diff --git a/.cirrus.yml b/.cirrus.yml
index 2064b93d4..bbd06bf52 100644
--- a/.cirrus.yml
+++ b/.cirrus.yml
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ task:
     fingerprint_script: echo Locale && echo $ELECTRUM_IMAGE && cat $ELECTRUM_REQUIREMENTS_CI
   install_script:
     - apt-get update
-    - apt-get -y install gettext
+    - apt-get -y install gettext qttools5-dev-tools
     - pip install -r $ELECTRUM_REQUIREMENTS_CI
     - pip install requests
   locale_script:
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 4cbaf6d22..683c4ce8e 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ $ python3 -m pip install --user -e .
 
 Create translations (optional):
 ```
-$ sudo apt-get install python-requests gettext qttools5-dev-tools
+$ sudo apt-get install python3-requests gettext qttools5-dev-tools
 $ ./contrib/pull_locale
 ```
 
diff --git a/contrib/deterministic-build/electrum-locale b/contrib/deterministic-build/electrum-locale
index 4941c1a92..a87f9a043 160000
--- a/contrib/deterministic-build/electrum-locale
+++ b/contrib/deterministic-build/electrum-locale
@@ -1 +1 @@
-Subproject commit 4941c1a92925f198cb0e8d4334692a09917ffc20
+Subproject commit a87f9a04302682bc23ce13bfa6672c12f0de798f
diff --git a/contrib/pull_locale b/contrib/pull_locale
index 9f2b8536b..8d056e022 100755
--- a/contrib/pull_locale
+++ b/contrib/pull_locale
@@ -1,89 +1,21 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env python3
 import os
 import subprocess
-import io
-import zipfile
-import sys
+import importlib.util
 
-try:
-    import requests
-except ImportError as e:
-    sys.exit(f"Error: {str(e)}. Try 'sudo python3 -m pip install <module-name>'")
+project_root = os.path.abspath(os.path.dirname(os.path.dirname(__file__)))
+locale_path = os.path.join(project_root, "electrum", "locale")
 
-os.chdir(os.path.dirname(os.path.realpath(__file__)))
-os.chdir('..')
+# download latest .po files from crowdin
+locale_update = os.path.join(project_root, "contrib", "deterministic-build", "electrum-locale", "update.py")
+assert os.path.exists(locale_update)
+# load update.py; needlessly complicated alternative to "imp.load_source":
+lu_spec = importlib.util.spec_from_file_location('update', locale_update)
+lu_module = importlib.util.module_from_spec(lu_spec)
+lu_spec.loader.exec_module(lu_module)
 
-cmd = "find electrum -type f -name '*.py' -o -name '*.kv'"
-
-files = subprocess.check_output(cmd, shell=True)
-
-with open("app.fil", "wb") as f:
-    f.write(files)
-
-print("Found {} files to translate".format(len(files.splitlines())))
-
-# Generate fresh translation template
-if not os.path.exists('electrum/locale'):
-    os.mkdir('electrum/locale')
-cmd = 'xgettext -s --from-code UTF-8 --language Python --no-wrap -f app.fil --output=messages.pot'
-print('Generate template')
-os.system(cmd)
-
-# add QML translations
-cmd = "find electrum/gui/qml -type f -name '*.qml'"
-
-files = subprocess.check_output(cmd, shell=True)
-
-with open("qml.lst", "wb") as f:
-    f.write(files)
-
-print("Found {} QML files to translate".format(len(files.splitlines())))
-
-cmd = "lupdate @qml.lst -ts qml.ts"
-print('Collecting strings')
-os.system(cmd)
-
-cmd = "lconvert -of po -o qml.pot qml.ts"
-print('Convert to gettext')
-os.system(cmd)
-
-cmd = "msgcat -u -o electrum/locale/messages.pot messages.pot qml.pot"
-print('Generate template')
-os.system(cmd)
-
-
-
-os.chdir('electrum')
-
-crowdin_identifier = 'electrum'
-crowdin_file_name = 'files[electrum-client/messages.pot]'
-locale_file_name = 'locale/messages.pot'
-
-# Download & unzip
-print('Download translations')
-s = requests.request('GET', 'https://crowdin.com/backend/download/project/' + crowdin_identifier + '.zip').content
-zfobj = zipfile.ZipFile(io.BytesIO(s))
-
-print('Unzip translations')
-for name in zfobj.namelist():
-    if not name.startswith('electrum-client/locale'):
-        continue
-    if name.endswith('/'):
-        if not os.path.exists(name[16:]):
-            os.mkdir(name[16:])
-    else:
-        with open(name[16:], 'wb') as output:
-            output.write(zfobj.read(name))
+lu_module.pull_locale(locale_path)
 
 # Convert .po to .mo
-print('Installing')
-for lang in os.listdir('locale'):
-    if lang.startswith('messages'):
-        continue
-    # Check LC_MESSAGES folder
-    mo_dir = 'locale/%s/LC_MESSAGES' % lang
-    if not os.path.exists(mo_dir):
-        os.mkdir(mo_dir)
-    cmd = 'msgfmt --output-file="%s/electrum.mo" "locale/%s/electrum.po"' % (mo_dir,lang)
-    print('Installing', lang)
-    os.system(cmd)
+subprocess.check_output([f"{project_root}/contrib/build_locale.sh", locale_path, locale_path])
+
diff --git a/contrib/push_locale b/contrib/push_locale
index 6ccfa694a..487058e1b 100755
--- a/contrib/push_locale
+++ b/contrib/push_locale
@@ -6,13 +6,14 @@ import sys
 try:
     import requests
 except ImportError as e:
-    sys.exit(f"Error: {str(e)}. Try 'sudo python3 -m pip install <module-name>'")
+    sys.exit(f"Error: {str(e)}. Try 'python3 -m pip install --user <module-name>'")
 
-os.chdir(os.path.dirname(os.path.realpath(__file__)))
-os.chdir('..')
 
-cmd = "find electrum -type f -name '*.py' -o -name '*.kv'"
+project_root = os.path.abspath(os.path.dirname(os.path.dirname(__file__)))
+
+os.chdir(project_root)
 
+cmd = "find electrum -type f -name '*.py' -o -name '*.kv'"
 files = subprocess.check_output(cmd, shell=True)
 
 with open("app.fil", "wb") as f:
@@ -24,10 +25,33 @@ print("Found {} files to translate".format(len(files.splitlines())))
 if not os.path.exists('electrum/locale'):
     os.mkdir('electrum/locale')
 print('Generating template...')
-cmd = 'xgettext -s --from-code UTF-8 --language Python --no-wrap -f app.fil --output=electrum/locale/messages.pot'
+cmd = 'xgettext -s --from-code UTF-8 --language Python --no-wrap -f app.fil --output=messages.pot'
+subprocess.check_output(cmd, shell=True)
+
+
+# add QML translations
+cmd = "find electrum/gui/qml -type f -name '*.qml'"
+files = subprocess.check_output(cmd, shell=True)
+
+with open("qml.lst", "wb") as f:
+    f.write(files)
+
+print("Found {} QML files to translate".format(len(files.splitlines())))
+
+cmd = "lupdate @qml.lst -ts qml.ts"
+print('Collecting strings')
+subprocess.check_output(cmd, shell=True)
+
+cmd = "lconvert -of po -o qml.pot qml.ts"
+print('Convert to gettext')
+subprocess.check_output(cmd, shell=True)
+
+cmd = "msgcat -u -o electrum/locale/messages.pot messages.pot qml.pot"
+print('Generate template')
 subprocess.check_output(cmd, shell=True)
 
-os.chdir('electrum')
+
+os.chdir(os.path.join(project_root, "electrum"))
 
 crowdin_api_key = None
 
diff --git a/contrib/release.sh b/contrib/release.sh
index cb325bdea..34d1fa3ab 100755
--- a/contrib/release.sh
+++ b/contrib/release.sh
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@
 #
 # Note: steps before doing a new release:
 # - update locale:
-#     1. cd /opt/electrum-locale && ./update && git push
+#     1. cd /opt/electrum-locale && ./update.py && git push
 #     2. cd to the submodule dir, and git pull
 #     3. cd .. && git push
 # - update RELEASE-NOTES and version.py