diff --git a/modules/services/keepRight.js b/modules/services/keepRight.js
index 375256550..927728224 100644
--- a/modules/services/keepRight.js
+++ b/modules/services/keepRight.js
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import RBush from 'rbush';
 
 import { dispatch as d3_dispatch } from 'd3-dispatch';
 import { json as d3_json } from 'd3-fetch';
+import { unescape } from 'lodash-es';
 
 import { fileFetcher } from '../core/file_fetcher';
 import { geoExtent, geoVecAdd } from '../geo';
@@ -65,7 +66,6 @@ function updateRtree(item, replace) {
 function tokenReplacements(d) {
   if (!(d instanceof QAItem)) return;
 
-  const htmlRegex = new RegExp(/<\/[a-z][\s\S]*>/);
   const replacements = {};
 
   const issueTemplate = _krData.errorTypes[d.whichType];
@@ -99,12 +99,12 @@ function tokenReplacements(d) {
     idType = 'IDs' in issueTemplate ? issueTemplate.IDs[i-1] : '';
     if (idType && capture) {   // link IDs if present in the capture
       capture = parseError(capture, idType);
-    } else if (htmlRegex.test(capture)) {   // escape any html in non-IDs
-      capture = '\\' +  capture + '\\';
     } else {
       const compare = capture.toLowerCase();
       if (_krData.localizeStrings[compare]) {   // some replacement strings can be localized
         capture = t('QA.keepRight.error_parts.' + _krData.localizeStrings[compare]);
+      } else {
+        capture = unescape(capture);
       }
     }
 
@@ -160,15 +160,15 @@ function parseError(capture, idType) {
 
 
   function linkErrorObject(d) {
-    return `<a class="error_object_link">${d}</a>`;
+    return { html: `<a class="error_object_link">${d}</a>` };
   }
 
   function linkEntity(d) {
-    return `<a class="error_entity_link">${d}</a>`;
+    return { html: `<a class="error_entity_link">${d}</a>` };
   }
 
   function linkURL(d) {
-    return `<a class="kr_external_link" target="_blank" href="${d}">${d}</a>`;
+    return { html: `<a class="kr_external_link" target="_blank" href="${d}">${d}</a>` };
   }
 
   // arbitrary node list of form: #ID, #ID, #ID...
diff --git a/modules/ui/keepRight_details.js b/modules/ui/keepRight_details.js
index 2adf77cdb..6045ff664 100644
--- a/modules/ui/keepRight_details.js
+++ b/modules/ui/keepRight_details.js
@@ -14,12 +14,12 @@ export function uiKeepRightDetails(context) {
 
   function issueDetail(d) {
     const { itemType, parentIssueType } = d;
-    const unknown = t.html('inspector.unknown');
+    const unknown = { html: t.html('inspector.unknown') };
     let replacements = d.replacements || {};
     replacements.default = unknown;  // special key `default` works as a fallback string
 
     let detail = t.html(`QA.keepRight.errorTypes.${itemType}.description`, replacements);
-    if (detail === unknown) {
+    if (detail === unknown.html) {
       detail = t.html(`QA.keepRight.errorTypes.${parentIssueType}.description`, replacements);
     }
     return detail;
diff --git a/modules/ui/keepRight_header.js b/modules/ui/keepRight_header.js
index b966b2fe1..91230849c 100644
--- a/modules/ui/keepRight_header.js
+++ b/modules/ui/keepRight_header.js
@@ -10,13 +10,14 @@ export function uiKeepRightHeader() {
     const { itemType, parentIssueType } = d;
     const unknown = t.html('inspector.unknown');
     let replacements = d.replacements || {};
-    replacements.default = unknown;  // special key `default` works as a fallback string
+    replacements.default = { html: unknown };  // special key `default` works as a fallback string
 
-    let title = t.html(`QA.keepRight.errorTypes.${itemType}.title`, replacements);
-    if (title === unknown) {
-      title = t.html(`QA.keepRight.errorTypes.${parentIssueType}.title`, replacements);
+    const title = t.html(`QA.keepRight.errorTypes.${itemType}.title`, replacements);
+    if (title !== unknown) {
+      return t.apply(`QA.keepRight.errorTypes.${itemType}.title`, replacements);
+    } else {
+      return t.apply(`QA.keepRight.errorTypes.${parentIssueType}.title`, replacements);
     }
-    return title;
   }