diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index c7839f4379e..e98af41b79a 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ config.h
 doc/Doxyfile
 doc/html/
 doc/docbuild/
+doc/locale/pot
 
 MYMETA.*
 pm_to_blib
diff --git a/doc/conf.py b/doc/conf.py
index 535999a8e74..c3244bff4fe 100644
--- a/doc/conf.py
+++ b/doc/conf.py
@@ -76,6 +76,25 @@
 # The language for content autogenerated by Sphinx. Refer to documentation
 # for a list of supported languages.
 #language = None
+locale_dirs = ['locale/']
+gettext_compact = False
+
+## HACK for Read-the-Docs
+##  Generate .mo files just in time
+if os.environ.get('READTHEDOCS') == 'True':
+  import polib
+  print "Generating .mo files",
+  for locale_dir in locale_dirs:
+    for path, dummy, filenames in os.walk(locale_dir):
+      for filename in filenames:
+        po_file = os.path.join(path, filename)
+        base, ext = os.path.splitext(po_file)
+        if ext == ".po":
+          mo_file = base + ".mo"
+          po = polib.pofile(po_file)
+          po.save_as_mofile(fpath=mo_file)
+  print "done"
+## End of HACK
 
 # There are two options for replacing |today|: either, you set today to some
 # non-false value, then it is used:
diff --git a/doc/pip_requirements.txt b/doc/pip_requirements.txt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..3deddc6a3df
--- /dev/null
+++ b/doc/pip_requirements.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+polib>=1.0.3
+