diff --git a/checkin_notes b/checkin_notes
index 6e17dbdd9b..5b89345c70 100644
--- a/checkin_notes
+++ b/checkin_notes
@@ -3325,3 +3325,13 @@ David  24 Mar 2009
         update_translations.php
     py/Boinc/
         setup_project.py
+
+David  24 Mar 2009
+    - web: translation system didn't compile BOINC and
+        project-specific translations correctly.
+
+    html/
+        ops/
+            update_translations.php
+        inc/
+            translation.inc
diff --git a/html/inc/translation.inc b/html/inc/translation.inc
index e657d37178..d33c28c1f4 100644
--- a/html/inc/translation.inc
+++ b/html/inc/translation.inc
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ $lang_language_dir = "../languages/";
 $lang_translations_dir = "translations/";
 $lang_prj_translations_dir = "project_specific_translations/";
 $lang_compiled_dir = "compiled/";
-$lang_log_level = 1;
+$lang_log_level = 0;
 
 /**
  * Fetches a list of compiled languages from the directory
@@ -72,20 +72,24 @@ function buildLanguages($langdir,$transdir,$compdir,$append=false){
                         );
                         continue;
                     }
-                    if (!$fh = fopen($langdir.$compdir.$file.".inc",$append?"a":"w")) {
+                    $fh = fopen($langdir.$compdir.$file.".inc",$append?"a":"w");
+                    if (!$fh) {
                         language_log(
                             "ERROR: could not access $langdir $compdir - please check permissions",2
                         );
                         exit;
                     }
-                    fwrite($fh, "<?php\n");                    
+                    if (!$append) {
+                        fwrite($fh, "<?php\n");                    
+                    }
                     foreach ($language as $key => $value){
                         if ($value !== "") {
                             //Skip if the msgstr is empty
                             fwrite($fh, "\$language_lookup_array[\"".str_replace("\"", "\\\"", substr($file,0,-3))."\"][\"".$key."\"] = \"".$value."\";\n");
                         }
                     }
-                    fwrite($fh, '?>');
+                    // don't write \?\> - may append
+
                     fclose($fh);
                 } else {
                     //debug("File $file with unknown extension found in $info_dir");
diff --git a/html/ops/update_translations.php b/html/ops/update_translations.php
index d51aa8f7c3..409a556cf5 100644
--- a/html/ops/update_translations.php
+++ b/html/ops/update_translations.php
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ ini_set('display_errors', true);
 ini_set('display_startup_errors', true);
 
 require_once("../inc/translation.inc");
-system("rm -f $lang_compiled_dir/*");
+system("rm -f $lang_language_dir/$lang_compiled_dir/*");
 buildLanguages($lang_language_dir,$lang_translations_dir, $lang_compiled_dir);
 buildLanguages($lang_language_dir,$lang_prj_translations_dir, $lang_compiled_dir, true);