diff --git a/src/app/shared/mocks/translate.service.mock.ts b/src/app/shared/mocks/translate.service.mock.ts
index 0bc172b408..38b088e50f 100644
--- a/src/app/shared/mocks/translate.service.mock.ts
+++ b/src/app/shared/mocks/translate.service.mock.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import { TranslateService } from '@ngx-translate/core';
 export function getMockTranslateService(): TranslateService {
   return jasmine.createSpyObj('translateService', {
     get: jasmine.createSpy('get'),
+    use: jasmine.createSpy('use'),
     instant: jasmine.createSpy('instant'),
     setDefaultLang: jasmine.createSpy('setDefaultLang')
   });
diff --git a/src/app/thumbnail/thumbnail.component.html b/src/app/thumbnail/thumbnail.component.html
index 4789917f1c..cef88e0192 100644
--- a/src/app/thumbnail/thumbnail.component.html
+++ b/src/app/thumbnail/thumbnail.component.html
@@ -1,10 +1,8 @@
 <div class="thumbnail">
-  <img *ngIf="src !== null" [src]="src | dsSafeUrl" [alt]="alt" (error)="errorHandler()" class="img-fluid"/>
+  <img *ngIf="src !== null" [src]="src | dsSafeUrl" [alt]="alt | translate" (error)="errorHandler()" class="img-fluid"/>
   <div *ngIf="src === null" class="outer">
     <div class="inner">
-      <div class="thumbnail-placeholder w-100 h-100 p-3">
-        {{ placeholder | translate }}
-      </div>
+      <div class="thumbnail-placeholder w-100 h-100 p-3">{{ placeholder | translate }}</div>
     </div>
   </div>
 </div>
diff --git a/src/app/thumbnail/thumbnail.component.spec.ts b/src/app/thumbnail/thumbnail.component.spec.ts
index 21678c9162..687282a373 100644
--- a/src/app/thumbnail/thumbnail.component.spec.ts
+++ b/src/app/thumbnail/thumbnail.component.spec.ts
@@ -1,10 +1,18 @@
-import { DebugElement } from '@angular/core';
+import { DebugElement, Pipe, PipeTransform } from '@angular/core';
 import { ComponentFixture, TestBed, waitForAsync } from '@angular/core/testing';
 import { By } from '@angular/platform-browser';
 import { Bitstream } from '../core/shared/bitstream.model';
 import { SafeUrlPipe } from '../shared/utils/safe-url-pipe';
 
-import { THUMBNAIL_PLACEHOLDER, ThumbnailComponent } from './thumbnail.component';
+import { ThumbnailComponent } from './thumbnail.component';
+import { TranslateService } from '@ngx-translate/core';
+
+@Pipe({ name: 'translate' })
+class MockTranslatePipe implements PipeTransform {
+  transform(key: string): string {
+    return 'TRANSLATED ' + key;
+  }
+}
 
 describe('ThumbnailComponent', () => {
   let comp: ThumbnailComponent;
@@ -14,7 +22,7 @@ describe('ThumbnailComponent', () => {
 
   beforeEach(waitForAsync(() => {
     TestBed.configureTestingModule({
-      declarations: [ThumbnailComponent, SafeUrlPipe]
+      declarations: [ThumbnailComponent, SafeUrlPipe, MockTranslatePipe],
     }).compileComponents();
   }));
 
@@ -39,6 +47,19 @@ describe('ThumbnailComponent', () => {
       const image: HTMLElement = de.query(By.css('img')).nativeElement;
       expect(image.getAttribute('src')).toBe(comp.thumbnail._links.content.href);
     });
+    it('should include the alt text', () => {
+      const thumbnail = new Bitstream();
+      thumbnail._links = {
+        self: { href: 'self.url' },
+        bundle: { href: 'bundle.url' },
+        format: { href: 'format.url' },
+        content: { href: 'content.url' },
+      };
+      comp.thumbnail = thumbnail;
+      fixture.detectChanges();
+      const image: HTMLElement = de.query(By.css('img')).nativeElement;
+      expect(image.getAttribute('alt')).toBe('TRANSLATED ' + comp.alt);
+    });
   });
   describe(`when the thumbnail doesn't exist`, () => {
     describe('and there is a default image', () => {
@@ -48,13 +69,24 @@ describe('ThumbnailComponent', () => {
         comp.errorHandler();
         expect(comp.src).toBe(comp.defaultImage);
       });
+      it('should include the alt text', () => {
+        comp.src = 'http://bit.stream';
+        comp.defaultImage = 'http://default.img';
+        comp.errorHandler();
+        fixture.detectChanges();
+        const image: HTMLElement = de.query(By.css('img')).nativeElement;
+        expect(image.getAttribute('alt')).toBe('TRANSLATED ' + comp.alt);
+      });
     });
     describe('and there is no default image', () => {
       it('should display the placeholder', () => {
         comp.src = 'http://default.img';
-        comp.defaultImage = 'http://default.img';
         comp.errorHandler();
-        expect(comp.src).toBe(THUMBNAIL_PLACEHOLDER);
+        expect(comp.src).toBe(null);
+
+        fixture.detectChanges();
+        const placeholder = fixture.debugElement.query(By.css('div.thumbnail-placeholder')).nativeElement;
+        expect(placeholder.innerHTML).toBe('TRANSLATED ' + comp.placeholder);
       });
     });
   });