diff --git a/src/mmg/mmg.cpp b/src/mmg/mmg.cpp
index 7c8c7a927..7f9ff49fd 100644
--- a/src/mmg/mmg.cpp
+++ b/src/mmg/mmg.cpp
@@ -2170,9 +2170,11 @@ END_EVENT_TABLE();
 
 void
 mmg_app::init_ui_locale(wxConfigBase *cfg) {
-  wxString w_locale;
   std::string locale;
 
+#if defined(HAVE_LIBINTL_H)
+  wxString w_locale;
+
   translation_c::initialize_available_translations();
 
   cfg->SetPath(wxT("/GUI"));
@@ -2182,7 +2184,11 @@ mmg_app::init_ui_locale(wxConfigBase *cfg) {
       locale = "";
   }
 
+  if (locale.empty())
+    locale = translation_c::get_default_ui_locale();
+
   m_ui_locale = locale;
+#endif  // HAVE_LIBINTL_H
 
   init_locales(locale);
 }
diff --git a/src/mmg/options_dialog.cpp b/src/mmg/options_dialog.cpp
index 426b46bfd..44225ce46 100644
--- a/src/mmg/options_dialog.cpp
+++ b/src/mmg/options_dialog.cpp
@@ -154,6 +154,9 @@ options_dialog::options_dialog(wxWindow *parent,
     ++translation;
   }
 
+  wxLogMessage(wxT("Locale selection logic: select_locale %s uu_locale_lower %s translation_c::get_default_ui_locale() %s app->m_ui_locale %s"),
+               select_locale.c_str(), wxCS2WS(ui_locale_lower), wxCS2WS(translation_c::get_default_ui_locale()), wxCS2WS(app->m_ui_locale));
+
   std::sort(sorted_entries.begin(), sorted_entries.end());
 
   std::vector<locale_sorter_t>::iterator locale_entry = sorted_entries.begin();