diff --git a/apps/desktop/src/i18n/runtime.ts b/apps/desktop/src/i18n/runtime.ts
index b9276aaf9651..71d2162c15fc 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/src/i18n/runtime.ts
+++ b/apps/desktop/src/i18n/runtime.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { TRANSLATIONS } from './catalog'
 import { DEFAULT_LOCALE } from './languages'
-import type { Locale, Translations } from './types'
+import type { Locale } from './types'
 
 let runtimeLocale: Locale = DEFAULT_LOCALE
 
@@ -8,17 +8,13 @@ function isRecord(value: unknown): value is Record<string, unknown> {
   return typeof value === 'object' && value !== null && !Array.isArray(value)
 }
 
-function resolvePath(catalog: Translations, key: string): unknown {
-  return key.split('.').reduce<unknown>((current, part) => {
-    if (!isRecord(current)) {
-      return undefined
-    }
-
-    return current[part]
-  }, catalog)
+/** Walk a dot-path (`a.b.c`) into a nested message tree. */
+function resolvePath(source: unknown, key: string): unknown {
+  return key.split('.').reduce<unknown>((current, part) => (isRecord(current) ? current[part] : undefined), source)
 }
 
-function renderTranslation(value: unknown, args: unknown[]): string | null {
+/** A string is returned as-is, a function is called with `args`, else `null`. */
+function render(value: unknown, args: unknown[]): null | string {
   if (typeof value === 'string') {
     return value
   }
@@ -30,19 +26,22 @@ function renderTranslation(value: unknown, args: unknown[]): string | null {
   return null
 }
 
-export function setRuntimeI18nLocale(locale: Locale) {
-  runtimeLocale = locale
-}
-
-export function translateNow(key: string, ...args: unknown[]): string {
-  const active = renderTranslation(resolvePath(TRANSLATIONS[runtimeLocale], key), args)
+/** The active → DEFAULT → key resolution every translator shares. `source`
+ *  yields a message tree per locale — the app catalog, or a plugin's bundles. */
+export function translateFrom(
+  source: (locale: Locale) => unknown,
+  locale: Locale,
+  key: string,
+  args: unknown[]
+): string {
+  const active = render(resolvePath(source(locale), key), args)
 
   if (active !== null) {
     return active
   }
 
-  if (runtimeLocale !== DEFAULT_LOCALE) {
-    const fallback = renderTranslation(resolvePath(TRANSLATIONS[DEFAULT_LOCALE], key), args)
+  if (locale !== DEFAULT_LOCALE) {
+    const fallback = render(resolvePath(source(DEFAULT_LOCALE), key), args)
 
     if (fallback !== null) {
       return fallback
@@ -51,3 +50,17 @@ export function translateNow(key: string, ...args: unknown[]): string {
 
   return key
 }
+
+export function setRuntimeI18nLocale(locale: Locale) {
+  runtimeLocale = locale
+}
+
+/** The locale module-level translators resolve against (the app's active
+ *  `display.language`). Plugin `ctx.i18n.t` reads this too. */
+export function getRuntimeI18nLocale(): Locale {
+  return runtimeLocale
+}
+
+export function translateNow(key: string, ...args: unknown[]): string {
+  return translateFrom(locale => TRANSLATIONS[locale], runtimeLocale, key, args)
+}