diff --git a/avogadro/qtgui/layermodel.cpp b/avogadro/qtgui/layermodel.cpp
index 507652d9fd..4f3c21d7fd 100644
--- a/avogadro/qtgui/layermodel.cpp
+++ b/avogadro/qtgui/layermodel.cpp
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ QVariant LayerModel::data(const QModelIndex& idx, int role) const
     if (idx.column() == ColumnType::Name) {
       switch (role) {
         case Qt::DisplayRole: {
-          return "  " + tr(name.c_str()); // should already be translated
+          return "  " + getTranslatedName(name); // should already be translated
         }
       }
     }
@@ -119,6 +119,32 @@ QVariant LayerModel::data(const QModelIndex& idx, int role) const
   return QVariant();
 }
 
+const QString LayerModel::getTranslatedName(const std::string& name) const
+{
+  // This is a bad hack, but whatever..
+  // Put all the strings that show up as layer options
+  if (name == "Ball and Stick")
+    return tr("Ball and Stick");
+  else if (name == "Cartoons")
+    return tr("Cartoons", "protein ribbon / cartoon rendering");
+  else if (name == "Close Contacts")
+    return tr("Close Contacts", "rendering of non-covalent close contacts");
+  else if (name == "Labels")
+    return tr("Labels");
+  else if (name == "Licorice")
+    return tr("Licorice", "stick / licorice rendering");
+  else if (name == "Non-Covalent")
+    return tr("Non-Covalent");
+  else if (name == "Van der Waals")
+    return tr("Van der Waals");
+  else if (name == "Van der Waals (AO)")
+    return tr("Van der Waals (AO)", "ambient occlusion");
+  else if (name == "Wireframe")
+    return tr("Wireframe");
+
+  return QString();
+}
+
 QModelIndex LayerModel::index(int row, int column, const QModelIndex& p) const
 {
   if (!p.isValid())
diff --git a/avogadro/qtgui/layermodel.h b/avogadro/qtgui/layermodel.h
index 9ba32822e2..cdc45a6494 100644
--- a/avogadro/qtgui/layermodel.h
+++ b/avogadro/qtgui/layermodel.h
@@ -67,6 +67,7 @@ public slots:
   void updateRows();
 
 private:
+  const QString getTranslatedName(const std::string& name) const;
   size_t m_item;
 };
 
diff --git a/avogadro/qtplugins/vanderwaals/vanderwaals.h b/avogadro/qtplugins/vanderwaals/vanderwaals.h
index 39275e470d..a7708b5b60 100644
--- a/avogadro/qtplugins/vanderwaals/vanderwaals.h
+++ b/avogadro/qtplugins/vanderwaals/vanderwaals.h
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ class VanDerWaals : public QtGui::ScenePlugin
   void process(const QtGui::Molecule& molecule,
                Rendering::GroupNode& node) override;
 
-  QString name() const override { return tr(m_name.c_str()); }
+  QString name() const override { return tr("Van der Waals"); }
 
   QString description() const override
   {
diff --git a/avogadro/qtplugins/vanderwaalsao/vanderwaalsao.h b/avogadro/qtplugins/vanderwaalsao/vanderwaalsao.h
index 096bbfc37a..7d7953eac1 100644
--- a/avogadro/qtplugins/vanderwaalsao/vanderwaalsao.h
+++ b/avogadro/qtplugins/vanderwaalsao/vanderwaalsao.h
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ class VanDerWaalsAO : public QtGui::ScenePlugin
   void process(const QtGui::Molecule& molecule,
                Rendering::GroupNode& node) override;
 
-  QString name() const override { return tr(m_name.c_str()); }
+  QString name() const override { return tr("Van der Waals (AO)", "ambient occlusion"); }
 
   QString description() const override
   {