diff --git a/src/bin/fish.rs b/src/bin/fish.rs
index e919f3ed6..f399ed9ef 100644
--- a/src/bin/fish.rs
+++ b/src/bin/fish.rs
@@ -319,9 +319,8 @@ fn fish_parse_opt(args: &mut [WString], opts: &mut FishCmdOpts) -> ControlFlow<i
                 // A little extra space.
                 name_width += 2;
                 for cat in cats.iter() {
-                    let desc = cat.description.localize();
                     // this is left-justified
-                    printf!("%-*ls %ls\n", name_width, cat.name, desc);
+                    printf!("%-*ls %ls\n", name_width, cat.name, &cat.description);
                 }
                 return ControlFlow::Break(0);
             }
diff --git a/src/builtins/functions.rs b/src/builtins/functions.rs
index 382793474..2d78b551d 100644
--- a/src/builtins/functions.rs
+++ b/src/builtins/functions.rs
@@ -244,12 +244,11 @@ pub fn functions(parser: &Parser, streams: &mut IoStreams, args: &mut [&wstr]) -
 
             let desc = match props.as_ref() {
                 Some(p) => {
-                    let localized_description = p.description.localize();
-                    if localized_description.is_empty() {
+                    if p.description.is_empty() {
                         L!("").to_owned()
                     } else {
                         escape_string(
-                            localized_description,
+                            &p.description,
                             EscapeStringStyle::Script(
                                 EscapeFlags::NO_PRINTABLES | EscapeFlags::NO_QUOTED,
                             ),
diff --git a/src/builtins/shared.rs b/src/builtins/shared.rs
index 2ca4510b4..39800c5f2 100644
--- a/src/builtins/shared.rs
+++ b/src/builtins/shared.rs
@@ -1039,9 +1039,11 @@ fn builtin_false(_parser: &Parser, _streams: &mut IoStreams, _argv: &mut [&wstr]
 /// Strings not present in our repo would require a custom MO file for translation to be possible.
 fn builtin_gettext(_parser: &Parser, streams: &mut IoStreams, argv: &mut [&wstr]) -> BuiltinResult {
     for arg in &argv[1..] {
-        streams.out.append(
-            crate::wutil::LocalizableString::from_external_source((*arg).to_owned()).localize(),
-        );
+        streams
+            .out
+            .append(crate::wutil::LocalizableString::from_external_source(
+                (*arg).to_owned(),
+            ));
     }
     Ok(SUCCESS)
 }
diff --git a/src/complete.rs b/src/complete.rs
index a7c0ba99a..1690a2f6d 100644
--- a/src/complete.rs
+++ b/src/complete.rs
@@ -1310,7 +1310,7 @@ fn complete_param_for_command(
                                 }
                                 let (arg_prefix, arg) = s.split_once(arg_offset);
                                 let first_new = self.completions.completions.len();
-                                self.complete_from_args(arg, &o.comp, o.desc.localize(), o.flags);
+                                self.complete_from_args(arg, &o.comp, &o.desc, o.flags);
                                 for compl in &mut self.completions.completions[first_new..] {
                                     if compl.replaces_token() {
                                         compl.completion.insert_utfstr(0, arg_prefix);
@@ -1341,7 +1341,7 @@ fn complete_param_for_command(
                             if o.result_mode.force_files {
                                 has_force = true;
                             }
-                            self.complete_from_args(s, &o.comp, o.desc.localize(), o.flags);
+                            self.complete_from_args(s, &o.comp, &o.desc, o.flags);
                         }
                     }
 
@@ -1377,7 +1377,7 @@ fn complete_param_for_command(
                                 if o.result_mode.force_files {
                                     has_force = true;
                                 }
-                                self.complete_from_args(s, &o.comp, o.desc.localize(), o.flags);
+                                self.complete_from_args(s, &o.comp, &o.desc, o.flags);
                             }
                         }
                     }
@@ -1400,7 +1400,7 @@ fn complete_param_for_command(
                 if o.option.is_empty() {
                     use_files &= !o.result_mode.no_files;
                     has_force |= o.result_mode.force_files;
-                    self.complete_from_args(s, &o.comp, o.desc.localize(), o.flags);
+                    self.complete_from_args(s, &o.comp, &o.desc, o.flags);
                 }
 
                 if !use_switches || s.is_empty() {
@@ -1433,12 +1433,11 @@ fn complete_param_for_command(
                         }
                     }
                     // It's a match.
-                    let desc = o.desc.localize();
                     // Append a short-style option
-                    if !self
-                        .completions
-                        .add(Completion::with_desc(o.option.clone(), desc.to_owned()))
-                    {
+                    if !self.completions.add(Completion::with_desc(
+                        o.option.clone(),
+                        o.desc.localize().to_owned(),
+                    )) {
                         return false;
                     }
                 }
@@ -2414,7 +2413,7 @@ fn completion2string(index: &CompletionEntryIndex, o: &CompleteEntryOpt) -> WStr
         CompleteOptionType::DoubleLong => append_switch_short_arg(&mut out, 'l', &o.option),
     }
 
-    append_switch_short_arg(&mut out, 'd', o.desc.localize());
+    append_switch_short_arg(&mut out, 'd', &o.desc);
     append_switch_short_arg(&mut out, 'a', &o.comp);
     for c in &o.conditions {
         append_switch_short_arg(&mut out, 'n', c);
diff --git a/src/fds.rs b/src/fds.rs
index c54b0568f..8d03169c2 100644
--- a/src/fds.rs
+++ b/src/fds.rs
@@ -145,7 +145,7 @@ pub fn make_autoclose_pipes() -> nix::Result<AutoClosePipes> {
             pipes
         }
         Err(err) => {
-            FLOG!(warning, PIPE_ERROR.localize());
+            FLOG!(warning, &PIPE_ERROR);
             perror("pipe2");
             return Err(err);
         }
diff --git a/src/function.rs b/src/function.rs
index 963f22151..8a3face09 100644
--- a/src/function.rs
+++ b/src/function.rs
@@ -419,7 +419,7 @@ pub fn copy_definition_lineno(&self) -> u32 {
     /// Note callers must provide the function name, since the function does not know its own name.
     pub fn annotated_definition(&self, name: &wstr) -> WString {
         let mut out = WString::new();
-        let desc = self.description.localize();
+        let desc = &self.description;
         let def = get_function_body_source(self);
         let handlers = event::get_function_handlers(name);
 
diff --git a/src/wutil/gettext.rs b/src/wutil/gettext.rs
index 550e85254..502f0e5ae 100644
--- a/src/wutil/gettext.rs
+++ b/src/wutil/gettext.rs
@@ -164,6 +164,18 @@ pub fn localize(&self) -> &'static wstr {
     }
 }
 
+impl std::ops::Deref for LocalizableString {
+    type Target = wstr;
+    fn deref(&self) -> &Self::Target {
+        self.localize()
+    }
+}
+
+impl AsRef<wstr> for LocalizableString {
+    fn as_ref(&self) -> &wstr {
+        self
+    }
+}
 impl std::fmt::Display for LocalizableString {
     fn fmt(&self, f: &mut std::fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> std::fmt::Result {
         write!(f, "{}", self.localize())