diff --git a/sc2/ChangeLog b/sc2/ChangeLog
index 5b16fa11e..2b7afb8be 100644
--- a/sc2/ChangeLog
+++ b/sc2/ChangeLog
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 Changes towards version 0.4:
+- Check language.txt for locale, from Zap
 - Make it possible to specify the config dir on the command line.
   (bug #645) - Svdb
 - Speech .txt and .ts corrections, from Nic. - SvdB
diff --git a/sc2/src/options.c b/sc2/src/options.c
index a17ebf73d..d3231cc57 100644
--- a/sc2/src/options.c
+++ b/sc2/src/options.c
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <string.h>
 #include <errno.h>
+#include <locale.h>
 #include "port.h"
 #include "libs/graphics/gfx_common.h"
 #include "compiler.h"
@@ -30,6 +31,7 @@
 #include "file.h"
 #include "config.h"
 #include "libs/uio.h"
+#include "libs/strlib.h"
 
 int optWhichMusic;
 int optWhichCoarseScan;
@@ -354,6 +356,23 @@ mountDirZips (uio_MountHandle *contentHandle, uio_DirHandle *dirHandle)
 	uio_freeDirList (dirList);
 }
 
+void
+initLanguage (void)
+{
+	STRING_TABLE langDef;
+	STRING locString;
+	UNICODE *str;
 
+	langDef = LoadStringTableFile (contentDir, "language.txt");
+	if (!langDef)
+		return;
+
+	locString = SetAbsStringTableIndex (langDef, 0);
+	str = GetStringAddress (locString);
+	if (str)
+		setlocale (LC_ALL, str);
+
+	DestroyStringTable (langDef);
+}
 
 
diff --git a/sc2/src/options.h b/sc2/src/options.h
index f9aeb885a..30bf721bb 100644
--- a/sc2/src/options.h
+++ b/sc2/src/options.h
@@ -45,9 +45,10 @@ extern uio_DirHandle *saveDir;
 extern uio_DirHandle *meleeDir;
 
 void prepareContentDir (const char *contentDirName, const char **addons);
-void prepareConfigDir(const char *configDirName);
-void prepareMeleeDir(void);
-void prepareSaveDir(void);
+void prepareConfigDir (const char *configDirName);
+void prepareMeleeDir (void);
+void prepareSaveDir (void);
+void initLanguage (void);
 
 #endif
 
diff --git a/sc2/src/starcon2.c b/sc2/src/starcon2.c
index 3dc410384..ac6a45070 100644
--- a/sc2/src/starcon2.c
+++ b/sc2/src/starcon2.c
@@ -191,14 +191,16 @@ main (int argc, char *argv[])
 	sfxVolumeScale = options.sfxVolumeScale;
 	speechVolumeScale = options.speechVolumeScale;
 
-	initIO();
+	initIO ();
 	prepareContentDir (options.contentDir, options.addons);
 	HFree ((void *) options.addons);
 	prepareConfigDir (options.configDir);
 	prepareMeleeDir ();
 	prepareSaveDir ();
-	initTempDir();
-	
+	initTempDir ();
+
+	initLanguage ();
+
 	InitTimeSystem ();
 	InitTaskSystem ();