diff --git a/include/audacity/ComponentInterface.h b/include/audacity/ComponentInterface.h
index f96c07db0..3625d9bd0 100644
--- a/include/audacity/ComponentInterface.h
+++ b/include/audacity/ComponentInterface.h
@@ -68,12 +68,12 @@ public:
 
    // Allows implicit construction from an internal string re-used as a msgid
    ComponentInterfaceSymbol( const wxString &internal )
-      : mInternal{ internal }, mMsgid{ internal }
+      : mInternal{ internal }, mMsgid{ internal, {} }
    {}
 
    // Allows implicit construction from an internal string re-used as a msgid
    ComponentInterfaceSymbol( const wxChar *msgid )
-      : mInternal{ msgid }, mMsgid{ msgid }
+      : mInternal{ msgid }, mMsgid{ msgid, {} }
    {}
 
    // Two-argument version distinguishes internal from translatable string
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ public:
 
    const wxString &Internal() const { return mInternal; }
    const TranslatableString &Msgid() const { return mMsgid; }
-   const wxString &Translation() const { return mMsgid.Translation(); }
+   const wxString Translation() const { return mMsgid.Translation(); }
 
    bool empty() const { return mInternal.empty(); }
 
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ public:
    virtual wxString GetDescription() = 0;
 
    // non-virtual convenience function
-   const wxString& GetTranslatedName();
+   const wxString GetTranslatedName();
 
    // Parameters, if defined.  false means no defined parameters.
    virtual bool DefineParams( ShuttleParams & WXUNUSED(S) ){ return false;};   
diff --git a/include/audacity/Types.h b/include/audacity/Types.h
index f11816d84..fd121fba7 100644
--- a/include/audacity/Types.h
+++ b/include/audacity/Types.h
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@
 #define __AUDACITY_TYPES_H__
 
 #include <algorithm>
+#include <functional>
 #include <type_traits>
 #include <vector>
 #include <wx/debug.h> // for wxASSERT
@@ -292,8 +293,8 @@ using CommandID = TaggedIdentifier< CommandIdTag, false >;
 using CommandIDs = std::vector<CommandID>;
 
 
-// Holds a msgid for the translation catalog (and in future, might also hold a
-// second, disambiguating context string)
+// Holds a msgid for the translation catalog and may also hold a context string
+// and a formatter closure that captures formatting arguments
 //
 // Two different wxString accessors -- one for the msgid itself, another for
 // the user-visible translation.  The msgid should be used only in unusual cases
@@ -302,10 +303,28 @@ using CommandIDs = std::vector<CommandID>;
 // Implicit conversions to and from wxString are intentionally disabled
 class TranslatableString : private wxString {
 public:
+   // A dual-purpose function
+   // Given the empty string, return a context string
+   // Given the translation of the msgid into the current locale, substitute
+   // format arguments into it
+   using Formatter = std::function< wxString(const wxString &) >;
+
+   // This special formatter causes msgids to be used verbatim, not looked up
+   // in any catalog
+   static const Formatter NullContextFormatter;
+
    TranslatableString() {}
 
-   explicit TranslatableString(const wxString &str) : wxString{ str } {}
-   explicit TranslatableString(const wxChar *str) : wxString{ str } {}
+   // Supply {} for the second argument to cause lookup of the msgid with
+   // empty context string
+   explicit TranslatableString(
+      const wxString &str, Formatter formatter = NullContextFormatter)
+      : wxString{ str }, mFormatter{ std::move(formatter) } {}
+   // Supply {} for the second argument to cause lookup of the msgid with
+   // empty context string
+   explicit TranslatableString(
+      const wxChar *str, Formatter formatter = NullContextFormatter)
+      : wxString{ str }, mFormatter{ std::move(formatter) } {}
 
    using wxString::empty;
 
@@ -316,7 +335,7 @@ public:
    // This is a deliberately ugly-looking function name.  Use with caution.
    Identifier MSGID() const { return Identifier{ *this }; }
 
-   const wxString &Translation() const;
+   wxString Translation() const;
 
    friend bool operator == (
       const TranslatableString &x, const TranslatableString &y)
@@ -326,8 +345,31 @@ public:
       const TranslatableString &x, const TranslatableString &y)
    { return !(x == y); }
 
-   // Future: may also store a domain and context, as if for dpgettext()
+   // Returns true if context is NullContextFormatter
+   bool IsVerbatim() const;
+
+   // Capture variadic format arguments (by copy).  The subsitution is
+   // computed later in a call to Translate() after msgid is looked up in the
+   // translation catalog.
+   template <typename... Args>
+   TranslatableString&& Format( Args&&... args ) &&
+   {
+      wxString context;
+      if ( this->mFormatter )
+         context = this->mFormatter({});
+      this->mFormatter = [context, args...](const wxString &str){
+         if (str.empty())
+            return context;
+         else
+            return wxString::Format( str, args... );
+      };
+      return std::move( *this );
+   }
+
    friend std::hash< TranslatableString >;
+private:
+
+   Formatter mFormatter;
 };
 
 using TranslatableStrings = std::vector<TranslatableString>;
diff --git a/src/Internat.cpp b/src/Internat.cpp
index e1cbd72fc..b3f18b296 100644
--- a/src/Internat.cpp
+++ b/src/Internat.cpp
@@ -291,7 +291,35 @@ std::vector< Identifier > Identifier::split( wxChar separator ) const
    return { strings.begin(), strings.end() };
 }
 
-const wxString &TranslatableString::Translation() const
+static const wxChar *const NullContextName = wxT("*");
+
+const TranslatableString::Formatter
+TranslatableString::NullContextFormatter {
+   [](const wxString & str) -> wxString {
+      if (str.empty())
+         return NullContextName;
+      else
+         return str;
+   }
+};
+
+bool TranslatableString::IsVerbatim() const
 {
-   return wxGetTranslation(*this);
+   return mFormatter && mFormatter({}) == NullContextName;
+}
+
+wxString TranslatableString::Translation() const
+{
+   wxString context;
+   if ( mFormatter )
+      context = mFormatter({});
+
+   wxString result = (context == NullContextName)
+      ? *this
+      : wxGetTranslation( *this, {}, context );
+
+   if ( mFormatter )
+      result = mFormatter( result );
+
+   return result;
 }
diff --git a/src/Internat.h b/src/Internat.h
index b57abe600..2a6f95028 100644
--- a/src/Internat.h
+++ b/src/Internat.h
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ extern AUDACITY_DLL_API const wxString& GetCustomSubstitution(const wxString& st
 #define _TS( s ) GetCustomSubstitution( s )
 
 // Marks strings for extraction only... use .Translate() to translate.
-#define XO(s)  (TranslatableString{ wxT(s) })
+#define XO(s)  (TranslatableString{ wxT(s), {} })
 
 #ifdef _
    #undef _
diff --git a/src/PluginManager.cpp b/src/PluginManager.cpp
index 09e5c62ca..444ca7abe 100644
--- a/src/PluginManager.cpp
+++ b/src/PluginManager.cpp
@@ -3229,7 +3229,7 @@ int PluginManager::b64decode(const wxString &in, void *out)
 
 // These are defined out-of-line here, to keep ComponentInterface free of other
 // #include directives.
-const wxString& ComponentInterface::GetTranslatedName()
+const wxString ComponentInterface::GetTranslatedName()
 {
    return GetSymbol().Translation();
 }
diff --git a/src/effects/Equalization.cpp b/src/effects/Equalization.cpp
index 96b2d76e3..f84ebb693 100644
--- a/src/effects/Equalization.cpp
+++ b/src/effects/Equalization.cpp
@@ -881,11 +881,11 @@ void EffectEqualization::PopulateOrExchange(ShuttleGui & S)
             mEQVals[i] = 0.;
             //S.SetSizerProportion(1);
             S.Prop(1)
-               .Name( TranslatableString{
+               .Name(
                   kThirdOct[i] < 1000.
-                     ? wxString::Format(_("%d Hz"), (int)kThirdOct[i])
-                     : wxString::Format(_("%g kHz"), kThirdOct[i]/1000.)
-               } )
+                     ? XO("%d Hz").Format( (int)kThirdOct[i] )
+                     : XO("%g kHz").Format( kThirdOct[i]/1000. )
+               )
                .ConnectRoot(
                   wxEVT_ERASE_BACKGROUND, &EffectEqualization::OnErase)
                .Position(wxEXPAND)
diff --git a/src/effects/nyquist/Nyquist.cpp b/src/effects/nyquist/Nyquist.cpp
index 8003746db..e84f4024e 100644
--- a/src/effects/nyquist/Nyquist.cpp
+++ b/src/effects/nyquist/Nyquist.cpp
@@ -186,6 +186,8 @@ NyquistEffect::NyquistEffect(const wxString &fName)
    }
 
    mFileName = fName;
+   // Use the file name verbatim as effect name.
+   // This is only a default name, overridden if we find a $name line:
    mName = TranslatableString{ mFileName.GetName() };
    mFileModified = mFileName.GetModificationTime();
    ParseFile();
@@ -223,7 +225,7 @@ VendorSymbol NyquistEffect::GetVendor()
       return XO("Audacity");
    }
 
-   return TranslatableString{ mAuthor };
+   return mAuthor;
 }
 
 wxString NyquistEffect::GetVersion()
@@ -1576,9 +1578,10 @@ std::vector<EnumValueSymbol> NyquistEffect::ParseChoice(const wxString & text)
       for (auto &choice : choices) {
          auto label = UnQuote(choice, true, &extra);
          if (extra.empty())
-            results.push_back( { label } );
+            results.push_back( TranslatableString{ label, {} } );
          else
-            results.push_back( { extra, TranslatableString{ label } } );
+            results.push_back(
+               { extra, TranslatableString{ label, {} } } );
       }
    }
    else {
@@ -1891,17 +1894,17 @@ bool NyquistEffect::Parse(
       // later looked up will lack the ... and will not be found.
       if (name.EndsWith(wxT("...")))
          name = name.RemoveLast(3);
-      mName = TranslatableString{ name };
+      mName = TranslatableString{ name, {} };
       return true;
    }
 
    if (len >= 2 && tokens[0] == wxT("action")) {
-      mAction = TranslatableString{ UnQuote(tokens[1]) };
+      mAction = TranslatableString{ UnQuote(tokens[1]), {} };
       return true;
    }
 
    if (len >= 2 && tokens[0] == wxT("info")) {
-      mInfo = TranslatableString{ UnQuote(tokens[1]) };
+      mInfo = TranslatableString{ UnQuote(tokens[1]), {} };
       return true;
    }
 
@@ -1951,18 +1954,19 @@ bool NyquistEffect::Parse(
 #endif
 
    if (len >= 2 && tokens[0] == wxT("author")) {
-      mAuthor = TranslatableString{ UnQuote(tokens[1]) };
+      mAuthor = TranslatableString{ UnQuote(tokens[1]), {} };
       return true;
    }
 
    if (len >= 2 && tokens[0] == wxT("release")) {
       // Value must be quoted if the release version string contains spaces.
-      mReleaseVersion = TranslatableString{ UnQuote(tokens[1]) };
+      mReleaseVersion =
+         TranslatableString{ UnQuote(tokens[1]), {} };
       return true;
    }
 
    if (len >= 2 && tokens[0] == wxT("copyright")) {
-      mCopyright = TranslatableString{ UnQuote(tokens[1]) };
+      mCopyright = TranslatableString{ UnQuote(tokens[1]), {} };
       return true;
    }
 
diff --git a/src/prefs/QualityPrefs.cpp b/src/prefs/QualityPrefs.cpp
index fa9e9a8a0..df0ad28c2 100644
--- a/src/prefs/QualityPrefs.cpp
+++ b/src/prefs/QualityPrefs.cpp
@@ -124,13 +124,7 @@ void QualityPrefs::GetNamesAndLabels()
    for (int i = 0; i < AudioIOBase::NumStandardRates; i++) {
       int iRate = AudioIOBase::StandardRates[i];
       mSampleRateLabels.push_back(iRate);
-      mSampleRateNames.push_back(
-         // Composing strings for the choice control
-         // Note: the format string is localized, then substituted,
-         // and then the result is treated as if it were a msgid
-         // but really isn't in the translation catalog
-         /* i18n-hint Hertz, a unit of frequency */
-         TranslatableString{ wxString::Format(_("%i Hz"), iRate) } );
+      mSampleRateNames.push_back( XO("%i Hz").Format( iRate ) );
    }
 
    mSampleRateNames.push_back(XO("Other..."));
diff --git a/src/widgets/NumericTextCtrl.cpp b/src/widgets/NumericTextCtrl.cpp
index e98e010c7..bc0529d64 100644
--- a/src/widgets/NumericTextCtrl.cpp
+++ b/src/widgets/NumericTextCtrl.cpp
@@ -709,7 +709,7 @@ NumericConverter::NumericConverter(Type type,
 void NumericConverter::ParseFormatString(
    const TranslatableString & untranslatedFormat)
 {
-   auto &format = untranslatedFormat.Translation();
+   auto format = untranslatedFormat.Translation();
 
    mPrefix = wxT("");
    mFields.clear();