diff --git a/includes/ForeignNotifications.php b/includes/ForeignNotifications.php
index 92a09457d..c3456a3f1 100644
--- a/includes/ForeignNotifications.php
+++ b/includes/ForeignNotifications.php
@@ -243,7 +243,7 @@ class EchoForeignNotifications {
 			// try to fetch site name for this specific wiki, or fallback to the
 			// general project's sitename if there is no override
 			$wikiName = $wgConf->get( 'wgSitename', $wikiId ) ?: $wgConf->get( 'wgSitename', $site );
-			$langName = Language::fetchLanguageName( $langCode, $wgLang->getCode() );
+			$langName = Language::fetchLanguageName( $langCode ?? '', $wgLang->getCode() );
 
 			if ( !$langName ) {
 				// if we can't find a language name (in language-agnostic