diff --git a/openerp/addons/base/base.sql b/openerp/addons/base/base.sql
index 7084148885b..c0fd67ea56c 100644
--- a/openerp/addons/base/base.sql
+++ b/openerp/addons/base/base.sql
@@ -28,12 +28,16 @@ CREATE TABLE ir_model_fields (
   model varchar NOT NULL,
   model_id integer references ir_model on delete cascade,
   name varchar NOT NULL,
-  relation varchar,
-  select_level varchar,
-  field_description varchar,
-  ttype varchar,
   state varchar default 'base',
+  field_description varchar,
+  help varchar,
+  ttype varchar,
+  relation varchar,
   relation_field varchar,
+  select_level varchar,
+  readonly boolean default False,
+  required boolean default False,
+  selectable boolean default False,
   translate boolean default False,
   serialization_field_id integer references ir_model_fields on delete cascade, 
   primary key(id)
diff --git a/openerp/addons/base/ir/ir_model.py b/openerp/addons/base/ir/ir_model.py
index 85d247bc7b9..c3ba59f4f71 100644
--- a/openerp/addons/base/ir/ir_model.py
+++ b/openerp/addons/base/ir/ir_model.py
@@ -395,6 +395,7 @@ class ir_model_fields(osv.osv):
         # static table of properties
         model_props = [ # (our-name, fields.prop, set_fn)
             ('field_description', 'string', tools.ustr),
+            ('help', 'help', lambda s: s and tools.ustr(s) or None),
             ('required', 'required', bool),
             ('readonly', 'readonly', bool),
             ('domain', 'domain', eval),
@@ -404,6 +405,9 @@ class ir_model_fields(osv.osv):
             ('select_level', 'index', lambda x: bool(int(x))),
             ('selection', 'selection', eval),
         ]
+        if context.get('lang') not in (None, 'en_US'):
+            # do not patch registry with translations of field string and help
+            model_props = model_props[2:]
 
         if vals and ids:
             checked_selection = False # need only check it once, so defer
diff --git a/openerp/addons/base/ir/ir_model_view.xml b/openerp/addons/base/ir/ir_model_view.xml
index 1b6c46083f4..a62b8518eda 100644
--- a/openerp/addons/base/ir/ir_model_view.xml
+++ b/openerp/addons/base/ir/ir_model_view.xml
@@ -53,10 +53,15 @@
                                     <field name="state"/>
                                 </tree>
                                 <form string="Fields Description">
-                                    <group col="4">
-                                        <field name="name"/>
-                                        <field name="state"/>
-                                        <field name="field_description"/>
+                                    <group>
+                                        <group>
+                                            <field name="name"/>
+                                            <field name="state"/>
+                                        </group>
+                                        <group>
+                                            <field name="field_description"/>
+                                            <field name="help"/>
+                                        </group>
                                     </group>
                                     <group string="Properties">
                                         <group>
@@ -158,6 +163,7 @@
                         <group>
                             <field name="name" string="Field Name"/>
                             <field name="field_description"/>
+                            <field name="help"/>
                         </group>
                         <group>
                             <field name="state"/>
diff --git a/openerp/models.py b/openerp/models.py
index 54859c3adf4..a147615bc54 100644
--- a/openerp/models.py
+++ b/openerp/models.py
@@ -384,11 +384,11 @@ class BaseModel(object):
                 'ttype': f.type,
                 'relation': f.comodel_name or '',
                 'select_level': tools.ustr(int(f.index)),
-                'readonly': (f.readonly and 1) or 0,
-                'required': (f.required and 1) or 0,
-                'selectable': (f.search or f.store and 1) or 0,
-                'translate': (f.translate if hasattr(f,'translate') else False and 1) or 0,
-                'relation_field': f.inverse_name if hasattr(f, 'inverse_name') else '',
+                'readonly': bool(f.readonly),
+                'required': bool(f.required),
+                'selectable': bool(f.search or f.store),
+                'translate': bool(getattr(f, 'translate', False)),
+                'relation_field': getattr(f, 'inverse_name', ''),
                 'serialization_field_id': None,
             }
             if getattr(f, 'serialization_field', None):
@@ -410,16 +410,11 @@ class BaseModel(object):
                 cr.execute('select nextval(%s)', ('ir_model_fields_id_seq',))
                 id = cr.fetchone()[0]
                 vals['id'] = id
-                cr.execute("""INSERT INTO ir_model_fields (
-                    id, model_id, model, name, field_description, ttype,
-                    relation,state,select_level,relation_field, translate, serialization_field_id
-                ) VALUES (
-                    %s,%s,%s,%s,%s,%s,%s,%s,%s,%s,%s,%s
-                )""", (
-                    id, vals['model_id'], vals['model'], vals['name'], vals['field_description'], vals['ttype'],
-                     vals['relation'], 'base',
-                    vals['select_level'], vals['relation_field'], bool(vals['translate']), vals['serialization_field_id']
-                ))
+                query = "INSERT INTO ir_model_fields (%s) VALUES (%s)" % (
+                    ",".join(vals),
+                    ",".join("%%(%s)s" % name for name in vals),
+                )
+                cr.execute(query, vals)
                 if 'module' in context:
                     name1 = 'field_' + self._table + '_' + k
                     cr.execute("select name from ir_model_data where name=%s", (name1,))
@@ -431,16 +426,11 @@ class BaseModel(object):
             else:
                 for key, val in vals.items():
                     if cols[k][key] != vals[key]:
-                        cr.execute('update ir_model_fields set field_description=%s where model=%s and name=%s', (vals['field_description'], vals['model'], vals['name']))
-                        cr.execute("""UPDATE ir_model_fields SET
-                            model_id=%s, field_description=%s, ttype=%s, relation=%s,
-                            select_level=%s, readonly=%s ,required=%s, selectable=%s, relation_field=%s, translate=%s, serialization_field_id=%s
-                        WHERE
-                            model=%s AND name=%s""", (
-                                vals['model_id'], vals['field_description'], vals['ttype'],
-                                vals['relation'],
-                                vals['select_level'], bool(vals['readonly']), bool(vals['required']), bool(vals['selectable']), vals['relation_field'], bool(vals['translate']), vals['serialization_field_id'], vals['model'], vals['name']
-                            ))
+                        names = set(vals) - set(['model', 'name'])
+                        query = "UPDATE ir_model_fields SET %s WHERE model=%%(model)s and name=%%(name)s" % (
+                            ",".join("%s=%%(%s)s" % (name, name) for name in names),
+                        )
+                        cr.execute(query, vals)
                         break
         self.invalidate_cache(cr, SUPERUSER_ID)