diff --git a/docs/Makefile b/docs/Makefile
index 2a8bcd7101..a2c926c7ea 100644
--- a/docs/Makefile
+++ b/docs/Makefile
@@ -6,11 +6,12 @@ SPHINXOPTS    =
 SPHINXBUILD   = sphinx-build
 PAPER         =
 BUILDDIR      = _build
+LANGUAGE      =
 
 # Internal variables.
 PAPEROPT_a4     = -D latex_paper_size=a4
 PAPEROPT_letter = -D latex_paper_size=letter
-ALLSPHINXOPTS   = -n -d $(BUILDDIR)/doctrees $(PAPEROPT_$(PAPER)) $(SPHINXOPTS) .
+ALLSPHINXOPTS   = -n -d $(BUILDDIR)/doctrees -D language=$(LANGUAGE) $(PAPEROPT_$(PAPER)) $(SPHINXOPTS) .
 # the i18n builder cannot share the environment and doctrees with the others
 I18NSPHINXOPTS  = $(PAPEROPT_$(PAPER)) $(SPHINXOPTS) .
 
diff --git a/docs/conf.py b/docs/conf.py
index a3259e3083..0437491b82 100644
--- a/docs/conf.py
+++ b/docs/conf.py
@@ -62,6 +62,9 @@ django_next_version = '1.6'
 # for a list of supported languages.
 #language = None
 
+# Location for .po/.mo translation files used when language is set
+locale_dirs = ['locale/']
+
 # There are two options for replacing |today|: either, you set today to some
 # non-false value, then it is used:
 #today = ''