diff --git a/src/app/routes/__root.tsx b/src/app/routes/__root.tsx
index b9eb8f0..3c20be8 100644
--- a/src/app/routes/__root.tsx
+++ b/src/app/routes/__root.tsx
@@ -18,7 +18,13 @@ import { ColorSchemeScript, mantineHtmlProps } from "@mantine/core";
 import { HeaderConfig } from "@/features/core/types/header-config";
 import { playerQueries } from "@/features/players/queries";
 import { ensureServerQueryData } from "@/lib/tanstack-query/utils/ensure";
-import { DEFAULT_LOCALE, ensureMessages, resolveLocale } from "@/lib/i18n";
+import {
+  DEFAULT_LOCALE,
+  ensureMessages,
+  getCachedMessages,
+  i18nMessagesQueryKey,
+  resolveLocale,
+} from "@/lib/i18n";
 import { getRootMeta } from "@/lib/i18n/meta";
 import FullScreenLoader from "@/components/full-screen-loader";
 import { CHROME_COLORS } from "@/lib/mantine/theme-colors";
@@ -132,7 +138,16 @@ export const Route = createRootRouteWithContext<{
         context.queryClient,
         playerQueries.auth()
       );
-      await ensureMessages(resolveLocale(auth?.metadata?.locale));
+      const locale = resolveLocale(auth?.metadata?.locale);
+      await ensureMessages(locale);
+      // Dehydrate the catalog with the page so the client hydrates in the
+      // active locale instead of falling back to en until a chunk loads.
+      if (typeof window === "undefined" && locale !== DEFAULT_LOCALE) {
+        context.queryClient.setQueryData(
+          i18nMessagesQueryKey(locale),
+          getCachedMessages(locale)
+        );
+      }
       return { auth };
     } catch (error: any) {
       if (isRedirect(error) || error instanceof Response) throw error;
diff --git a/src/lib/i18n/index.ts b/src/lib/i18n/index.ts
index d73d472..af9eafa 100644
--- a/src/lib/i18n/index.ts
+++ b/src/lib/i18n/index.ts
@@ -32,6 +32,8 @@ export function resolveLocale(candidate: string | null | undefined): AppLocale {
     : DEFAULT_LOCALE;
 }
 
+const inflightLoads: Partial<Record<AppLocale, Promise<Messages>>> = {};
+
 export async function ensureMessages(locale: AppLocale): Promise<Messages> {
   const cached = messageCache[locale];
   if (cached) return cached;
@@ -39,11 +41,27 @@ export async function ensureMessages(locale: AppLocale): Promise<Messages> {
   const loader = catalogLoaders[`/src/locales/${locale}/messages.po`];
   if (!loader) return messageCache[DEFAULT_LOCALE]!;
 
-  const { messages } = await loader();
-  messageCache[locale] = messages;
-  return messages;
+  // Dedupe concurrent loads; a rejected load is dropped so a retry can succeed.
+  const pending = (inflightLoads[locale] ??= loader()
+    .then(({ messages }) => {
+      messageCache[locale] = messages;
+      return messages;
+    })
+    .finally(() => {
+      delete inflightLoads[locale];
+    }));
+  return pending;
 }
 
+export function primeMessages(locale: AppLocale, messages: Messages) {
+  messageCache[locale] ??= messages;
+}
+
+// Seeded into the SSR-dehydrated query cache so hydration renders the active
+// locale without depending on a client-side catalog chunk load.
+export const i18nMessagesQueryKey = (locale: AppLocale) =>
+  ["i18n-messages", locale] as const;
+
 export function getCachedMessages(locale: AppLocale): Messages {
   return messageCache[locale] ?? messageCache[DEFAULT_LOCALE]!;
 }
diff --git a/src/lib/i18n/provider.tsx b/src/lib/i18n/provider.tsx
index 424aef5..312a653 100644
--- a/src/lib/i18n/provider.tsx
+++ b/src/lib/i18n/provider.tsx
@@ -1,11 +1,14 @@
 import { useEffect, useMemo, useState } from "react";
-import { useQuery } from "@tanstack/react-query";
+import { useQuery, useQueryClient } from "@tanstack/react-query";
 import { I18nProvider } from "@lingui/react";
+import type { Messages } from "@lingui/core";
 import { playerQueries } from "@/features/players/queries";
 import {
   createI18n,
   ensureMessages,
   hasCachedMessages,
+  i18nMessagesQueryKey,
+  primeMessages,
   resolveLocale,
 } from "@/lib/i18n";
 
@@ -29,27 +32,49 @@ export const LinguiProvider = ({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) => {
     refetchOnWindowFocus: false,
   });
 
+  const queryClient = useQueryClient();
   const locale = resolveLocale(data?.metadata?.locale);
   const [catalogVersion, setCatalogVersion] = useState(0);
 
   // Fresh instance per locale (and per SSR request tree). __root beforeLoad
-  // preloads the catalog on authed routes; on public routes (login) it may
-  // not be cached yet — createI18n falls back to en until the effect below
-  // loads it and bumps catalogVersion.
+  // dehydrates the active locale's catalog with the page, so hydration primes
+  // it from the query cache and never regresses to en for the SSR'd locale.
+  // Public routes (login) may still lack it — createI18n falls back to en
+  // until the effect below loads it and bumps catalogVersion.
   const i18n = useMemo(
-    () => createI18n(locale),
+    () => {
+      if (!hasCachedMessages(locale)) {
+        const seeded = queryClient.getQueryData<Messages>(
+          i18nMessagesQueryKey(locale)
+        );
+        if (seeded) primeMessages(locale, seeded);
+      }
+      return createI18n(locale);
+    },
     // eslint-disable-next-line react-hooks/exhaustive-deps
-    [locale, catalogVersion]
+    [locale, catalogVersion, queryClient]
   );
 
   useEffect(() => {
     if (hasCachedMessages(locale)) return;
     let cancelled = false;
-    ensureMessages(locale).then(() => {
-      if (!cancelled) setCatalogVersion((v) => v + 1);
-    });
+    let retryTimer: ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | undefined;
+    // A failed chunk load must not strand the UI in en — retry until the
+    // catalog arrives or the locale changes.
+    const load = () => {
+      ensureMessages(locale).then(
+        () => {
+          if (!cancelled) setCatalogVersion((v) => v + 1);
+        },
+        () => {
+          if (!cancelled) retryTimer = setTimeout(load, 3000);
+        }
+      );
+    };
+    load();
     return () => {
       cancelled = true;
+      if (retryTimer) clearTimeout(retryTimer);
     };
   }, [locale]);