diff --git a/app/components/LocaleTime.js b/app/components/LocaleTime.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f27c8fc97
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/components/LocaleTime.js
@@ -0,0 +1,81 @@
+// @flow
+import distanceInWordsToNow from "date-fns/distance_in_words_to_now";
+import format from "date-fns/format";
+import * as React from "react";
+import Tooltip from "components/Tooltip";
+import useUserLocale from "hooks/useUserLocale";
+
+const locales = {
+  en: require(`date-fns/locale/en`),
+  de: require(`date-fns/locale/de`),
+  es: require(`date-fns/locale/es`),
+  fr: require(`date-fns/locale/fr`),
+  ko: require(`date-fns/locale/ko`),
+  pt: require(`date-fns/locale/pt`),
+};
+
+let callbacks = [];
+
+// This is a shared timer that fires every minute, used for
+// updating all Time components across the page all at once.
+setInterval(() => {
+  callbacks.forEach((cb) => cb());
+}, 1000 * 60);
+
+function eachMinute(fn) {
+  callbacks.push(fn);
+
+  return () => {
+    callbacks = callbacks.filter((cb) => cb !== fn);
+  };
+}
+
+type Props = {
+  dateTime: string,
+  children?: React.Node,
+  tooltipDelay?: number,
+  addSuffix?: boolean,
+  shorten?: boolean,
+};
+
+function Time({ addSuffix, children, dateTime, shorten, tooltipDelay }: Props) {
+  const userLocale = useUserLocale();
+  const [_, setMinutesMounted] = React.useState(0); // eslint-disable-line no-unused-vars
+  const callback = React.useRef();
+
+  React.useEffect(() => {
+    callback.current = eachMinute(() => {
+      setMinutesMounted((state) => ++state);
+    });
+
+    return () => {
+      if (callback.current) {
+        callback.current();
+      }
+    };
+  }, []);
+
+  let content = distanceInWordsToNow(dateTime, {
+    addSuffix,
+    locale: locales[userLocale],
+  });
+
+  if (shorten) {
+    content = content
+      .replace("about", "")
+      .replace("less than a minute ago", "just now")
+      .replace("minute", "min");
+  }
+
+  return (
+    <Tooltip
+      tooltip={format(dateTime, "MMMM Do, YYYY h:mm a")}
+      delay={tooltipDelay}
+      placement="bottom"
+    >
+      <time dateTime={dateTime}>{children || content}</time>
+    </Tooltip>
+  );
+}
+
+export default Time;
diff --git a/app/components/Time.js b/app/components/Time.js
index 927984eed..a7e562760 100644
--- a/app/components/Time.js
+++ b/app/components/Time.js
@@ -1,24 +1,8 @@
 // @flow
 import distanceInWordsToNow from "date-fns/distance_in_words_to_now";
-import format from "date-fns/format";
 import * as React from "react";
-import Tooltip from "components/Tooltip";
 
-let callbacks = [];
-
-// This is a shared timer that fires every minute, used for
-// updating all Time components across the page all at once.
-setInterval(() => {
-  callbacks.forEach((cb) => cb());
-}, 1000 * 60);
-
-function eachMinute(fn) {
-  callbacks.push(fn);
-
-  return () => {
-    callbacks = callbacks.filter((cb) => cb !== fn);
-  };
-}
+const LocaleTime = React.lazy(() => import("components/LocaleTime"));
 
 type Props = {
   dateTime: string,
@@ -28,44 +12,27 @@ type Props = {
   shorten?: boolean,
 };
 
-class Time extends React.Component<Props> {
-  removeEachMinuteCallback: () => void;
+function Time(props: Props) {
+  let content = distanceInWordsToNow(props.dateTime, {
+    addSuffix: props.addSuffix,
+  });
 
-  componentDidMount() {
-    this.removeEachMinuteCallback = eachMinute(() => {
-      this.forceUpdate();
-    });
+  if (props.shorten) {
+    content = content
+      .replace("about", "")
+      .replace("less than a minute ago", "just now")
+      .replace("minute", "min");
   }
 
-  componentWillUnmount() {
-    this.removeEachMinuteCallback();
-  }
-
-  render() {
-    const { shorten, addSuffix } = this.props;
-    let content = distanceInWordsToNow(this.props.dateTime, {
-      addSuffix,
-    });
-
-    if (shorten) {
-      content = content
-        .replace("about", "")
-        .replace("less than a minute ago", "just now")
-        .replace("minute", "min");
-    }
-
-    return (
-      <Tooltip
-        tooltip={format(this.props.dateTime, "MMMM Do, YYYY h:mm a")}
-        delay={this.props.tooltipDelay}
-        placement="bottom"
-      >
-        <time dateTime={this.props.dateTime}>
-          {this.props.children || content}
-        </time>
-      </Tooltip>
-    );
-  }
+  return (
+    <React.Suspense
+      fallback={
+        <time dateTime={props.dateTime}>{props.children || content}</time>
+      }
+    >
+      <LocaleTime {...props} />
+    </React.Suspense>
+  );
 }
 
 export default Time;
diff --git a/app/hooks/useUserLocale.js b/app/hooks/useUserLocale.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..721fca6e4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/hooks/useUserLocale.js
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+// @flow
+import useStores from "./useStores";
+
+export default function useUserLocale() {
+  const { auth } = useStores();
+
+  if (!auth.user) {
+    return undefined;
+  }
+
+  return auth.user.language.split("_")[0];
+}
diff --git a/server/api/__snapshots__/users.test.js.snap b/server/api/__snapshots__/users.test.js.snap
index 48e01865f..859cb70f5 100644
--- a/server/api/__snapshots__/users.test.js.snap
+++ b/server/api/__snapshots__/users.test.js.snap
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ Object {
     "id": "46fde1d4-0050-428f-9f0b-0bf77f4bdf61",
     "isAdmin": false,
     "isSuspended": false,
-    "language": null,
+    "language": "en_US",
     "lastActiveAt": null,
     "name": "User 1",
   },
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ Object {
     "id": "46fde1d4-0050-428f-9f0b-0bf77f4bdf61",
     "isAdmin": false,
     "isSuspended": false,
-    "language": null,
+    "language": "en_US",
     "lastActiveAt": null,
     "name": "User 1",
   },
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ Object {
     "id": "46fde1d4-0050-428f-9f0b-0bf77f4bdf61",
     "isAdmin": true,
     "isSuspended": false,
-    "language": null,
+    "language": "en_US",
     "lastActiveAt": null,
     "name": "User 1",
   },
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ Object {
     "id": "46fde1d4-0050-428f-9f0b-0bf77f4bdf61",
     "isAdmin": false,
     "isSuspended": true,
-    "language": null,
+    "language": "en_US",
     "lastActiveAt": null,
     "name": "User 1",
   },
diff --git a/server/presenters/__snapshots__/user.test.js.snap b/server/presenters/__snapshots__/user.test.js.snap
index 8f84e53dc..4383924a1 100644
--- a/server/presenters/__snapshots__/user.test.js.snap
+++ b/server/presenters/__snapshots__/user.test.js.snap
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ Object {
   "id": "123",
   "isAdmin": undefined,
   "isSuspended": undefined,
-  "language": undefined,
+  "language": "en_US",
   "lastActiveAt": undefined,
   "name": "Test User",
 }
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ Object {
   "id": "123",
   "isAdmin": undefined,
   "isSuspended": undefined,
-  "language": undefined,
+  "language": "en_US",
   "lastActiveAt": undefined,
   "name": "Test User",
 }
diff --git a/server/presenters/user.js b/server/presenters/user.js
index 9f4ed16f3..0b7f75245 100644
--- a/server/presenters/user.js
+++ b/server/presenters/user.js
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ export default (user: User, options: Options = {}): ?UserPresentation => {
   userData.isAdmin = user.isAdmin;
   userData.isSuspended = user.isSuspended;
   userData.avatarUrl = user.avatarUrl;
-  userData.language = user.language;
+  userData.language = user.language || process.env.DEFAULT_LANGUAGE || "en_US";
 
   if (options.includeDetails) {
     userData.email = user.email;
diff --git a/shared/i18n/index.js b/shared/i18n/index.js
index db73bf459..2f42984fa 100644
--- a/shared/i18n/index.js
+++ b/shared/i18n/index.js
@@ -31,6 +31,9 @@ export const initI18n = () => {
   return i18n;
 };
 
+// Note: Updating the available languages? Make sure to also update the
+// locales array in app/components/LocaleTime.js to enable translation for timestamps.
+
 export const languageOptions = [
   { label: "English (US)", value: "en_US" },
   { label: "Deutsch (Deutschland)", value: "de_DE" },