diff --git a/core/modules/locale/config/locale.settings.yml b/core/modules/locale/config/locale.settings.yml
index 11c964ac289..740961bfe82 100644
--- a/core/modules/locale/config/locale.settings.yml
+++ b/core/modules/locale/config/locale.settings.yml
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 cache_strings: true
+translate_english: false
 javascript:
   directory: languages
 translation:
diff --git a/core/modules/locale/config/schema/locale.schema.yml b/core/modules/locale/config/schema/locale.schema.yml
index 029a179cf2a..a5e1a853cc4 100644
--- a/core/modules/locale/config/schema/locale.schema.yml
+++ b/core/modules/locale/config/schema/locale.schema.yml
@@ -7,6 +7,9 @@ locale.settings:
     cache_strings:
       type: boolean
       label: 'Cache strings'
+    translate_english:
+      type: boolean
+      label: 'Enable English translation'
     javascript:
       type: mapping
       label: 'JavaScript settings'
diff --git a/core/modules/locale/lib/Drupal/locale/LocaleTranslation.php b/core/modules/locale/lib/Drupal/locale/LocaleTranslation.php
index ac2b6303924..b0983deb603 100644
--- a/core/modules/locale/lib/Drupal/locale/LocaleTranslation.php
+++ b/core/modules/locale/lib/Drupal/locale/LocaleTranslation.php
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
 namespace Drupal\locale;
 
 use Drupal\Core\Cache\CacheBackendInterface;
+use Drupal\Core\Config\ConfigFactory;
 use Drupal\Core\DestructableInterface;
 use Drupal\Core\Language\Language;
 use Drupal\Core\Lock\LockBackendAbstract;
@@ -31,6 +32,13 @@ class LocaleTranslation implements TranslatorInterface, DestructableInterface {
    */
   protected $storage;
 
+  /**
+   * The configuration factory.
+   *
+   * @var \Drupal\Core\Config\ConfigFactory
+   */
+  protected $configFactory;
+
   /**
    * Cached translations
    *
@@ -63,11 +71,14 @@ class LocaleTranslation implements TranslatorInterface, DestructableInterface {
    *   The cache backend.
    * @param \Drupal\Core\Lock\LockBackendInterface $lock
    *   The lock backend.
+   * @param \Drupal\Core\Config\ConfigFactory $config_factory
+   *   The config factory.
    */
-  public function __construct(StringStorageInterface $storage, CacheBackendInterface $cache, LockBackendInterface $lock) {
+  public function __construct(StringStorageInterface $storage, CacheBackendInterface $cache, LockBackendInterface $lock, ConfigFactory $config_factory) {
     $this->storage = $storage;
     $this->cache = $cache;
     $this->lock = $lock;
+    $this->configFactory = $config_factory;
   }
 
   /**
@@ -75,7 +86,8 @@ class LocaleTranslation implements TranslatorInterface, DestructableInterface {
    */
   public function getStringTranslation($langcode, $string, $context) {
     // If the language is not suitable for locale module, just return.
-    if ($langcode == Language::LANGCODE_SYSTEM || ($langcode == 'en' && !variable_get('locale_translate_english', FALSE))) {
+    $translate_english = $this->configFactory->get('locale.settings')->get('translate_english');
+    if ($langcode == Language::LANGCODE_SYSTEM || ($langcode == 'en' && !$translate_english)) {
       return FALSE;
     }
     // Strings are cached by langcode, context and roles, using instances of the
diff --git a/core/modules/locale/locale.module b/core/modules/locale/locale.module
index 5817e1b7164..ae37daf800a 100644
--- a/core/modules/locale/locale.module
+++ b/core/modules/locale/locale.module
@@ -818,7 +818,7 @@ function locale_form_language_admin_edit_form_alter(&$form, &$form_state) {
  * Form submission handler for language_admin_edit_form().
  */
 function locale_form_language_admin_edit_form_alter_submit($form, $form_state) {
-  variable_set('locale_translate_english', $form_state['values']['locale_translate_english']);
+  \Drupal::config('locale.settings')->set('translate_english', intval($form_state['values']['locale_translate_english']))->save();
 }
 
 /**
@@ -828,7 +828,7 @@ function locale_form_language_admin_edit_form_alter_submit($form, $form_state) {
  *   Returns TRUE if content should be translated to English, FALSE otherwise.
  */
 function locale_translate_english() {
-  return variable_get('locale_translate_english', FALSE);
+  return \Drupal::config('locale.settings')->get('translate_english');
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/core/modules/locale/locale.services.yml b/core/modules/locale/locale.services.yml
index f63270474fe..776cb3bb501 100644
--- a/core/modules/locale/locale.services.yml
+++ b/core/modules/locale/locale.services.yml
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ services:
     arguments: ['@database']
   string_translator.locale.lookup:
     class: Drupal\locale\LocaleTranslation
-    arguments: ['@locale.storage', '@cache.cache', '@lock']
+    arguments: ['@locale.storage', '@cache.cache', '@lock', '@config.factory']
     tags:
       - { name: string_translator }
       - { name: needs_destruction }
diff --git a/core/modules/locale/tests/Drupal/locale/Tests/LocaleTranslationTest.php b/core/modules/locale/tests/Drupal/locale/Tests/LocaleTranslationTest.php
index f66024ec488..e82d0e01bad 100644
--- a/core/modules/locale/tests/Drupal/locale/Tests/LocaleTranslationTest.php
+++ b/core/modules/locale/tests/Drupal/locale/Tests/LocaleTranslationTest.php
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ class LocaleTranslationTest extends UnitTestCase {
    * Tests for \Drupal\locale\LocaleTranslation::destruct()
    */
   public function testDestruct() {
-    $translation = new LocaleTranslation($this->storage, $this->cache, $this->lock);
+    $translation = new LocaleTranslation($this->storage, $this->cache, $this->lock, $this->getConfigFactoryStub());
     // Prove that destruction works without errors when translations are empty.
     $this->assertAttributeEmpty('translations', $translation);
     $translation->destruct();
diff --git a/core/tests/Drupal/Tests/UnitTestCase.php b/core/tests/Drupal/Tests/UnitTestCase.php
index 9c366032eec..2917318d11b 100644
--- a/core/tests/Drupal/Tests/UnitTestCase.php
+++ b/core/tests/Drupal/Tests/UnitTestCase.php
@@ -79,12 +79,12 @@ abstract class UnitTestCase extends \PHPUnit_Framework_TestCase {
    * @param array $configs
    *   An associative array of configuration settings whose keys are configuration
    *   object names and whose values are key => value arrays for the configuration
-   *   object in question.
+   *   object in question. Defaults to an empty array.
    *
    * @return \PHPUnit_Framework_MockObject_MockBuilder
    *   A MockBuilder object for the ConfigFactory with the desired return values.
    */
-  public function getConfigFactoryStub($configs) {
+  public function getConfigFactoryStub(array $configs = array()) {
     $config_map = array();
     // Construct the desired configuration object stubs, each with its own
     // desired return map.