diff --git a/.circleci/config.yml b/.circleci/config.yml
index 5524394b4d..c8565d6209 100644
--- a/.circleci/config.yml
+++ b/.circleci/config.yml
@@ -56,8 +56,6 @@ common-steps:
     run:
       name: Tag and make source tarball
       command: |
-        cd ~/packaging/securedrop-debian-packaging
-        . .venv/bin/activate
         cd ~/project
         ./update_version.sh 1000.0  # Dummy version number, doesn't matter what we put here
         python3 setup.py sdist
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index 72e9dcdfaf..a5875dc021 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -1,8 +1,6 @@
 import os
-import subprocess
 
 import setuptools
-from setuptools.command.sdist import sdist
 
 with open("README.md", "r") as fh:
     long_description = fh.read()
@@ -14,20 +12,6 @@
 for name in os.listdir("./securedrop_client/resources/images/"):
     package_resources.append(os.path.join("./securedrop_client/resources/images", name))
 
-
-class SdistWithTranslationCatalogs(sdist):
-    def run(self):
-        """Call out to `make compile-translation-catalogs`, then run the rest of
-        the rest of the normal `sdist` routine.
-        """
-
-        cmd = ["make", "compile-translation-catalogs"]
-        if subprocess.call(cmd) != 0:
-            raise EnvironmentError(f"error calling {cmd}")
-
-        super().run()
-
-
 setuptools.setup(
     name="securedrop-client",
     version="0.5.1",
@@ -51,9 +35,5 @@ def run(self):
         "Operating System :: OS Independent",
     ],
     entry_points={"console_scripts": ["sd-client = securedrop_client.app:run"]},
-    # Override "sdist" to compile gettext gettext POs to MOs for inclusion in
-    # built distributions.
-    cmdclass={"sdist": SdistWithTranslationCatalogs},
     package_data={"": ["locale/*/*/*.mo", "locale/*/*/*.po"]},
-    setup_requires=["babel"],
 )