diff --git a/lib/SimpleSAML/Locale/Language.php b/lib/SimpleSAML/Locale/Language.php
index ded7eeb7c43ba07f7c7a504bcb50e60a51dd1ff6..8cc20565102c2ea48986ab7bd4599b5b22447d56 100644
--- a/lib/SimpleSAML/Locale/Language.php
+++ b/lib/SimpleSAML/Locale/Language.php
@@ -125,7 +125,6 @@ class Language
      */
     private $languagePosixMapping = array(
         'no' => 'nb_NO',
-        'en' => 'en_US',
         'nn' => 'nn_NO',
     );
 
diff --git a/lib/SimpleSAML/Locale/Localization.php b/lib/SimpleSAML/Locale/Localization.php
index fb47b808bfcbce6f943c4bc9d205421b880c528b..02201a01cfc44ade9b2fc0ae0ddcd770b43a2513 100644
--- a/lib/SimpleSAML/Locale/Localization.php
+++ b/lib/SimpleSAML/Locale/Localization.php
@@ -30,17 +30,12 @@ class Localization
     /**
      * Old internationalization backend included in SimpleSAMLphp.
      */
-    const OLD_I18N_BACKEND = 'SimpleSAMLphp';
-
-    /**
-     * PHP's native internationalization backend (gettext).
-     */
-    const NATIVE_I18_NBACKEND = 'ext-intl';
+    const SSP_I18N_BACKEND = 'SimpleSAMLphp';
 
     /**
      * An internationalization backend implemented purely in PHP.
      */
-    const PHP_I18N_BACKEND = 'gettext/gettext';
+    const GETTEXT_I18N_BACKEND = 'gettext/gettext';
 
     /*
      * The default locale directory
@@ -74,7 +69,7 @@ class Localization
         $this->localeDir = $this->configuration->resolvePath('locales');
         $this->language = new Language($configuration);
         $this->langcode = $this->language->getPosixLanguage($this->language->getLanguage());
-        $this->i18nBackend = $this->configuration->getString('language.i18n.backend', null);
+        $this->i18nBackend = $this->configuration->getString('language.i18n.backend', self::SSP_I18N_BACKEND);
         $this->setupL10N();
     }
 
@@ -169,7 +164,7 @@ class Localization
      */
     public function isI18NBackendDefault()
     {
-        if ($this->i18nBackend === $this::OLD_I18N_BACKEND) {
+        if ($this->i18nBackend === $this::SSP_I18N_BACKEND) {
             return true;
         }
         return false;
@@ -181,20 +176,14 @@ class Localization
      */
     private function setupL10N()
     {
-        switch ($this->i18nBackend) {
-            case self::OLD_I18N_BACKEND: // use old system
-                \SimpleSAML\Logger::debug("Localization: using old system");
-                return;
-            case self::NATIVE_I18_NBACKEND:
-                putenv('LC_ALL='.$this->langcode);
-                putenv('LANGUAGE='.$this->langcode);
-                setlocale(LC_ALL, $this->langcode);
-                // continue to add the domain
-            default:
-                // setup default domain
-                $this->addDomain($this->localeDir, self::DEFAULT_DOMAIN);
-                $this->activateDomain(self::DEFAULT_DOMAIN);
+        if ($this->i18nBackend === self::SSP_I18N_BACKEND) {
+            \SimpleSAML\Logger::debug("Localization: using old system");
+            return;
         }
+
+        // setup default domain
+        $this->addDomain($this->localeDir, self::DEFAULT_DOMAIN);
+        $this->activateDomain(self::DEFAULT_DOMAIN);
     }
 
     /**
@@ -213,15 +202,9 @@ class Localization
      */
     public function activateDomain($domain)
     {
-        if ($this->i18nBackend === 'ext-intl') {
-            bindtextdomain($domain, $this->localeDir);
-            bind_textdomain_codeset($domain, 'UTF-8');
-            textdomain($domain);
-        } else {
-            \SimpleSAML\Logger::debug("Localization: activate domain");
-            $this->loadGettextGettextFromPO($domain);
-            $this->currentDomain = $domain;
-        }
+        \SimpleSAML\Logger::debug("Localization: activate domain");
+        $this->loadGettextGettextFromPO($domain);
+        $this->currentDomain = $domain;
     }
 
 
diff --git a/lib/SimpleSAML/Locale/Translate.php b/lib/SimpleSAML/Locale/Translate.php
index 1480ee0cbbd87e337c35717a06233e27a61fd5ed..c75c53143050dec1ebc6a78d81b1405578170bd4 100644
--- a/lib/SimpleSAML/Locale/Translate.php
+++ b/lib/SimpleSAML/Locale/Translate.php
@@ -469,7 +469,7 @@ class Translate
     }
 
 
-    public static function translateSingularPHPGettext($original)
+    public static function translateSingularGettext($original)
     {
         $text = \Gettext\BaseTranslator::$current->gettext($original);
 
@@ -483,7 +483,7 @@ class Translate
     }
 
 
-    public static function translatePluralPHPGettext($original, $plural, $value)
+    public static function translatePluralGettext($original, $plural, $value)
     {
         $text = \Gettext\BaseTranslator::$current->ngettext($original, $plural, $value);
 
@@ -495,32 +495,4 @@ class Translate
 
         return strtr($text, is_array($args[0]) ? $args[0] : $args);
     }
-
-
-    public static function translateSingularNativeGettext($original)
-    {
-        $text = gettext($original);
-
-        if (func_num_args() === 1) {
-            return $text;
-        }
-
-        $args = array_slice(func_get_args(), 1);
-
-        return strtr($text, is_array($args[0]) ? $args[0] : $args);
-    }
-
-
-    public static function translatePluralNativeGettext($original, $plural, $value)
-    {
-        $text = ngettext($original, $plural, $value);
-
-        if (func_num_args() === 3) {
-            return $text;
-        }
-
-        $args = array_slice(func_get_args(), 3);
-
-        return strtr($text, is_array($args[0]) ? $args[0] : $args);
-    }
 }
diff --git a/lib/SimpleSAML/XHTML/Template.php b/lib/SimpleSAML/XHTML/Template.php
index d7c089ee285c07c9ba0fb15ddda4411b12abeea0..35b740c4a06d88f9f19d699f4c998cb55f3e6d8d 100644
--- a/lib/SimpleSAML/XHTML/Template.php
+++ b/lib/SimpleSAML/XHTML/Template.php
@@ -173,11 +173,11 @@ class SimpleSAML_XHTML_Template
         );
 
         // set up translation
-        if ($this->localization->i18nBackend === 'gettext/gettext') {
-            $options['translation_function'] = array('\SimpleSAML\Locale\Translate', 'translateSingularPHPGettext');
+        if ($this->localization->i18nBackend === \SimpleSAML\Locale\Localization::GETTEXT_I18N_BACKEND) {
+            $options['translation_function'] = array('\SimpleSAML\Locale\Translate', 'translateSingularGettext');
             $options['translation_function_plural'] = array(
                 '\SimpleSAML\Locale\Translate',
-                'translatePluralPHPGettext'
+                'translatePluralGettext'
             );
         } // TODO: add a branch for the old SimpleSAMLphp backend
 
@@ -289,7 +289,7 @@ class SimpleSAML_XHTML_Template
      */
     private function twigDefaultContext()
     {
-        $this->data['localeBackend'] = $this->configuration->getString('language.i18n.backend', 'ssp');
+        $this->data['localeBackend'] = $this->configuration->getString('language.i18n.backend', 'SimpleSAMLphp');
         $this->data['currentLanguage'] = $this->translator->getLanguage()->getLanguage();
         // show language bar by default
         if (!isset($this->data['hideLanguageBar'])) {
diff --git a/templates/sandbox.twig b/templates/sandbox.twig
index 4c82ae861198016fc9ace6fa2c535c3b1574b64b..316c855cfba98e398a8237ed4dc77567505efdf5 100644
--- a/templates/sandbox.twig
+++ b/templates/sandbox.twig
@@ -16,13 +16,11 @@
     <h2>Localization</h2>
     {% set variable = 'Hello, Untranslated World!' %}
     <p>SimpleSAMLphp lets you choose which translation backend to choose, thanks to the
-        <code>language.i18n.backend</code> configuration option. Three possible values are supported there:
+        <code>language.i18n.backend</code> configuration option. Two possible values are supported there:
     </p>
     <ul>
         <li><code>SimpleSAMLphp</code>: to keep using the old SimpleSAMLphp translation system. This is the
             default, and will disappear as an option in SimpleSAMLphp 2.0.</li>
-        <li><code>ext-intl</code>: to use PHP's native <em>gettext</em> implementation. Bear in mind that using this
-            will require you to install the locales of the languages you are planning to use, system-wide.</li>
         <li><code>gettext/gettext</code>: to use a <em>gettext</em> implementation written entirely in PHP, allowing
             you to use any locale, no matter if they are installed on the system or not.</li>
     </ul>