diff --git a/install/stringnames.txt b/install/stringnames.txt
index 68507dc7955..0e94de5b2cc 100644
--- a/install/stringnames.txt
+++ b/install/stringnames.txt
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 admindirname,install
 availablelangs,install
+cannotcreatedboninstall,error
 cannotcreatelangdir,error
 cannotcreatetempdir,error
 cannotdownloadcomponents,error
@@ -28,6 +29,7 @@ databasetypehead,install
 dataroot,install
 datarootpermission,install
 dbprefix,install
+dmlexceptiononinstall,error
 dirroot,install
 downloadedfilecheckfailed,error
 environmenthead,install
diff --git a/lang/en/error.php b/lang/en/error.php
index 76a2d752b55..3ad6125b4f2 100644
--- a/lang/en/error.php
+++ b/lang/en/error.php
@@ -46,6 +46,9 @@ $string['cannotcallscript'] = 'You cannot call this script in that way';
 $string['cannotcallusgetselecteduser'] = 'You cannot call user_selector::get_selected_user if multi select is true.';
 $string['cannotcreatebackupdir'] = 'Could not create backupdata folder.  The site administrator needs to fix the file permissions';
 $string['cannotcreatecategory'] = 'The category was not inserted';
+$string['cannotcreatedboninstall'] = '<p>Cannot create the database.</p>
+<p>The specified database does not exist and the given user does not have permission to create the database.</p>
+<p>The site administrator should verify database configuration.</p>';
 $string['cannotcreategroup'] = 'Error creating group';
 $string['cannotcreatelangbase'] = 'Error: Could not create base lang directory';
 $string['cannotcreatelangdir'] = 'Cannot create lang directory';
@@ -203,6 +206,7 @@ $string['ddlunknownerror'] = 'Unknown DDL library error';
 $string['ddlxmlfileerror'] = 'XML database file errors found';
 $string['destinationcmnotexit'] = 'The destination course module does not exist';
 $string['detectedbrokenplugin'] = 'Plugin "{$a}" is defective or outdated, can not continue, sorry.';
+$string['dmlexceptiononinstall'] = '<p>A database error has occurred [{$a->errorcode}].<br />{$a->debuginfo}</p>';
 $string['dmlreadexception'] = 'Error reading from database';
 $string['dmltransactionexception'] = 'Database transaction error';
 $string['dmlwriteexception'] = 'Error writing to database';
diff --git a/lib/installlib.php b/lib/installlib.php
index 30e129770f1..4bf474ea7dc 100644
--- a/lib/installlib.php
+++ b/lib/installlib.php
@@ -192,7 +192,20 @@ function install_db_validate($database, $dbhost, $dbuser, $dbpass, $dbname, $pre
         }
         return '';
     } catch (dml_exception $ex) {
-        return get_string($ex->errorcode, $ex->module, $ex->a).'<br />'.$ex->debuginfo;
+        $stringmanager = get_string_manager();
+        $errorstring = $ex->errorcode.'oninstall';
+        $legacystring = $ex->errorcode;
+        if ($stringmanager->string_exists($errorstring, $ex->module)) {
+            // By using a different string id from the error code we are separating exception handling and output.
+            return $stringmanager->get_string($errorstring, $ex->module, $ex->a).'<br />'.$ex->debuginfo;
+        } else if ($stringmanager->string_exists($legacystring, $ex->module)) {
+            // There are some DML exceptions that may be thrown here as well as during normal operation.
+            // If we have a translated message already we still want to serve it here.
+            // However it is not the preferred way.
+            return $stringmanager->get_string($legacystring, $ex->module, $ex->a).'<br />'.$ex->debuginfo;
+        }
+        // No specific translation. Deliver a generic error message.
+        return $stringmanager->get_string('dmlexceptiononinstall', 'error', $ex);
     }
 }