diff --git a/lib/puppet/type/cron.rb b/lib/puppet/type/cron.rb
index de330640556..234d476935e 100644
--- a/lib/puppet/type/cron.rb
+++ b/lib/puppet/type/cron.rb
@@ -195,7 +195,7 @@ def should=(ary)
       if retval
         return retval.to_s
       else
-        self.fail _("#{value} is not a valid #{self.class.name}")
+        self.fail _("%{value} is not a valid %{name}") % { value: value, name: self.class.name }
       end
     end
   end
@@ -253,7 +253,7 @@ def specials
     end
 
     validate do |value|
-      raise ArgumentError, _("Invalid special schedule #{value.inspect}") unless specials.include?(value)
+      raise ArgumentError, _("Invalid special schedule %{value}") % { value: value.inspect } unless specials.include?(value)
     end
 
     def munge(value)
@@ -326,7 +326,7 @@ def alpha
 
     validate do |value|
       unless value =~ /^\s*(\w+)\s*=\s*(.*)\s*$/ or value == :absent or value == "absent"
-        raise ArgumentError, _("Invalid environment setting #{value.inspect}")
+        raise ArgumentError, _("Invalid environment setting %{value}") % { value: value.inspect }
       end
     end
 
@@ -433,7 +433,7 @@ def should_to_s(newvalue = @should)
     [ :minute, :hour, :weekday, :monthday, :month ].each do |field|
       next unless self[field]
       next if self[field] == :absent
-      raise ArgumentError, _("#{self.ref} cannot specify both a special schedule and a value for #{field}")
+      raise ArgumentError, _("%{cron} cannot specify both a special schedule and a value for %{field}") % { cron: self.ref, field: field }
     end
   end
 
diff --git a/lib/puppet/type/exec.rb b/lib/puppet/type/exec.rb
index 63d61329452..6d70319b4ed 100644
--- a/lib/puppet/type/exec.rb
+++ b/lib/puppet/type/exec.rb
@@ -159,9 +159,9 @@ def sync
         unless self.should.include?(@status.exitstatus.to_s)
           if @resource.parameter(:command).sensitive
             # Don't print sensitive commands in the clear
-            self.fail(_("[command redacted] returned #{@status.exitstatus} instead of one of [#{self.should.join(",")}]"))
+            self.fail(_("[command redacted] returned %{status} instead of one of [%{expected}]") % { status: @status.exitstatus, expected: self.should.join(",") })
           else
-            self.fail(_("'#{self.resource[:command]}' returned #{@status.exitstatus} instead of one of [#{self.should.join(",")}]"))
+            self.fail(_("'%{cmd}' returned %{status} instead of one of [%{expected}]") % { cmd: self.resource[:command], status: @status.exitstatus, expected: self.should.join(",") })
           end
         end
 
@@ -179,7 +179,7 @@ def sync
         any output is logged at the `err` log level."
 
       validate do |command|
-        raise ArgumentError, _("Command must be a String, got value of class #{command.class}") unless command.is_a? String
+        raise ArgumentError, _("Command must be a String, got value of class %{klass}") % { klass: command.class } unless command.is_a? String
       end
     end
 
@@ -261,7 +261,7 @@ def value=(*values)
         values = [values] unless values.is_a? Array
         values.each do |value|
           unless value =~ /\w+=/
-            raise ArgumentError, _("Invalid environment setting '#{value}'")
+            raise ArgumentError, _("Invalid environment setting '%{value}'") % { value: value }
           end
         end
       end
@@ -274,7 +274,7 @@ def value=(*values)
         if value =~ /^0?[0-7]{1,4}$/
           return value.to_i(8)
         else
-          raise Puppet::Error, _("The umask specification is invalid: #{value.inspect}")
+          raise Puppet::Error, _("The umask specification is invalid: %{value}") % { value: value.inspect }
         end
       end
     end
@@ -443,7 +443,7 @@ def check(value)
         begin
           output, status = provider.run(value, true)
         rescue Timeout::Error
-          err _("Check #{value.inspect} exceeded timeout")
+          err _("Check %{value} exceeded timeout") % { value: value.inspect }
           return false
         end
 
@@ -494,7 +494,7 @@ def check(value)
         begin
           output, status = provider.run(value, true)
         rescue Timeout::Error
-          err _("Check #{value.inspect} exceeded timeout")
+          err _("Check %{value} exceeded timeout") % { value: value.inspect }
           return false
         end
 
diff --git a/lib/puppet/type/file.rb b/lib/puppet/type/file.rb
index 4aa4dbbfcb6..8dff29080d8 100644
--- a/lib/puppet/type/file.rb
+++ b/lib/puppet/type/file.rb
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ def self.title_patterns
 
     validate do |value|
       unless Puppet::Util.absolute_path?(value)
-        fail Puppet::Error, _("File paths must be fully qualified, not '#{value}'")
+        fail Puppet::Error, _("File paths must be fully qualified, not '%{path}'") % { path: value }
       end
     end
 
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ def self.title_patterns
       when String
         value
       else
-        self.fail _("Invalid backup type #{value.inspect}")
+        self.fail _("Invalid backup type %{value}") % { value: value.inspect }
       end
     end
   end
@@ -165,7 +165,7 @@ def self.title_patterns
       when :false; false
       when :remote; :remote
       else
-        self.fail _("Invalid recurse value #{value.inspect}")
+        self.fail _("Invalid recurse value %{value}") % { value: value.inspect }
       end
     end
   end
@@ -198,7 +198,7 @@ def self.title_patterns
       when Integer; value
       when /^\d+$/; Integer(value)
       else
-        self.fail _("Invalid recurselimit value #{value.inspect}")
+        self.fail _("Invalid recurselimit value %{value}") % { value: value.inspect }
       end
     end
   end
@@ -368,14 +368,14 @@ def self.title_patterns
     end
     creator_count += 1 if @parameters.include?(:source)
 
-    self.fail _("You cannot specify more than one of #{CREATORS.collect { |p| p.to_s}.join(", ")}") if creator_count > 1
+    self.fail _("You cannot specify more than one of %{creators}") % { creators: CREATORS.collect { |p| p.to_s}.join(", ") } if creator_count > 1
 
     self.fail _("You cannot specify a remote recursion without a source") if !self[:source] && self[:recurse] == :remote
 
     self.fail _("You cannot specify source when using checksum 'none'") if self[:checksum] == :none && !self[:source].nil?
 
     SOURCE_ONLY_CHECKSUMS.each do |checksum_type|
-      self.fail _("You cannot specify content when using checksum '#{checksum_type}'") if self[:checksum] == checksum_type && !self[:content].nil?
+      self.fail _("You cannot specify content when using checksum '%{checksum_type}'") % { checksum_type: checksum_type } if self[:checksum] == checksum_type && !self[:content].nil?
     end
 
     self.warning _("Possible error: recurselimit is set but not recurse, no recursion will happen") if !self[:recurse] && self[:recurselimit]
@@ -386,7 +386,7 @@ def self.title_patterns
     end
 
     if self[:checksum] && self[:checksum_value] && !send("#{self[:checksum]}?", self[:checksum_value])
-      self.fail _("Checksum value '#{self[:checksum_value]}' is not a valid checksum type #{self[:checksum]}")
+      self.fail _("Checksum value '%{value}' is not a valid checksum type %{checksum}") % { value: self[:checksum_value], checksum: self[:checksum] }
     end
 
     self.warning _("Checksum value is ignored unless content or source are specified") if self[:checksum_value] && !self[:content] && !self[:source]
@@ -431,7 +431,7 @@ def bucket
     end
 
     unless catalog and filebucket = catalog.resource(:filebucket, backup) or backup == "puppet"
-      fail _("Could not find filebucket #{backup} specified in backup")
+      fail _("Could not find filebucket %{backup} specified in backup") % { backup: backup }
     end
 
     return default_bucket unless filebucket
@@ -737,7 +737,7 @@ def remove_existing(should)
     when "link", "file"
       return remove_file(current_type, wanted_type)
     else
-      self.fail _("Could not back up files of type #{current_type}")
+      self.fail _("Could not back up files of type %{current_type}") % { current_type: current_type }
     end
   end
 
@@ -989,7 +989,7 @@ def fail_if_checksum_is_wrong(path, content_checksum)
     newsum = parameter(:checksum).sum_file(path)
     return if [:absent, nil, content_checksum].include?(newsum)
 
-    self.fail _("File written to disk did not match checksum; discarding changes (#{content_checksum} vs #{newsum})")
+    self.fail _("File written to disk did not match checksum; discarding changes (%{content_checksum} vs %{newsum})") % { content_checksum: content_checksum, newsum: newsum }
   end
 
   def write_temporary_file?
diff --git a/lib/puppet/type/filebucket.rb b/lib/puppet/type/filebucket.rb
index fb3966c8669..be08b576dee 100644
--- a/lib/puppet/type/filebucket.rb
+++ b/lib/puppet/type/filebucket.rb
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ def mkbucket
       begin
         @bucket = Puppet::FileBucket::Dipper.new(args)
       rescue => detail
-        message = _("Could not create #{type} filebucket: #{detail}")
+        message = _("Could not create %{type} filebucket: %{detail}") % { type: type, detail: detail }
         self.log_exception(detail, message)
         self.fail(message)
       end
diff --git a/lib/puppet/type/group.rb b/lib/puppet/type/group.rb
index 6b60d70ed11..1c6d4ba3910 100644
--- a/lib/puppet/type/group.rb
+++ b/lib/puppet/type/group.rb
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ def sync
           if gid =~ /^[-0-9]+$/
             gid = Integer(gid)
           else
-            self.fail _("Invalid GID #{gid}")
+            self.fail _("Invalid GID %{gid}") % { gid: gid }
           end
         when Symbol
           unless gid == :absent
diff --git a/lib/puppet/type/host.rb b/lib/puppet/type/host.rb
index 1f145638fae..f713b055d41 100644
--- a/lib/puppet/type/host.rb
+++ b/lib/puppet/type/host.rb
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ def valid_newline?(addr)
 
       validate do |value|
         return true if ((valid_v4?(value) || valid_v6?(value)) && (valid_newline?(value)))
-        raise Puppet::Error, _("Invalid IP address #{value.inspect}")
+        raise Puppet::Error, _("Invalid IP address %{value}") % { value: value.inspect }
       end
     end
 
diff --git a/lib/puppet/type/macauthorization.rb b/lib/puppet/type/macauthorization.rb
index 2d2eaf73070..e874b9696ea 100644
--- a/lib/puppet/type/macauthorization.rb
+++ b/lib/puppet/type/macauthorization.rb
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ def munge_boolean(value)
   def munge_integer(value)
       Integer(value)
   rescue ArgumentError
-      fail "munge_integer only takes integers")
+      fail _("munge_integer only takes integers")
   end
 
   newparam(:name) do
diff --git a/lib/puppet/type/mailalias.rb b/lib/puppet/type/mailalias.rb
index 3492a2e75d7..c6ab0dbf3e3 100644
--- a/lib/puppet/type/mailalias.rb
+++ b/lib/puppet/type/mailalias.rb
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ def should_to_s(value)
 
       validate do |value|
 	unless Puppet::Util.absolute_path?(value)
-	  fail Puppet::Error, _("File paths must be fully qualified, not '#{value}'")
+	  fail Puppet::Error, _("File paths must be fully qualified, not '%{value}'") % { value: value }
 	end
       end
     end
diff --git a/lib/puppet/type/maillist.rb b/lib/puppet/type/maillist.rb
index 452869868a5..715d5059e03 100644
--- a/lib/puppet/type/maillist.rb
+++ b/lib/puppet/type/maillist.rb
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ module Puppet
       end
 
       def change_to_s(current_value, newvalue)
-        return _("Purged #{resource}") if newvalue == :purged
+        return _("Purged %{resource}") % { resource: resource } if newvalue == :purged
         super
       end
 
diff --git a/lib/puppet/type/mount.rb b/lib/puppet/type/mount.rb
index b400a9c8b99..aff6801a5ef 100644
--- a/lib/puppet/type/mount.rb
+++ b/lib/puppet/type/mount.rb
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ module Puppet
                      # the wrong attributes so I sync AFTER the umount
           return :mount_unmounted
         else
-          raise Puppet::Error, _("Unexpected change from #{current_value} to unmounted}")
+          raise Puppet::Error, _("Unexpected change from %{current} to unmounted}") % { current: current_value }
         end
       end
 
@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@ def syncothers
         path, depending on the operating system."
 
       validate do |value|
-        raise Puppet::Error, _("device must not contain whitespace: #{value}") if value =~ /\s/
+        raise Puppet::Error, _("device must not contain whitespace: %{value}") % { value: value } if value =~ /\s/
       end
     end
 
@@ -157,7 +157,7 @@ def syncothers
       end
 
       validate do |value|
-        raise Puppet::Error, _("blockdevice must not contain whitespace: #{value}") if value =~ /\s/
+        raise Puppet::Error, _("blockdevice must not contain whitespace: %{value}") % { value: value } if value =~ /\s/
       end
     end
 
@@ -166,7 +166,7 @@ def syncothers
         operating system.  This is a required option."
 
       validate do |value|
-        raise Puppet::Error, _("fstype must not contain whitespace: #{value}") if value =~ /\s/
+        raise Puppet::Error, _("fstype must not contain whitespace: %{value}") % { value: value } if value =~ /\s/
         raise Puppet::Error, _("fstype must not be an empty string") if value.empty?
       end
     end
@@ -177,7 +177,7 @@ def syncothers
         Consult the fstab(5) man page for system-specific details."
 
       validate do |value|
-        raise Puppet::Error, _("options must not contain whitespace: #{value}") if value =~ /\s/
+        raise Puppet::Error, _("options must not contain whitespace: %{value}") % { value: value } if value =~ /\s/
         raise Puppet::Error, _("options must not be an empty string") if value.empty?
       end
     end
@@ -243,7 +243,7 @@ def munge(value)
       isnamevar
 
       validate do |value|
-        raise Puppet::Error, _("name must not contain whitespace: #{value}") if value =~ /\s/
+        raise Puppet::Error, _("name must not contain whitespace: %{value}") % { value: value } if value =~ /\s/
       end
 
       munge do |value|
diff --git a/lib/puppet/type/package.rb b/lib/puppet/type/package.rb
index 64003ec9b65..31a003cf48b 100644
--- a/lib/puppet/type/package.rb
+++ b/lib/puppet/type/package.rb
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ module Puppet
         begin
           provider.update
         rescue => detail
-          self.fail Puppet::Error, _("Could not update: #{detail}"), detail
+          self.fail Puppet::Error, _("Could not update: %{detail}") % { detail: detail }, detail
         end
 
         if current == :absent
@@ -125,7 +125,7 @@ module Puppet
         begin
           provider.install
         rescue => detail
-          self.fail Puppet::Error, _("Could not update: #{detail}"), detail
+          self.fail Puppet::Error, _("Could not update: %{detail}") % { detail: detail }, detail
         end
 
         if self.retrieve == :absent
@@ -160,7 +160,7 @@ def insync?(is)
                 @latest = provider.latest
                 @lateststamp = Time.now.to_i
               rescue => detail
-                error = Puppet::Error.new(_("Could not get latest version: #{detail}"))
+                error = Puppet::Error.new(_("Could not get latest version: %{detail}") % { detail: detail })
                 error.set_backtrace(detail.backtrace)
                 raise error
               end
@@ -260,7 +260,7 @@ def change_to_s(currentvalue, newvalue)
 
       validate do |value|
         if !value.is_a?(String)
-          raise ArgumentError, _("Name must be a String not #{value.class}")
+          raise ArgumentError, _("Name must be a String not %{klass}") % { klass: value.class }
         end
       end
     end
diff --git a/lib/puppet/type/resources.rb b/lib/puppet/type/resources.rb
index 6b70a9a4d6c..be8d0125ecb 100644
--- a/lib/puppet/type/resources.rb
+++ b/lib/puppet/type/resources.rb
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
     desc "The name of the type to be managed."
 
     validate do |name|
-      raise ArgumentError, _("Could not find resource type '#{name}'") unless Puppet::Type.type(name)
+      raise ArgumentError, _("Could not find resource type '%{name}'") % { name: name } unless Puppet::Type.type(name)
     end
 
     munge { |v| v.to_s }
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@
     validate do |value|
       if munge(value)
         unless @resource.resource_type.respond_to?(:instances)
-          raise ArgumentError, _("Purging resources of type #{@resource[:name]} is not supported, since they cannot be queried from the system")
+          raise ArgumentError, _("Purging resources of type %{res_type} is not supported, since they cannot be queried from the system") % { res_type: @resource[:name] }
         end
         raise ArgumentError, _("Purging is only supported on types that accept 'ensure'") unless @resource.resource_type.validproperty?(:ensure)
       end
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@
         false
       when Integer; value
       else
-        raise ArgumentError, _("Invalid value #{value.inspect}")
+        raise ArgumentError, _("Invalid value %{value}") % { value: value.inspect }
       end
     end
 
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@
           when String
             Integer(v)
           else
-            raise ArgumentError, _("Invalid value #{v.inspect}.")
+            raise ArgumentError, _("Invalid value %{value}.") % { value: v.inspect }
         end
       end
     end
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ def check(resource)
   def able_to_ensure_absent?(resource)
       resource[:ensure] = :absent
   rescue ArgumentError, Puppet::Error
-      err _("The 'ensure' attribute on #{self[:name]} resources does not accept 'absent' as a value")
+      err _("The 'ensure' attribute on %{name} resources does not accept 'absent' as a value") % { name: self[:name] }
       false
   end
 
diff --git a/lib/puppet/type/schedule.rb b/lib/puppet/type/schedule.rb
index b32eddc691c..d3b660d5a01 100644
--- a/lib/puppet/type/schedule.rb
+++ b/lib/puppet/type/schedule.rb
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ module Puppet
         values.each { |value|
           unless  value.is_a?(String) and
               value =~ /\d+(:\d+){0,2}\s*-\s*\d+(:\d+){0,2}/
-            self.fail _("Invalid range value '#{value}'")
+            self.fail _("Invalid range value '%{value}'") % { value: value }
           end
         }
       end
@@ -110,15 +110,15 @@ module Puppet
             range << val.split(":").collect { |n| n.to_i }
           }
 
-          self.fail _("Invalid range #{value}") if range.length != 2
+          self.fail _("Invalid range %{value}") % { value: value } if range.length != 2
 
           # Make sure the hours are valid
           [range[0][0], range[1][0]].each do |n|
-            raise ArgumentError, _("Invalid hour '#{n}'") if n < 0 or n > 23
+            raise ArgumentError, _("Invalid hour '%{n}'") % { n: n } if n < 0 or n > 23
           end
 
           [range[0][1], range[1][1]].each do |n|
-            raise ArgumentError, _("Invalid minute '#{n}'") if n and (n < 0 or n > 59)
+            raise ArgumentError, _("Invalid minute '%{n}'") % { n: n } if n and (n < 0 or n > 59)
           end
           ret << range
         }
@@ -152,7 +152,7 @@ def match?(previous, now)
 
             unless time.hour == range[0]
               self.devfail(
-                _("Incorrectly converted time: #{time}: #{time.hour} vs #{range[0]}")
+                _("Incorrectly converted time: %{time}: %{hour} vs %{value}") % { time: time, hour: time.hour, value: range[0] }
               )
             end
 
@@ -328,7 +328,7 @@ def match?(previous, now)
 
         if value != 1 and @resource[:periodmatch] != :distance
           raise Puppet::Error,
-            _("Repeat must be 1 unless periodmatch is 'distance', not '#{@resource[:periodmatch]}'")
+            _("Repeat must be 1 unless periodmatch is 'distance', not '%{period}'") % { period: @resource[:periodmatch] }
         end
       end
 
diff --git a/lib/puppet/type/ssh_authorized_key.rb b/lib/puppet/type/ssh_authorized_key.rb
index cc6375f2fbe..ddb9ed1168b 100644
--- a/lib/puppet/type/ssh_authorized_key.rb
+++ b/lib/puppet/type/ssh_authorized_key.rb
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ module Puppet
           the `name` attribute/resource title."
 
       validate do |value|
-        raise Puppet::Error, _("Key must not contain whitespace: #{value}") if value =~ /\s/
+        raise Puppet::Error, _("Key must not contain whitespace: %{value}") % { value: value } if value =~ /\s/
       end
     end
 
@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@ def should_to_s(value)
 
       validate do |value|
         unless value == :absent or value =~ /^[-a-z0-9A-Z_]+(?:=\".*?\")?$/
-          raise Puppet::Error, _("Option #{value} is not valid. A single option must either be of the form 'option' or 'option=\"value\". Multiple options must be provided as an array")
+          raise Puppet::Error, _("Option %{value} is not valid. A single option must either be of the form 'option' or 'option=\"value\". Multiple options must be provided as an array") % { value: value }
         end
       end
     end
diff --git a/lib/puppet/type/tidy.rb b/lib/puppet/type/tidy.rb
index 75791796b43..8dc4bde5647 100644
--- a/lib/puppet/type/tidy.rb
+++ b/lib/puppet/type/tidy.rb
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@
       when Integer; value
       when /^\d+$/; Integer(value)
       else
-        raise ArgumentError, _("Invalid recurse value #{value.inspect}")
+        raise ArgumentError, _("Invalid recurse value %{value}") % { value: value.inspect }
       end
     end
   end
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ def convert(unit, multi)
       if num = AgeConvertors[unit]
         return num * multi
       else
-        self.fail _("Invalid age unit '#{unit}'")
+        self.fail _("Invalid age unit '%{unit}'") % { unit: unit }
       end
     end
 
@@ -141,7 +141,7 @@ def tidy?(path, stat)
         unit = :d
       else
         #TRANSLATORS tidy is the name of a program and should not be translated
-        self.fail _("Invalid tidy age #{age}")
+        self.fail _("Invalid tidy age %{age}") % { age: age }
       end
 
       convert(unit, multi)
@@ -162,7 +162,7 @@ def convert(unit, multi)
         num.times do result *= 1024 end
         return result
       else
-        self.fail _("Invalid size unit '#{unit}'")
+        self.fail _("Invalid size unit '%{unit}'") % { unit: unit }
       end
     end
 
@@ -180,7 +180,7 @@ def tidy?(path, stat)
         unit = :k
       else
         #TRANSLATORS tidy is the name of a program and should not be translated
-        self.fail _("Invalid tidy size #{age}")
+        self.fail _("Invalid tidy size %{age}") % { age: age }
       end
 
       convert(unit, multi)
@@ -260,7 +260,8 @@ def generate
     end
     found_files = files.find_all { |path| tidy?(path) }.collect { |path| mkfile(path) }
     result = found_files.each { |file| debug "Tidying #{file.ref}" }.sort { |a,b| b[:path] <=> a[:path] }
-    notice _("Tidying #{found_files.size} files")
+    #TRANSLATORS "Tidy" is a program name and should not be translated
+    notice _("Tidying %{count} files") % { count: found_files.size }
 
     # No need to worry about relationships if we don't have rmdirs; there won't be
     # any directories.
@@ -327,6 +328,7 @@ def stat(path)
       info _("File does not exist")
       return nil
     rescue Errno::EACCES => error
+      #TRANSLATORS "stat" is a program name and should not be translated
       warning _("Could not stat; permission denied")
       return nil
     end
diff --git a/lib/puppet/type/user.rb b/lib/puppet/type/user.rb
index f5a1bea4a8b..fb83bd6828b 100644
--- a/lib/puppet/type/user.rb
+++ b/lib/puppet/type/user.rb
@@ -163,7 +163,7 @@ def sync
           end
         end
 
-        fail _("Could not find group(s) #{@should.join(",")}") unless found
+        fail _("Could not find group(s) %{groups}") % { groups: @should.join(",") } unless found
 
         # Use the default event.
       end
@@ -375,7 +375,7 @@ def insync?(current)
 
       validate do |val|
         if munge(val)
-          raise ArgumentError, _("User provider #{provider.class.name} can not manage home directories") if provider and not provider.class.manages_homedir?
+          raise ArgumentError, _("User provider %{name} can not manage home directories") % { name: provider.class.name } if provider and not provider.class.manages_homedir?
         end
       end
     end
@@ -391,6 +391,8 @@ def insync?(current)
 
       validate do |value|
         if value.intern != :absent and value !~ /^\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}$/
+          #TRANSLATORS YYYY-MM-DD represents a date with a four-digit year, a two-digit month, and a two-digit day,
+          #TRANSLATORS separated by dashes.
           raise ArgumentError, _("Expiry dates must be YYYY-MM-DD or the string \"absent\"")
         end
       end
@@ -662,14 +664,14 @@ def generate
         if value.is_a?(Array)
           value.each do |entry|
 
-            raise ArgumentError, _("Each entry for purge_ssh_keys must be a string, not a #{entry.class}") unless entry.is_a?(String)
+            raise ArgumentError, _("Each entry for purge_ssh_keys must be a string, not a %{klass}") % { klass: entry.class } unless entry.is_a?(String)
 
             valid_home = Puppet::Util.absolute_path?(entry) || entry =~ %r{^~/|^%h/}
-            raise ArgumentError, _("Paths to keyfiles must be absolute, not #{entry}") unless valid_home
+            raise ArgumentError, _("Paths to keyfiles must be absolute, not %{entry}") % { entry: entry } unless valid_home
           end
           return
         end
-        raise ArgumentError, _("purge_ssh_keys must be true, false, or an array of file names, not #{value.inspect}")
+        raise ArgumentError, _("purge_ssh_keys must be true, false, or an array of file names, not %{value}") % { value: value.inspect }
       end
 
       munge do |value|
@@ -688,7 +690,7 @@ def generate
         # value is an array - munge each value
         [ value ].flatten.map do |entry|
           if entry =~ /^~|^%h/ and not home
-            raise ArgumentError, _("purge_ssh_keys value '#{value}' meta character ~ or %h only allowed for users with a defined home directory")
+            raise ArgumentError, _("purge_ssh_keys value '%{value}' meta character ~ or %{home_placeholder} only allowed for users with a defined home directory") % { value: value, home_placeholder: '%h' }
           end
           entry.gsub!(/^~\//, "#{home}/")
           entry.gsub!(/^%h\//, "#{home}/")
diff --git a/lib/puppet/type/zone.rb b/lib/puppet/type/zone.rb
index 03f5eb6cc46..d2a4620784d 100644
--- a/lib/puppet/type/zone.rb
+++ b/lib/puppet/type/zone.rb
@@ -327,12 +327,12 @@ def insync?(is)
   def validate_ip(ip, name)
     IPAddr.new(ip) if ip
   rescue ArgumentError
-    self.fail Puppet::Error, _("'#{ip}' is an invalid #{name}"), $!
+    self.fail Puppet::Error, _("'%{ip}' is an invalid %{name}") % { ip: ip, name: name }, $!
   end
 
   def validate_exclusive(interface, address, router)
     return if !interface.nil? and address.nil?
-    self.fail _("only interface may be specified when using exclusive IP stack: #{interface}:#{address}")
+    self.fail _("only interface may be specified when using exclusive IP stack: %{interface}:%{address}") % { interface: interface, address: address }
   end
   def validate_shared(interface, address, router)
     self.fail _("ip must contain interface name and ip address separated by a \":\"") if interface.nil? or address.nil?