diff --git a/calendar/base/content/import-export.js b/calendar/base/content/import-export.js
index c8e783b4c8e3..ebfc4e746e37 100644
--- a/calendar/base/content/import-export.js
+++ b/calendar/base/content/import-export.js
@@ -162,8 +162,11 @@ function putItemsIntoCal(destCal, aItems) {
             // See if it is time to end the calendar's batch.
             if (count == aItems.length) {
                 destCal.endBatch();
-                if (failedCount)
-                    showError(failedCount+" items failed to import. The last error was: "+lastError.toString());
+                if (failedCount) {
+                    var msg = calGetString("calendar", "importItemsFailed",
+                                           [failedCount, lastError.toString()]);
+                    showError(msg);
+                }
             }
         }
     }
diff --git a/calendar/base/src/calUtils.js b/calendar/base/src/calUtils.js
index d74f4c35bcd0..848b6666adda 100644
--- a/calendar/base/src/calUtils.js
+++ b/calendar/base/src/calUtils.js
@@ -482,13 +482,19 @@ function getLocalizedPref(aPrefName, aDefault) {
  *
  * @param aBundleName  the name of the properties file.  It is assumed that the
  *                     file lives in chrome://calendar/locale/
- * @param aStringName the name of the string within the properties file
+ * @param aStringName  the name of the string within the properties file
+ * @param aParams      optional array of parameters to format the string
  */
-function calGetString(aBundleName, aStringName) {
+function calGetString(aBundleName, aStringName, aParams) {
     var sbs = Components.classes["@mozilla.org/intl/stringbundle;1"]
                         .getService(Components.interfaces.nsIStringBundleService);
     var props = sbs.createBundle("chrome://calendar/locale/"+aBundleName+".properties");
-    return props.GetStringFromName(aStringName);
+
+    if (aParams && aParams.length) {
+        return props.formatStringFromName(aStringName, aParams, aParams.length);
+    } else {
+        return props.GetStringFromName(aStringName);
+    }
 }
 
 /** Returns a best effort at making a UUID.  If we have the UUIDGenerator
diff --git a/calendar/locales/en-US/chrome/calendar/calendar.properties b/calendar/locales/en-US/chrome/calendar/calendar.properties
index 401ee7f01c9b..76f71687270f 100644
--- a/calendar/locales/en-US/chrome/calendar/calendar.properties
+++ b/calendar/locales/en-US/chrome/calendar/calendar.properties
@@ -75,6 +75,11 @@ importPrompt=Which calendar do you want to import these items into?
 exportPrompt=Which calendar do you want to export from?
 publishPrompt=Which calendar do you want to publish?
 
+# LOCALIZATION NOTE (importItemsFailed): 
+#    %1$S will be replaced with number of failed items
+#    %2$S will be replaced with last error code / error string
+importItemsFailed=%1$S items failed to import. The last error was: %2$S
+
 #spaces needed at the end of the following lines
 eventDescription=Description: