diff --git a/tools/i18n_compile.php b/tools/i18n_compile.php
index ce00051c..ba193767 100755
--- a/tools/i18n_compile.php
+++ b/tools/i18n_compile.php
@@ -34,11 +34,11 @@ foreach ($locales as $loc) {
 	// Generate tinyboard.po
 	if (file_exists($locdir."/LC_MESSAGES/tinyboard.po"))	$join = "-j";
 	else							$join = "";
-	`cd $locdir/LC_MESSAGES;
-         msgfmt tinyboard.po -o tinyboard.mo`;
+	passthru("cd $locdir/LC_MESSAGES;
+         msgfmt tinyboard.po -o tinyboard.mo");
 
 	// Generate javascript.po
-	`cd tools/inc/lib/jsgettext/;
+	passthru("cd tools/inc/lib/jsgettext/;
          php po2json.php -i ../../../../$locdir/LC_MESSAGES/javascript.po \
-                         -o ../../../../$locdir/LC_MESSAGES/javascript.js`;
+                         -o ../../../../$locdir/LC_MESSAGES/javascript.js");
 }
diff --git a/tools/i18n_extract.php b/tools/i18n_extract.php
index 1e729c3b..b43e16a0 100755
--- a/tools/i18n_extract.php
+++ b/tools/i18n_extract.php
@@ -38,10 +38,10 @@ foreach ($locales as $loc) {
 	// Generate tinyboard.po
 	if (file_exists($locdir."/LC_MESSAGES/tinyboard.po"))	$join = "-j";
 	else							$join = "";
-	`cd $locdir/LC_MESSAGES;
-         xgettext -d tinyboard -L php --from-code utf-8 $join -c $(find ../../../../ -name \*.php)`;
+	passthru("cd $locdir/LC_MESSAGES;
+         xgettext -d tinyboard -L php --from-code utf-8 $join -c $(find ../../../../ -name \*.php)");
 
 	// Generate javascript.po
-	`cd tools/inc/lib/jsgettext/;
-         php jsgettext.php -o ../../../../$locdir/LC_MESSAGES/javascript.po $(find ../../../../js/ -name \*.js)`;
+	passthru("cd tools/inc/lib/jsgettext/;
+         php jsgettext.php -o ../../../../$locdir/LC_MESSAGES/javascript.po $(find ../../../../js/ -name \*.js)");
 }