diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 113b72c64f..00085f4721 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -44,13 +44,6 @@ if (QT_BUILD)
 	add_subdirectory(pcsx2-qt)
 endif()
 
-if(NOT NO_TRANSLATION AND NOT PCSX2_CORE)
-	# make the translation
-	if(EXISTS "${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/locales")
-		add_subdirectory(locales)
-	endif()
-endif()
-
 # tests
 if(ACTUALLY_ENABLE_TESTS)
 	set(gtest_force_shared_crt ON CACHE BOOL "" FORCE)
diff --git a/cmake/Translation.cmake b/cmake/Translation.cmake
index 75c0b4d9bc..370beee7fd 100644
--- a/cmake/Translation.cmake
+++ b/cmake/Translation.cmake
@@ -88,11 +88,8 @@ MACRO(GETTEXT_CREATE_TRANSLATIONS_PCSX2 _potFile _firstPoFileArg)
 		ENDIF (CMAKE_BUILD_PO)
 
 		IF(APPLE)
-			set_source_files_properties(${_moFile} TARGET_DIRECTORY PCSX2 PROPERTIES
-				MACOSX_PACKAGE_LOCATION Resources/locale/${_lang}
-				GENERATED 1
-			)
 			target_sources(PCSX2 PRIVATE ${_moFile})
+			set_source_files_properties(${_moFile} PROPERTIES MACOSX_PACKAGE_LOCATION Resources/locale/${_lang})
 			source_group(Resources/locale/${__lang} FILES ${_moFile})
 		ELSEIF(PACKAGE_MODE)
 			INSTALL(FILES ${_moFile} DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_DATADIR}/PCSX2/resources/locale/${_lang})
@@ -104,12 +101,8 @@ MACRO(GETTEXT_CREATE_TRANSLATIONS_PCSX2 _potFile _firstPoFileArg)
 
 	ENDFOREACH (_currentPoFile)
 
-	if(APPLE)
-		# CMake doesn't properly add dependencies because PCSX2 is not in the same directory as locales
-		add_custom_target(translations_${_potBasename} DEPENDS ${_moFiles})
-		add_dependencies(PCSX2 translations_${_potBasename})
-	ELSEIF(NOT LINUX_PACKAGE)
+	IF(NOT LINUX_PACKAGE AND NOT APPLE)
 		ADD_CUSTOM_TARGET(translations_${_potBasename} ${_addToAll} DEPENDS ${_moFiles})
-	ENDIF()
+	ENDIF(NOT LINUX_PACKAGE AND NOT APPLE)
 
 ENDMACRO(GETTEXT_CREATE_TRANSLATIONS_PCSX2)
diff --git a/locales/CMakeLists.txt b/locales/CMakeLists.txt
deleted file mode 100644
index e2adfa1137..0000000000
--- a/locales/CMakeLists.txt
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,18 +0,0 @@
-# Check that people use the good file
-if(NOT TOP_CMAKE_WAS_SOURCED)
-	message(FATAL_ERROR "
-	You did not 'cmake' the good CMakeLists.txt file. Use the one in the top dir.
-	It is advice to delete all wrongly generated cmake stuff => CMakeFiles & CMakeCache.txt")
-endif(NOT TOP_CMAKE_WAS_SOURCED)
-
-if (GETTEXT_FOUND)
-	include(Translation)
-
-	file (GLOB_RECURSE PO_ICO_FILES ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}}/locales  pcsx2_Iconized.po)
-	file (GLOB_RECURSE PO_MAIN_FILES ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/locales  pcsx2_Main.po)
-
-	# Macro to compile po file and install them
-	GETTEXT_CREATE_TRANSLATIONS_PCSX2(${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/locales/templates/pcsx2_Iconized.pot ALL ${PO_ICO_FILES})
-	GETTEXT_CREATE_TRANSLATIONS_PCSX2(${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/locales/templates/pcsx2_Main.pot     ALL ${PO_MAIN_FILES})
-
-endif (GETTEXT_FOUND)
diff --git a/pcsx2/CMakeLists.txt b/pcsx2/CMakeLists.txt
index eafdf34a9c..9aa04a67c9 100644
--- a/pcsx2/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/pcsx2/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -1646,7 +1646,7 @@ foreach(path IN LISTS RESOURCE_FILES)
 	if (NOT WIN32 AND "${path}" MATCHES "/dx11/") # Don't include unneccessary stuff
 		continue()
 	endif()
-	if ((GETTEXT_FOUND OR NO_TRANSLATION) AND "${path}" MATCHES "/locale/") # Generate locales with gettext instead of copying them from bin
+	if ((GETTEXT_FOUND OR NO_TRANSLATION OR PCSX2_CORE) AND "${path}" MATCHES "/locale/") # Generate locales with gettext instead of copying them from bin
 		continue()
 	endif()
 	pcsx2_resource(${path} ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/bin/resources/)
@@ -1658,6 +1658,20 @@ if (NOT APPLE)
 	)
 endif()
 
+# Translation files
+# CMake is dumb and can't properly associate custom command outputs with targets if they're made in different directories
+# So this has to be here (and not in a CMakeLists.txt file in locales/)
+if(GETTEXT_FOUND AND NOT NO_TRANSLATION AND NOT PCSX2_CORE)
+	include(Translation)
+
+	file(GLOB_RECURSE PO_ICO_FILES  ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/locales/*/pcsx2_Iconized.po)
+	file(GLOB_RECURSE PO_MAIN_FILES ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/locales/*/pcsx2_Main.po)
+
+	# Macro to compile po file and install them
+	GETTEXT_CREATE_TRANSLATIONS_PCSX2(${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/locales/templates/pcsx2_Iconized.pot ALL ${PO_ICO_FILES})
+	GETTEXT_CREATE_TRANSLATIONS_PCSX2(${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/locales/templates/pcsx2_Main.pot     ALL ${PO_MAIN_FILES})
+endif()
+
 if (APPLE)
 	# MacOS defaults to having a maximum protection of the __DATA segment of rw (non-executable)
 	# We have a bunch of page-sized arrays in bss that we use for jit