diff --git a/includes/common.inc b/includes/common.inc
index 8276576e05b8901412106f9fdde37a51ace4a3a7..d521268eb69cd6d3d60f02c68484d660dfdc327a 100644
--- a/includes/common.inc
+++ b/includes/common.inc
@@ -2379,6 +2379,14 @@ function drupal_attributes(array $attributes = array()) {
  * internal links output by modules should be generated by this function if
  * possible.
  *
+ * However, for links enclosed in translatable text you should use t() and
+ * embed the HTML anchor tag directly in the translated string. For example:
+ * @code
+ * t('Visit the <a href="@url">settings</a> page', array('@url' => url('admin')));
+ * @endcode
+ * This keeps the context of the link title ('settings' in the example) for
+ * translators.
+ *
  * @param string $text
  *   The translated link text for the anchor tag.
  * @param string $path