diff --git a/lib/server/server.js b/lib/server/server.js
index ebc1d133fe..02bf1f015e 100644
--- a/lib/server/server.js
+++ b/lib/server/server.js
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ function execute(port) {
   const toSlug = require("../core/toSlug.js");
   const mkdirp = require("mkdirp");
   const glob = require("glob");
+  const translate = require("./translate.js");
   let siteConfig = require(CWD + "/siteConfig.js");
 
   /**
@@ -289,6 +290,13 @@ function execute(port) {
         language = parts[i];
       }
     }
+    let englishFile = CWD + "/pages/" + file;
+    if (language !== "en") {
+      englishFile = englishFile.replace("/" + language + "/", "/en/");
+    }
+
+    /* check for: a file for the page, an english file for page with unspecified language, 
+       english file for the page */
     if (
       fs.existsSync(userFile) ||
       fs.existsSync(
@@ -296,7 +304,8 @@ function execute(port) {
           path.basename(userFile),
           "en/" + path.basename(userFile)
         ))
-      )
+      ) ||
+      fs.existsSync((userFile = englishFile))
     ) {
       /* copy into docusaurus so require paths work */
       let parts = userFile.split("pages/");
@@ -313,6 +322,7 @@ function execute(port) {
       const ReactComp = require(tempFile);
       purgeCache("../core/Site.js");
       const Site = require("../core/Site.js");
+      translate.setLanguage(language);
       const str = renderToStaticMarkup(
         <Site language={language} config={siteConfig}>
           <ReactComp language={language} />
diff --git a/lib/start-server.js b/lib/start-server.js
index 19287e2f3d..66a17aa2e6 100644
--- a/lib/start-server.js
+++ b/lib/start-server.js
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
 
 require("babel-register")({
   ignore: false,
+  plugins: [require("./server/translate-plugin.js")],
   presets: ["react"]
 });