diff --git a/system/libraries/Form_validation.php b/system/libraries/Form_validation.php
index c2749a0..1ba98be 100644
--- a/system/libraries/Form_validation.php
+++ b/system/libraries/Form_validation.php
@@ -504,11 +504,11 @@
 				}
 				else
 				{
-					$line = $this->_error_messages['isset'];
+					$line = $this->_translate_fieldname('isset');
 				}
 				
 				// Build the error message
-				$message = sprintf($line, $row['label']);
+				$message = sprintf($line, $this->_translate_fieldname($row['label']));
 
 				// Save the error message
 				$this->_field_data[$row['field']]['error'] = $message;
@@ -646,11 +646,11 @@
 				}
 				else
 				{
-					$line = $this->_error_messages[$rule];
+					$line = $this->_translate_fieldname($rule);
 				}				
 
 				// Build the error message
-				$message = sprintf($line, $row['label'], $param);
+				$message = sprintf($line, $this->_translate_fieldname($row['label']), $param);
 
 				// Save the error message
 				$this->_field_data[$row['field']]['error'] = $message;
@@ -663,7 +663,31 @@
 				return;
 			}
 		}
-	}	
+	}
+
+	// --------------------------------------------------------------------
+	
+	/**
+	 * Translate a field name
+	 *
+	 * @access	private
+	 * @param	string	the field name
+	 * @return	string
+	 */	
+	function _translate_fieldname($fieldname)
+	{
+		// Do we need to translate the field name?
+		// We look for the prefix lang: to determine this
+		if (substr($fieldname, 0, 5) == 'lang:')
+		{
+			$label = $this->CI->lang->line(substr($fieldname, 5));
+			
+			// Were we able to translate the field name?
+			$fieldname = ($label === FALSE) ? substr($fieldname, 5) : $label;
+		}
+
+		return $fieldname;
+	}
 
 	// --------------------------------------------------------------------
 	
diff --git a/user_guide/libraries/form_validation.html b/user_guide/libraries/form_validation.html
index cd5bc2a..f7fede6 100644
--- a/user_guide/libraries/form_validation.html
+++ b/user_guide/libraries/form_validation.html
@@ -77,6 +77,7 @@
 		<li><a href="#callbacks">Callbacks</a></li>
 		<li><a href="#settingerrors">Setting Error Messages</a></li>
 		<li><a href="#errordelimiters">Changing the Error Delimiters</a></li>
+		<li><a href="#translatingfn">Translating Field Names</a></li>
 		<li><a href="#individualerrors">Showing Errors Individually</a></li>
 		<li><a href="#savingtoconfig">Saving Sets of Validation Rules to a Config File</a></li>
 		<li><a href="#arraysasfields">Using Arrays as Field Names</a></li>
@@ -296,7 +297,7 @@
 
 <ol>
 	<li>The field name - the exact name you've given the form field.</li>
-	<li>A "human" name for this field, which will be inserted into the error message. For example, if your field is named "user" you might give it a human name of "Username".</li>
+	<li>A "human" name for this field, which will be inserted into the error message. For example, if your field is named "user" you might give it a human name of "Username". <strong>Note:</strong> If you would like the field name to be stored in a language file, please see <a href="#translatingfn">Translating Field Names</a>.</li>
 	<li>The validation rules for this form field.</li>
 </ol>
 
@@ -590,6 +591,28 @@
 
 
 
+<a name="translatingfn"></a>
+<h2>Translating Field Names</h2>
+
+<p>If you would like to store the "human" name you passed to the <dfn>set_rules()</dfn> function in a language file, and therefore make the name able to be translated, here's how:</p>
+
+<p>First, prefix your "human" name with <dfn>lang:</dfn>, as in this example:</p>
+
+<code>
+$this->form_validation->set_rules('first_name', '<kbd>lang:</kbd>first_name', 'required');<br />
+</code>
+
+<p>Then, store the name in one of your language file arrays (without the prefix):</p>
+
+<code>$lang['first_name'] = 'First Name';</code>
+
+<p><strong>Note:</strong> If you store your array item in a language file that is not loaded automatically by CI, you'll need to remember to load it in your controller using:</p>
+
+<code>$this->lang->load('file_name');</code>
+
+<p>See the <a href="language.html">Language Class</a> page for more info regarding language files.</p>
+
+
 <a name="errordelimiters"></a>
 <h2>Changing the Error Delimiters</h2>