diff --git a/packages/vulcan-forms/lib/components/Form.jsx b/packages/vulcan-forms/lib/components/Form.jsx
index d1de4c560..e394b3f7d 100644
--- a/packages/vulcan-forms/lib/components/Form.jsx
+++ b/packages/vulcan-forms/lib/components/Form.jsx
@@ -352,10 +352,9 @@ class SmartForm extends Component {
 
    */
   getLabel = fieldName => {
-    return this.context.intl.formatMessage({
-      id: this.getCollection()._name + '.' + fieldName,
-      defaultMessage: this.state.flatSchema[fieldName].label,
-    });
+    const id = `${this.getCollection().options.collectionName.toLowerCase()}.${fieldName}`;
+    const defaultMessage = this.state.flatSchema[fieldName] && this.state.flatSchema[fieldName].label;
+    return this.context.intl.formatMessage({ id, defaultMessage });
   };
 
   // --------------------------------------------------------------------- //
diff --git a/packages/vulcan-forms/lib/components/FormError.jsx b/packages/vulcan-forms/lib/components/FormError.jsx
index ab9cb2ffe..5c2cd8811 100644
--- a/packages/vulcan-forms/lib/components/FormError.jsx
+++ b/packages/vulcan-forms/lib/components/FormError.jsx
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ const FormError = ({ error, errorContext, getLabel }) => error.message || (
       errorContext,
       label: error.properties.name && getLabel(error.properties.name),
       ...error.data, // backwards compatibility
+      // note: for intl fields, the error's label property will overwrite the getLabel label
       ...error.properties,
     }}
     defaultMessage={JSON.stringify(error)}
diff --git a/packages/vulcan-lib/lib/modules/collections.js b/packages/vulcan-lib/lib/modules/collections.js
index 1e5a8ded9..649e477e3 100644
--- a/packages/vulcan-lib/lib/modules/collections.js
+++ b/packages/vulcan-lib/lib/modules/collections.js
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ import { runCallbacks } from './callbacks.js';
 import { getSetting, registerSetting } from './settings.js';
 import { registerFragment, getDefaultFragmentText } from './fragments.js';
 import escapeStringRegexp from 'escape-string-regexp';
-import { Locales, getIntlString } from './intl';
+import { validateIntlField, getIntlString } from './intl';
 
 const wrapAsync = (Meteor.wrapAsync)? Meteor.wrapAsync : Meteor._wrapAsync;
 // import { debug } from './debug.js';
@@ -119,33 +119,6 @@ Mongo.Collection.prototype.helpers = function(helpers) {
   });
 };
 
-/*
-
-Custom validation function to check for required locales
-
-See https://github.com/aldeed/simple-schema-js#custom-field-validation
-
-*/
-const validateIntlField = function () {
-  let errors = [];
-
-  // if field is required, go through locales to check which one are required
-  if (!this.definition.optional) {
-    const requiredLocales = Locales.filter(locale => locale.required);
-
-    requiredLocales.forEach((locale, index) => {
-      const strings = this.value;
-      const hasString = strings.some(s => s.locale === locale.id && s.value);
-      if (!hasString) {
-        errors.push({ id: 'errors.required', path: `${this.key}.${index}`, properties: { name: `${this.key.replace('_intl', '')} (${locale.id})` }});
-      }
-    });
-
-  }
-  // hack to work around the fact that custom validation function can only return a single string
-  return `intlError|${JSON.stringify(errors)}`;
-}
-
 export const createCollection = options => {
 
   const { typeName, collectionName = getCollectionName(typeName), schema, generateGraphQLSchema = true, dbCollectionName } = options;
diff --git a/packages/vulcan-lib/lib/modules/intl.js b/packages/vulcan-lib/lib/modules/intl.js
index 6013e815d..f981b35a6 100644
--- a/packages/vulcan-lib/lib/modules/intl.js
+++ b/packages/vulcan-lib/lib/modules/intl.js
@@ -44,4 +44,32 @@ export const getIntlString = () => {
   const IntlString = new SimpleSchema(schema);
   IntlString.name = 'IntlString';
   return IntlString;
+}
+
+/*
+
+Custom validation function to check for required locales
+
+See https://github.com/aldeed/simple-schema-js#custom-field-validation
+
+*/
+export const validateIntlField = function () {
+  let errors = [];
+
+  // if field is required, go through locales to check which one are required
+  if (!this.definition.optional) {
+    const requiredLocales = Locales.filter(locale => locale.required);
+
+    requiredLocales.forEach((locale, index) => {
+      const strings = this.value;
+      const hasString = strings.some(s => s.locale === locale.id && s.value);
+      const originalFieldName = this.key.replace('_intl', '');
+      if (!hasString) {
+        errors.push({ id: 'errors.required', path: `${this.key}.${index}`, properties: { name: `${originalFieldName}_${locale.id}`, label: `${originalFieldName} (${locale.id})` }});
+      }
+    });
+
+  }
+  // hack to work around the fact that custom validation function can only return a single string
+  return `intlError|${JSON.stringify(errors)}`;
 }
\ No newline at end of file