diff --git a/Makefile.in b/Makefile.in
index 4f81a37..c7222ae 100644
--- a/Makefile.in
+++ b/Makefile.in
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ FILE_PERM=0644
 
 CC=@CC@
 PKG_CONFIG=@PKG_CONFIG@
+MSGFMT_PATH=@MSGFMT_PATH@
 
 DEP=dep
 EXE=bin
@@ -21,7 +22,9 @@ DIR_LIST=${DEP} ${EXE} ${OBJ} ${LIB}
 PLUGIN_OBJECTS=${OBJ}/tgp-net.o ${OBJ}/tgp-timers.o ${OBJ}/msglog.o ${OBJ}/telegram-base.o ${OBJ}/telegram-purple.o ${OBJ}/tgp-2prpl.o ${OBJ}/tgp-structs.o ${OBJ}/tgp-utils.o ${OBJ}/tgp-chat.o ${OBJ}/tgp-ft.o ${OBJ}/tgp-msg.o ${OBJ}/tgp-request.o ${OBJ}/tgp-blist.o
 ALL_OBJS=${PLUGIN_OBJECTS}
 
+ifdef MSGFMT_PATH
 LOCALES=$(patsubst %.po, %.mo, $(wildcard po/*.po))
+endif
 
 .SUFFIXES:
 
@@ -61,7 +64,7 @@ tgl/libs/libtgl.a: tgl/Makefile
 	+make -C tgl
 
 po/%.mo: po/%.po
-	msgfmt -cf -o $@ $<
+	${MSGFMT_PATH} -cf -o $@ $<
 
 ${LIB}/libtgl.a: tgl/libs/libtgl.a | create_dirs
 	cp $< $@
@@ -96,11 +99,13 @@ else
 	mkdir -m $(DIR_PERM) -p $(DESTDIR)$(DATA_ROOT_DIR_PURPLE)/pixmaps/pidgin/protocols/48
 	install -m $(FILE_PERM) imgs/telegram48.png $(DESTDIR)$(DATA_ROOT_DIR_PURPLE)/pixmaps/pidgin/protocols/48/telegram.png
 endif
+ifdef MSGFMT_PATH
 	@for lang in $(shell cat po/LINGUAS); do \
 		mkdir -p $(DESTDIR)$(localedir)/$$lang/LC_MESSAGES; \
 		echo "installing po/$$lang.mo to $(DESTDIR)$(localedir)/$$lang/LC_MESSAGES/$(gettext_package).mo"; \
 		install -m $(FILE_PERM) po/$$lang.mo $(DESTDIR)$(localedir)/$$lang/LC_MESSAGES/$(gettext_package).mo; \
 	done
+endif
 
 .PHONY: uninstall
 uninstall:
@@ -111,10 +116,12 @@ uninstall:
 	rm -f $(DESTDIR)$(DATA_ROOT_DIR_PURPLE)/pixmaps/pidgin/protocols/22/telegram.png
 	rm -f $(DESTDIR)$(DATA_ROOT_DIR_PURPLE)/pixmaps/pidgin/protocols/48/telegram.png
 # TODO: Delete all installed .mo's, no matter what LINGUAS says.
+ifdef MSGFMT_PATH
 	@for lang in $(shell cat po/LINGUAS); do \
 		echo "removing $(localedir)/$$lang/LC_MESSAGES/$(gettext_package).mo"; \
 		rm -f $(localedir)/$$lang/LC_MESSAGES/$(gettext_package).mo; \
 	done
+endif
 
 .PHONY: local_install
 local_install:
diff --git a/configure b/configure
index d95ea2c..85b5804 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -621,7 +621,8 @@ ac_includes_default="\
 
 ac_subst_vars='LTLIBOBJS
 GETTEXT_PACKAGE
-GETTEXT_CHECK
+MSGFMT_PATH
+CHECK_GETTEXT
 PURPLE_CPPFLAGS
 LIBOBJS
 COPY_ICONS
@@ -687,6 +688,7 @@ enable_option_checking
 with_zlib
 enable_libwebp
 enable_icons
+enable_translation
 '
       ac_precious_vars='build_alias
 host_alias
@@ -1317,6 +1319,7 @@ Optional Features:
                           useful if you're using Finch of telepathy-haze.
                           (Adium users shouldn't be using this build system at
                           all.)
+  --disable-translation   Disable gettext translation
 
 Optional Packages:
   --with-PACKAGE[=ARG]    use PACKAGE [ARG=yes]
@@ -4296,15 +4299,22 @@ done
 
 
 
-# Extract the first word of "msgfmt", so it can be a program name with args.
+# Check whether --enable-translation was given.
+if test "${enable_translation+set}" = set; then :
+  enableval=$enable_translation;
+fi
+
+  if test "x$enable_translation" != "xno"; then :
+
+    # Extract the first word of "msgfmt", so it can be a program name with args.
 set dummy msgfmt; ac_word=$2
 { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: checking for $ac_word" >&5
 $as_echo_n "checking for $ac_word... " >&6; }
-if ${ac_cv_prog_GETTEXT_CHECK+:} false; then :
+if ${ac_cv_prog_CHECK_GETTEXT+:} false; then :
   $as_echo_n "(cached) " >&6
 else
-  if test -n "$GETTEXT_CHECK"; then
-  ac_cv_prog_GETTEXT_CHECK="$GETTEXT_CHECK" # Let the user override the test.
+  if test -n "$CHECK_GETTEXT"; then
+  ac_cv_prog_CHECK_GETTEXT="$CHECK_GETTEXT" # Let the user override the test.
 else
 as_save_IFS=$IFS; IFS=$PATH_SEPARATOR
 for as_dir in $PATH
@@ -4313,7 +4323,7 @@ do
   test -z "$as_dir" && as_dir=.
     for ac_exec_ext in '' $ac_executable_extensions; do
   if as_fn_executable_p "$as_dir/$ac_word$ac_exec_ext"; then
-    ac_cv_prog_GETTEXT_CHECK="yes"
+    ac_cv_prog_CHECK_GETTEXT=""yes""
     $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: found $as_dir/$ac_word$ac_exec_ext" >&5
     break 2
   fi
@@ -4321,20 +4331,25 @@ done
   done
 IFS=$as_save_IFS
 
+  test -z "$ac_cv_prog_CHECK_GETTEXT" && ac_cv_prog_CHECK_GETTEXT=""no""
 fi
 fi
-GETTEXT_CHECK=$ac_cv_prog_GETTEXT_CHECK
-if test -n "$GETTEXT_CHECK"; then
-  { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: $GETTEXT_CHECK" >&5
-$as_echo "$GETTEXT_CHECK" >&6; }
+CHECK_GETTEXT=$ac_cv_prog_CHECK_GETTEXT
+if test -n "$CHECK_GETTEXT"; then
+  { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: $CHECK_GETTEXT" >&5
+$as_echo "$CHECK_GETTEXT" >&6; }
 else
   { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: no" >&5
 $as_echo "no" >&6; }
 fi
 
 
-if test x"$GETTEXT_CHECK" != x"yes" ; then
-    as_fn_error $? "msgfmt not found please install gettext" "$LINENO" 5
+    if test x"$CHECK_GETTEXT" != x"yes" ; then
+      as_fn_error $? "no gettext found, use --disable-translation if you dont need it." "$LINENO" 5
+    fi
+    MSGFMT_PATH=$(which msgfmt)
+
+
 fi
 
 # Define the domain name for the translated words
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 4764734..2c2ad9e 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -52,10 +52,15 @@ AC_SUBST(PURPLE_CFLAGS)
 AC_SUBST(PURPLE_CPPFLAGS)
 AC_SUBST(PURPLE_LIBS)
 
-AC_CHECK_PROG(GETTEXT_CHECK,msgfmt,yes)
-if test x"$GETTEXT_CHECK" != x"yes" ; then
-    AC_MSG_ERROR([msgfmt not found please install gettext])
-fi
+AC_ARG_ENABLE([translation],
+  AS_HELP_STRING([--disable-translation], [Disable gettext translation]))
+  AS_IF([test "x$enable_translation" != "xno"], [
+    AC_CHECK_PROG(CHECK_GETTEXT, msgfmt, "yes", "no", $PATH)
+    if test x"$CHECK_GETTEXT" != x"yes" ; then
+      AC_MSG_ERROR([no gettext found, use --disable-translation if you dont need it.])
+    fi
+    AC_SUBST(MSGFMT_PATH, $(which msgfmt))
+  ])
 
 # Define the domain name for the translated words 
 GETTEXT_PACKAGE=$PACKAGE_NAME