diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index ff471e67..8b20f487 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -13,11 +13,7 @@ if BUILD_SERVERTEST
 SERVERTEST=servertest
 endif
 
-if HAVE_MSGFMT
-NLS_DIRS=po
-endif
-
-SUBDIRS = $(NLS_DIRS) intl $(GLIB_DIR) src $(SERVERTEST) docs scripts
+SUBDIRS = po intl $(GLIB_DIR) src $(SERVERTEST) docs scripts
 
 confdir = $(sysconfdir)/irssi
 conf_DATA = config default.theme colorless.theme
diff --git a/configure.in b/configure.in
index aa6c11ee..eb4b8a4e 100644
--- a/configure.in
+++ b/configure.in
@@ -580,7 +580,15 @@ dnl **
 
 ALL_LINGUAS="pl pt_BR fr de sv"
 AM_GNU_GETTEXT
-AM_CONDITIONAL(HAVE_MSGFMT, test "x$MSGFMT" != "xno")
+
+dnl stupid gettext.. we must not leave the po/ dir from SUBDIRS or
+dnl "make dist" doesn't work, and po/Makefile doesn't check if MSGFMT
+dnl exists or not, so instead of failing in po/ dir if there's no msgfmt,
+dnl we just do some stupid echos.
+if test "x$MSGFMT" = "xno"; then
+  MSGFMT=echo
+  GMSGFMT=echo
+fi
 
 dnl ** common libraries needed by frontends
 COMMON_NOUI_LIBS="$CHAT_LIBS $CORE_LIBS $INTLLIBS"