diff --git a/examples/siteConfig.js b/examples/siteConfig.js
index d8fdaf3373..e599020bb8 100644
--- a/examples/siteConfig.js
+++ b/examples/siteConfig.js
@@ -79,7 +79,6 @@ const siteConfig = {
 let languages;
 if (fs.existsSync("./languages.js")) {
   languages = require("./languages.js");
-  siteConfig["en"] = require("./i18n/en.json");
 } else {
   languages = [
     {
diff --git a/lib/server/find-strings-plugin.js b/lib/server/find-strings-plugin.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..05b93f1c7a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/server/find-strings-plugin.js
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+/**
+ * Copyright (c) 2017-present, Facebook, Inc.
+ * All rights reserved.
+ *
+ * This source code is licensed under the BSD-style license found in the
+ * LICENSE file in the root directory of this source tree. An additional grant
+ * of patent rights can be found in the PATENTS file in the same directory.
+ */
+
+/* find all strings with their descriptions that need to be translated and write
+   to i18n/en.json file */
+
+const fs = require("fs");
+
+module.exports = function findStringsPlugin(babel) {
+  const { types: t } = babel;
+
+  const translationsFile = process.cwd() + "/i18n/en.json";
+  let currentTranslations = JSON.parse(
+    fs.readFileSync(translationsFile, "utf8")
+  );
+
+  return {
+    visitor: {
+      JSXElement(path) {
+        if (path.node.openingElement.name.name !== "Translate") {
+          return;
+        }
+        const text = path.node.children[0].value.trim();
+        let description;
+        const attributes = path.node.openingElement.attributes;
+        for (let i = 0; i < attributes.length; i++) {
+          if (attributes[i].name.name === "desc") {
+            description = attributes[i].value.value;
+          }
+        }
+        if (!currentTranslations["pages-strings"]) {
+          currentTranslations["pages-strings"] = {};
+        }
+        currentTranslations["pages-strings"][text + "|" + description] = text;
+        fs.writeFileSync(translationsFile, JSON.stringify(currentTranslations));
+      }
+    }
+  };
+};
diff --git a/lib/server/translate-plugin.js b/lib/server/translate-plugin.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..845d079dbc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/server/translate-plugin.js
@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+/**
+ * Copyright (c) 2017-present, Facebook, Inc.
+ * All rights reserved.
+ *
+ * This source code is licensed under the BSD-style license found in the
+ * LICENSE file in the root directory of this source tree. An additional grant
+ * of patent rights can be found in the PATENTS file in the same directory.
+ */
+
+/* replaces translate tags with calls to translate function */
+
+module.exports = function translatePlugin(babel) {
+  const { types: t } = babel;
+
+  return {
+    visitor: {
+      JSXElement(path) {
+        if (path.node.openingElement.name.name !== "translate") {
+          return;
+        }
+        /* assume translate element only has one child which is the text */
+        const text = path.node.children[0].value.trim();
+        let description;
+        const attributes = path.node.openingElement.attributes;
+        for (let i = 0; i < attributes.length; i++) {
+          if (attributes[i].name.name === "desc") {
+            description = attributes[i].value.value;
+          }
+        }
+        /* use an expression container if inside a jsxelement */
+        if (path.findParent(path => true).node.type === "JSXElement") {
+          path.replaceWith(
+            t.jSXExpressionContainer(
+              t.callExpression(t.identifier("translate"), [
+                t.stringLiteral(text + "|" + description)
+              ])
+            )
+          );
+        } else {
+          path.replaceWith(
+            t.callExpression(t.identifier("translate"), [
+              t.stringLiteral(text + "|" + description)
+            ])
+          );
+        }
+      }
+    }
+  };
+};
diff --git a/lib/server/translation.js b/lib/server/translation.js
index 504c602828..b22c092fe4 100644
--- a/lib/server/translation.js
+++ b/lib/server/translation.js
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ function injectContent() {
   });
 
   let injectedContent = '';
-  languages.filter(language => language != 'en').forEach(language => {
+  languages.forEach(language => {
     injectedContent +=
       "\nsiteConfig['" +
       language +
diff --git a/lib/server/writeTranslations.js b/lib/server/writeTranslations.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..3868d0ff38
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/server/writeTranslations.js
@@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
+/**
+ * Copyright (c) 2017-present, Facebook, Inc.
+ * All rights reserved.
+ *
+ * This source code is licensed under the BSD-style license found in the
+ * LICENSE file in the root directory of this source tree. An additional grant
+ * of patent rights can be found in the PATENTS file in the same directory.
+ */
+
+/* generate the i18n/en.json file */
+
+const CWD = process.cwd();
+const fs = require("fs-extra");
+const mkdirp = require("mkdirp");
+const glob = require("glob");
+const readMetadata = require("./readMetadata.js");
+const path = require("path");
+const shell = require("shelljs");
+const siteConfig = require(CWD + "/siteConfig.js");
+
+function writeFileAndCreateFolder(file, content) {
+  mkdirp.sync(file.replace(new RegExp("/[^/]*$"), ""));
+  fs.writeFileSync(file, content);
+}
+
+function execute() {
+  let translations = {
+    "localized-strings": {
+      next: "Next",
+      previous: "Previous"
+    },
+    tagline: siteConfig.tagline,
+    "pages-strings": {}
+  };
+
+  /* look through front matter of docs for titles and categories to translate */
+  let files = glob.sync(CWD + "/../docs/en/**");
+  files.forEach(file => {
+    const extension = path.extname(file);
+    if (extension === ".md" || extension === ".markdown") {
+      const metadata = readMetadata.extractMetadata(
+        fs.readFileSync(file, "utf8")
+      ).metadata;
+
+      translations["localized-strings"][metadata.id] = metadata.title;
+      translations["localized-strings"][metadata.category] = metadata.category;
+    }
+  });
+  /* look through header links for text to translate */
+  for (let i = 0; i < siteConfig.headerLinksInternal.length; i++) {
+    translations["localized-strings"][siteConfig.headerLinksInternal[i].text] =
+      siteConfig.headerLinksInternal[i].text;
+  }
+  for (let i = 0; i < siteConfig.headerLinksExternal.length; i++) {
+    translations["localized-strings"][siteConfig.headerLinksExternal[i].text] =
+      siteConfig.headerLinksExternal[i].text;
+  }
+  writeFileAndCreateFolder(CWD + "/i18n/en.json", JSON.stringify(translations));
+
+  /* go through pages to look for text inside translate tags */
+  const plugin = __dirname + "/find-strings-plugin.js";
+  files = glob.sync(CWD + "/pages/en/**");
+  files.forEach(file => {
+    const extension = path.extname(file);
+    if (extension === ".js") {
+      shell.exec(
+        `babel ${file} --plugins=${plugin} --presets=react > /dev/null`
+      );
+    }
+  });
+}
+
+module.exports = execute;
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 7d5441e459..45440ab8f2 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
     "examples": "./lib/copy-examples.js"
   },
   "dependencies": {
+    "babel-cli": "^6.24.1",
     "babel-preset-react": "^6.24.1",
     "babel-register": "^6.24.1",
     "classnames": "^2.2.5",
@@ -17,10 +18,6 @@
     "request": "^2.81.0",
     "shelljs": "^0.7.8"
   },
-  "devDependencies": {
-    "babel-cli": "^6.24.1",
-    "babel-preset-react": "^6.24.1"
-  },
   "name": "docusaurus",
   "version": "1.0.0-alpha.12",
   "bin": {