diff --git a/ref-filter.c b/ref-filter.c
index 422a9c9ae3..1d76690c23 100644
--- a/ref-filter.c
+++ b/ref-filter.c
@@ -1441,35 +1441,35 @@ char *get_head_description(void)
 	struct wt_status_state state;
 	memset(&state, 0, sizeof(state));
 	wt_status_get_state(the_repository, &state, 1);
+
+	/*
+	 * The ( character must be hard-coded and not part of a localizable
+	 * string, since the description is used as a sort key and compared
+	 * with ref names.
+	 */
+	strbuf_addch(&desc, '(');
 	if (state.rebase_in_progress ||
 	    state.rebase_interactive_in_progress) {
 		if (state.branch)
-			strbuf_addf(&desc, _("(no branch, rebasing %s)"),
+			strbuf_addf(&desc, _("no branch, rebasing %s"),
 				    state.branch);
 		else
-			strbuf_addf(&desc, _("(no branch, rebasing detached HEAD %s)"),
+			strbuf_addf(&desc, _("no branch, rebasing detached HEAD %s"),
 				    state.detached_from);
 	} else if (state.bisect_in_progress)
-		strbuf_addf(&desc, _("(no branch, bisect started on %s)"),
+		strbuf_addf(&desc, _("no branch, bisect started on %s"),
 			    state.branch);
 	else if (state.detached_from) {
 		if (state.detached_at)
-			/*
-			 * TRANSLATORS: make sure this matches "HEAD
-			 * detached at " in wt-status.c
-			 */
-			strbuf_addf(&desc, _("(HEAD detached at %s)"),
-				state.detached_from);
+			strbuf_addstr(&desc, HEAD_DETACHED_AT);
 		else
-			/*
-			 * TRANSLATORS: make sure this matches "HEAD
-			 * detached from " in wt-status.c
-			 */
-			strbuf_addf(&desc, _("(HEAD detached from %s)"),
-				state.detached_from);
+			strbuf_addstr(&desc, HEAD_DETACHED_FROM);
+		strbuf_addstr(&desc, state.detached_from);
 	}
 	else
-		strbuf_addstr(&desc, _("(no branch)"));
+		strbuf_addstr(&desc, _("no branch"));
+	strbuf_addch(&desc, ')');
+
 	free(state.branch);
 	free(state.onto);
 	free(state.detached_from);
diff --git a/wt-status.c b/wt-status.c
index 1f564b12d2..9e24855b82 100644
--- a/wt-status.c
+++ b/wt-status.c
@@ -1628,9 +1628,9 @@ static void wt_longstatus_print(struct wt_status *s)
 			} else if (s->state.detached_from) {
 				branch_name = s->state.detached_from;
 				if (s->state.detached_at)
-					on_what = _("HEAD detached at ");
+					on_what = HEAD_DETACHED_AT;
 				else
-					on_what = _("HEAD detached from ");
+					on_what = HEAD_DETACHED_FROM;
 			} else {
 				branch_name = "";
 				on_what = _("Not currently on any branch.");
diff --git a/wt-status.h b/wt-status.h
index 3a95975032..ecdeb828a1 100644
--- a/wt-status.h
+++ b/wt-status.h
@@ -65,6 +65,9 @@ enum wt_status_format {
 	STATUS_FORMAT_UNSPECIFIED
 };
 
+#define HEAD_DETACHED_AT _("HEAD detached at ")
+#define HEAD_DETACHED_FROM _("HEAD detached from ")
+
 struct wt_status_state {
 	int merge_in_progress;
 	int am_in_progress;