diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 27e8887..98e195a 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -335,16 +335,6 @@ AM_GLIB_GNU_GETTEXT
 
 # INTLLIBS is now set
 
-# (if someone wants to go through and make internationalization 
-#  conditional with #ifdef ENABLE_NLS then go crazy and send us a patch, 
-#  but right now we won't build without gettext)
-if test "$gt_cv_have_gettext" != "yes" ; then
-  AC_MSG_ERROR([
-*** You must have either have gettext support in your C library, or use the 
-*** GNU gettext library. (http://www.gnu.org/software/gettext/gettext.html
-])
-fi
-
 #### Sort out XML library
 
 # see what we have
diff --git a/dbus/dbus-glib.c b/dbus/dbus-glib.c
index a6a717f..baa4fe2 100644
--- a/dbus/dbus-glib.c
+++ b/dbus/dbus-glib.c
@@ -29,8 +29,12 @@
 #include "dbus-gobject.h"
 #include <string.h>
 
+#ifdef ENABLE_NLS
 #include <libintl.h>
 #define _(x) dgettext (GETTEXT_PACKAGE, x)
+#else
+#define _(x) (x)
+#endif
 #define N_(x) x
 
 
diff --git a/dbus/dbus-gmain.c b/dbus/dbus-gmain.c
index 6823d5c..aa28ff4 100644
--- a/dbus/dbus-gmain.c
+++ b/dbus/dbus-gmain.c
@@ -33,8 +33,12 @@
 #include "dbus-gsignature.h"
 #include <string.h>
 
+#ifdef ENABLE_NLS
 #include <libintl.h>
 #define _(x) dgettext (GETTEXT_PACKAGE, x)
+#else
+#define _(x) (x)
+#endif
 #define N_(x) x
 
 /**
diff --git a/dbus/dbus-gproxy.c b/dbus/dbus-gproxy.c
index c683b44..5cf86cd 100644
--- a/dbus/dbus-gproxy.c
+++ b/dbus/dbus-gproxy.c
@@ -30,7 +30,11 @@
 #include "dbus-gvalue-utils.h"
 #include "dbus-gobject.h"
 #include <string.h>
+#ifdef ENABLE_NLS
 #include <glib/gi18n.h>
+#else
+#define _(x) (x)
+#endif
 #include <gobject/gvaluecollector.h>
 #include <gio/gio.h>
 
diff --git a/dbus/dbus-gvalue.c b/dbus/dbus-gvalue.c
index 014e957..55a1f0e 100644
--- a/dbus/dbus-gvalue.c
+++ b/dbus/dbus-gvalue.c
@@ -31,7 +31,11 @@
 #include "dbus/dbus-glib.h"
 #include <string.h>
 #include <glib.h>
+#ifdef ENABLE_NLS
 #include <glib/gi18n.h>
+#else
+#define _(x) (x)
+#endif
 #include "dbus/dbus-signature.h"
 
 /* Seems reasonable, but this should probably be part of the standard protocol */