diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 07b71d945d..fe7a38b8b7 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -55,7 +55,6 @@ option (DISABLE_NLS "do not use Native Language Support" OFF)
 option (DISABLE_DEPRECATED_GLIB "don't use deprecated glib functions" OFF)
 option (DISABLE_DEPRECATED_GTK "don't use deprecated gtk, gdk or gdk-pixbuf functions" OFF)
 option (DISABLE_DEPRECATED_GNOME "don't use deprecated gnome functions" OFF)
-option (ALLOW_OLD_GETTEXT "allow to configure build with a gettext version older than 0.19.6. Some files will not be translated!" OFF)
 # ############################################################
 
 # These are also settable from the command line in a similar way.
@@ -269,26 +268,27 @@ find_path (REGEX_INCLUDE_PATH NAMES regex.h
 find_library (REGEX_LIBRARY NAMES regex)
 
 # I18N
-if (ALLOW_OLD_GETTEXT)
-    find_package (Gettext REQUIRED)
-else()
-    find_package (Gettext 0.20)
-    if (NOT GETTEXT_FOUND)
-        message (FATAL_ERROR "Note the build can be configured with an older version of gettext by setting ALLOW_OLD_GETTEXT=ON but then some files will not be translated:
-        - gnucash.desktop (requires at least gettext 0.19)
-        - gnucash.appdata.xml (requires at least gettext 0.19.6)
-        - tag developer_name from gnucash.appdata.xml (requires at least gettext 0.20)")
-    endif()
-endif()
+# Potfile generation will only be enabled if building from a git worktree
+set (BUILD_GNUCASH_POT ${BUILDING_FROM_VCS})
+set (TRANSLATE_GNUCASH_APPDATA ON)
+set (TRANSLATE_GNUCASH_DESKTOP ON)
 
-if (${GETTEXT_VERSION_STRING} VERSION_LESS 0.19)
-    message (WARNING "Got gettext version ${GETTEXT_VERSION_STRING}, however you need at least gettext version 0.19 in order to handle translation of the gnucash.desktop file. The build will be configured with an untranslated gnucash.desktop file.")
+find_package (Gettext 0.18.1 REQUIRED)
+if (${GETTEXT_VERSION_STRING} VERSION_LESS 0.20)
+    message (WARNING "Gettext version 0.20 or more recent is required to translate the 'developer_name' tag in gnucash.appdata.xml. All but that tag will be translated in the generated file.")
+    if(BUILD_GNUCASH_POT)
+        # Only emit warning if potfile generation was enabled otherwise
+        message (WARNING "Gettext version 0.20 or more recent is required to extract all translatable strings. Potfile generation will be disabled.")
+    endif()
+    set (BUILD_GNUCASH_POT OFF)
 endif()
 if (${GETTEXT_VERSION_STRING} VERSION_LESS 0.19.6)
-    message (WARNING "Got gettext version ${GETTEXT_VERSION_STRING}, however you need at least gettext version 0.19.6 in order to handle translation of the gnucash.appdata file. The build will be configured with an untranslated gnucash.appdata file.")
+    set (TRANSLATE_GNUCASH_APPDATA OFF)
+    message (WARNING "Gettext version 0.19.6 or more recent is required to translate gnucash.appdata.xml. The build will be configured to generate an untranslated gnucash.appdata.xml.")
 endif()
-if (${GETTEXT_VERSION_STRING} VERSION_LESS 0.20)
-    message (WARNING "Got gettext version ${GETTEXT_VERSION_STRING}, however you need at least gettext version 0.20 in order to handle the translation of 'GnuCash Project' from the gnucash.appdata file. That message will be missing in gnucash.pot.")
+if (${GETTEXT_VERSION_STRING} VERSION_LESS 0.19)
+    set (TRANSLATE_GNUCASH_DESKTOP OFF)
+    message (WARNING "Gettext version 0.19 or more recent is required to translate gnucash.desktop. The build will be configured to generate an untranslated gnucash.desktop.")
 endif()
 
 find_path (LIBINTL_INCLUDE_PATH NAMES libintl.h
diff --git a/gnucash/gnome/CMakeLists.txt b/gnucash/gnome/CMakeLists.txt
index 727f91df6a..7a05b38b09 100644
--- a/gnucash/gnome/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/gnucash/gnome/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -161,18 +161,7 @@ DEPENDS ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/gnucash.appdata.xml.in.in ${VCS_INFO_FILE}
                              -D SRC_DIR=${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}
                              -P ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/cmake/configure-appdata.cmake)
 
-if (${GETTEXT_VERSION_STRING} VERSION_LESS 0.19.6)
-    # Gettext is too old to be able to merge an appdata file.
-    # Fall back to providing an unmerged (and hence untranslated) appdata file.
-    add_custom_command (
-        OUTPUT gnucash.appdata.xml
-        COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E copy_if_different
-           ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/gnucash.appdata.xml.in
-           ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/gnucash.appdata.xml
-
-        DEPENDS ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/gnucash.appdata.xml.in ${VCS_INFO_FILE}
-        )
-else()
+if (TRANSLATE_GNUCASH_APPDATA)
     # FIXME: where does LC_ALL=C come from?
     add_custom_command (
         OUTPUT gnucash.appdata.xml
@@ -182,8 +171,17 @@ else()
                 --xml --template ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/gnucash.appdata.xml.in
                 -d ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/po
                 -o gnucash.appdata.xml
-        DEPENDS ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/gnucash.appdata.xml.in ${VCS_INFO_FILE}
-    )
+        DEPENDS ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/gnucash.appdata.xml.in ${VCS_INFO_FILE})
+else()
+    # Gettext is too old to be able to merge an appdata file.
+    # Fall back to providing an unmerged (and hence untranslated) appdata file.
+    add_custom_command (
+        OUTPUT gnucash.appdata.xml
+        COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E copy_if_different
+           ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/gnucash.appdata.xml.in
+           ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/gnucash.appdata.xml
+
+        DEPENDS ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/gnucash.appdata.xml.in ${VCS_INFO_FILE})
 endif()
 
 add_custom_target(gnucash-appdata ALL DEPENDS ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/gnucash.appdata.xml)
@@ -194,12 +192,7 @@ install(FILES ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/gnucash.appdata.xml DESTINATION  ${CMA
 
 configure_file(gnucash.desktop.in.in gnucash.desktop.in)
 
-if (${GETTEXT_VERSION_STRING} VERSION_LESS 0.19)
-    # Gettext is too old to be able to merge a desktop file.
-    # Fall back to providing an unmerged (and hence untranslated) desktop file.
-    configure_file (${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/gnucash.desktop.in
-                    ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/gnucash.desktop COPYONLY)
-else()
+if (TRANSLATE_GNUCASH_DESKTOP)
     add_custom_command (
         OUTPUT gnucash.desktop
         COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} -E env
@@ -208,8 +201,12 @@ else()
                 --desktop --template gnucash.desktop.in
                 -d ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/po
                 -o gnucash.desktop
-        DEPENDS ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/gnucash.desktop.in
-    )
+        DEPENDS ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/gnucash.desktop.in)
+else()
+    # Gettext is too old to be able to merge a desktop file.
+    # Fall back to providing an unmerged (and hence untranslated) desktop file.
+    configure_file (${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/gnucash.desktop.in
+                    ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/gnucash.desktop COPYONLY)
 endif()
 
 add_custom_target(gnucash-desktop ALL DEPENDS ${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/gnucash.desktop)
diff --git a/po/CMakeLists.txt b/po/CMakeLists.txt
index 25aa9a6a8b..47092ce071 100644
--- a/po/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/po/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -132,7 +132,7 @@ function(make_gnucash_potfiles)
   set(gnucash_pot_depends ${POTFILE_DEPS}  CACHE INTERNAL "List of files with translatable strings. If any of these change, gnucash.pot should be regenerated")
 endfunction()
 
-if(BUILDING_FROM_VCS)
+if(BUILD_GNUCASH_POT)
 
   make_gnucash_potfiles()