('Briefly describe your issue*')}</label>
+      <label data-field="subject" for="feedback_form_subject">${_('Briefly describe your issue')}*</label>
       <input name="subject" type="text" id="feedback_form_subject" aria-required="true">
-      <label data-field="details" for="feedback_form_details">${_('Tell us the details*')}
+      <label data-field="details" for="feedback_form_details">${_('Tell us the details')}*
 <span class="tip">${_('Include error messages, steps which lead to the issue, etc')}</span></label>
       <textarea name="details" id="feedback_form_details" aria-required="true"></textarea>
       <input name="issue_type" type="hidden">
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ discussion_link = get_discussion_link(course) if course else None
       <input name="course_id" type="hidden" value="${course.id | h}">
 % endif
       <div class="submit">
-        <input name="submit" type="submit" value="Submit" id="feedback_submit">
+        <input name="submit" type="submit" value="${_('Submit')}" id="feedback_submit">
       </div>
     </form>
   </div>
@@ -168,29 +168,29 @@ discussion_link = get_discussion_link(course) if course else None
     $("#feedback_link_problem").click(function(event) {
         showFeedback(
             event,
-            gettext("problem"),
-            gettext("Report a Problem"),
-            gettext("Brief description of the problem*"),
-            gettext("Details of the problem you are encountering*") + "<span class='tip'>" +
-              gettext("Include error messages, steps which lead to the issue, etc.") + "</span>"
+            "${_('problem')}",
+            "${_('Report a Problem')}",
+            "${_('Brief description of the problem')}" + "*",
+            "${_('Details of the problem you are encountering')}" + "*" + "<span class='tip'>" +
+              "${_('Include error messages, steps which lead to the issue, etc.')}" + "</span>"
         );
     });
     $("#feedback_link_suggestion").click(function(event) {
         showFeedback(
             event,
-            gettext("suggestion"),
-            gettext("Make a Suggestion"),
-            gettext("Brief description of your suggestion*"),
-            gettext("Details*")
+            "${_('suggestion')}",
+            "${_('Make a Suggestion')}",
+            "${_('Brief description of your suggestion')}" + "*",
+            "${_('Details')}" + "*"
         );
     });
     $("#feedback_link_question").click(function(event) {
         showFeedback(
             event,
-            gettext("question"),
-            gettext("Ask a Question"),
-            gettext("Brief summary of your question*"),
-            gettext("Details*")
+            "${_('question')}",
+            "${_('Ask a Question')}",
+            "${_('Brief summary of your question')}" + "*",
+            "${_('Details')}" + "*"
         );
     });
     $("#feedback_form").submit(function() {
@@ -218,16 +218,16 @@ discussion_link = get_discussion_link(course) if course else None
             $("#feedback_error").html(responseData.error).stop().css("display", "block");
         } else {
             // If no data (or malformed data) is returned, a server error occurred
-            htmlStr = gettext("An error has occurred.");
+            htmlStr = "${_('An error has occurred.')}";
 % if settings.FEEDBACK_SUBMISSION_EMAIL:
             htmlStr += " " + _.template(
-              gettext("Please {link_start}send us e-mail{link_end}."),
+              "${_('Please {link_start}send us e-mail{link_end}.')}",
               {link_start: '<a href="#" id="feedback_email">', link_end: '</a>'},
               {interpolate: /\{(.+?)\}/g})
 % else:
             // If no email is configured, we can't do much other than
             // ask the user to try again later
-            htmlStr += gettext(" Please try again later.");
+            htmlStr += "${_('Please try again later.')}";
 % endif
             $("#feedback_error").html(htmlStr).stop().css("display", "block");
 % if settings.FEEDBACK_SUBMISSION_EMAIL:
diff --git a/lms/templates/login.html b/lms/templates/login.html
index 877751495b..4a379ab0c2 100644
--- a/lms/templates/login.html
+++ b/lms/templates/login.html
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@
         $submitButton.
           addClass('is-disabled').
           prop('disabled', true).
-          html("${_(u'Processing your account information…')}");
+          text("${_(u'Processing your account information…')}");
       }
     }
   </script>
diff --git a/lms/templates/manage_user_standing.html b/lms/templates/manage_user_standing.html
index 19bc63d667..2e894ccc8b 100644
--- a/lms/templates/manage_user_standing.html
+++ b/lms/templates/manage_user_standing.html
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@
 	$(function() {
 		var form = $("#disable-form");
 		$("#submit-form").click(function(){
-			$("#account-change-status").html(gettext("working..."));
+			$("#account-change-status").text("${_('working...')}");
 			$.ajax({
 				type: "POST",
 				url: form.attr('action'),
diff --git a/lms/templates/register-shib.html b/lms/templates/register-shib.html
index ecfc8a60b5..27f24d2143 100644
--- a/lms/templates/register-shib.html
+++ b/lms/templates/register-shib.html
@@ -70,13 +70,13 @@
         $submitButton.
           removeClass('is-disabled').
           removeProp('disabled').
-          html("${_('Update my {platform_name} Account').format(platform_name=settings.PLATFORM_NAME)}");
+          text("${_('Update my {platform_name} Account').format(platform_name=settings.PLATFORM_NAME)}");
       }
       else {
         $submitButton.
           addClass('is-disabled').
           prop('disabled', true).
-          html(gettext('Processing your account information &hellip;'));
+          text("${_(u'Processing your account information …')}");
       }
     }
   </script>
diff --git a/lms/templates/register.html b/lms/templates/register.html
index 240deb4e20..ce054725f8 100644
--- a/lms/templates/register.html
+++ b/lms/templates/register.html
@@ -76,13 +76,13 @@
         $submitButton.
           removeClass('is-disabled').
           removeProp('disabled').
-          html("${_('Create My {platform_name} Account').format(platform_name=settings.PLATFORM_NAME)}");
+          text("${_('Create My {platform_name} Account').format(platform_name=settings.PLATFORM_NAME)}");
       }
       else {
         $submitButton.
           addClass('is-disabled').
           prop('disabled', true).
-          html(gettext('Processing your account information &hellip;'));
+          text("${_(u'Processing your account information…')}");
       }
     }
   </script>