diff --git a/background.html b/background.html
index f4ac3c0e4..06eabaf8e 100644
--- a/background.html
+++ b/background.html
@@ -731,6 +731,7 @@
   <script type='text/javascript' src='js/conversation_controller.js'></script>
   <script type='text/javascript' src='js/panel_controller.js'></script>
   <script type='text/javascript' src='js/emoji_util.js'></script>
+  <script type='text/javascript' src='js/i18n.js'></script>
 
   <script type='text/javascript' src='js/views/whisper_view.js'></script>
   <script type='text/javascript' src='js/views/last_seen_indicator_view.js'></script>
diff --git a/js/chromium.js b/js/chromium.js
index bfb57b32e..ff61b8519 100644
--- a/js/chromium.js
+++ b/js/chromium.js
@@ -153,17 +153,19 @@
     };
 
     // Translate
-    window.i18n = function(message, substitutions) {
-        if (window.chrome && chrome.i18n) {
-            return chrome.i18n.getMessage(message, substitutions);
-        }
-    };
-    i18n.getLocale = function() {
-        if (window.chrome && chrome.i18n) {
-            return chrome.i18n.getUILanguage();
-        }
-        return 'en';
-    };
+
+    if (window.chrome && window.chrome.i18n) {
+      window.i18n = function(message, substitutions) {
+          return chrome.i18n.getMessage(message, substitutions);
+      };
+
+      i18n.getLocale = function() {
+          if (window.chrome && chrome.i18n) {
+              return chrome.i18n.getUILanguage();
+          }
+          return 'en';
+      };
+    }
 
     extension.install = function(mode) {
         if (mode === 'standalone') {
diff --git a/js/i18n.js b/js/i18n.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7e5c50cf6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/js/i18n.js
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+/*
+ * vim: ts=4:sw=4:expandtab
+ */
+;(function() {
+    'use strict';
+    var json = window.env.locale_json;
+    window.i18n = function (message, substitutions) {
+      var s = json[message] ? json[message].message : message;
+      if (substitutions instanceof Array) {
+        substitutions.forEach(function(sub) {
+          s = s.replace(/\$.+?\$/, sub);
+        });
+      } else if (substitutions) {
+        s = s.replace(/\$.+?\$/, substitutions);
+      }
+      return s;
+    };
+
+    i18n.getLocale = function() {
+      return window.env.locale;
+    };
+})();
diff --git a/main.js b/main.js
index 119cbddcb..a697cd8e0 100644
--- a/main.js
+++ b/main.js
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ const url = require('url')
 const fs = require('fs')
 const autoUpdater = require('electron-updater').autoUpdater
 const autoUpdaterInterval = 60 * 60 * 1000;
+const ipc = electron.ipcMain;
 
 app.setAppUserModelId('org.whispersystems.signal-desktop')
 
@@ -47,12 +48,22 @@ function createWindow () {
     }
   })
 
+  // Load locale
+  const locale = 'en'; // FIXME
+  const localeData = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(path.join(__dirname, '_locales', locale, 'messages.json'), 'utf-8'))
+  ipc.on('locale-data', function(event, arg) {
+    event.returnValue = localeData;
+  });
+
   // and load the index.html of the app.
   mainWindow.loadURL(url.format({
     pathname: path.join(__dirname, 'background.html'),
     protocol: 'file:',
     slashes: true,
-    query: { node_env: NODE_ENV }
+    query: {
+      node_env: NODE_ENV,
+      locale: locale
+    }
   }))
 
   // Open the DevTools.
diff --git a/preload.js b/preload.js
index dc24352c6..c2ca1d3a7 100644
--- a/preload.js
+++ b/preload.js
@@ -8,3 +8,6 @@ window.location.search.substring(1).split('&').forEach(function(variable) {
   var pair = variable.split('=');
   env[decodeURIComponent(pair[0])] = decodeURIComponent(pair[1]);
 });
+
+const ipc = require('electron').ipcRenderer
+window.env.locale_json = ipc.sendSync('locale-data');