diff --git a/src/bin/initdb/initdb.c b/src/bin/initdb/initdb.c
index da113bd263..9b71e0042d 100644
--- a/src/bin/initdb/initdb.c
+++ b/src/bin/initdb/initdb.c
@@ -3235,7 +3235,8 @@ main(int argc, char *argv[])
 	appendShellString(start_db_cmd, pgdata_native);
 
 	/* add suggested -l switch and "start" command */
-	appendPQExpBufferStr(start_db_cmd, " -l logfile start");
+	/* translator: This is a placeholder in a shell command. */
+	appendPQExpBuffer(start_db_cmd, " -l %s start", _("logfile"));
 
 	printf(_("\nSuccess. You can now start the database server using:\n\n"
 			 "    %s\n\n"),