diff --git a/anki/template/template.py b/anki/template/template.py
index d687270a8..3fb4ca3ab 100644
--- a/anki/template/template.py
+++ b/anki/template/template.py
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ class Template(object):
                 replacement = func(self, tag_name, context)
                 template = template.replace(tag, replacement)
             except:
-                return "{{invalid template}}"
+                return u"{{invalid template}}"
 
         return template