diff --git a/init.lua b/init.lua
index 6e6bc3e..7bcba54 100644
--- a/init.lua
+++ b/init.lua
@@ -790,6 +790,9 @@ local function str_newline(str)
 end
 
 local function get_desc(item, lang_code)
+	if item == "" then
+		return ""
+	end
 	if sub(item, 1, 1) == "_" then
 		item = sub(item, 2)
 	end