diff --git a/ephios/core/forms/users.py b/ephios/core/forms/users.py
index 6ef4cddb5..ebef19105 100644
--- a/ephios/core/forms/users.py
+++ b/ephios/core/forms/users.py
@@ -464,3 +464,9 @@ def __init__(self, *args, **kwargs):
 
     def update_preferences(self):
         self.user.preferences["notifications__notifications"] = self.cleaned_data
+
+
+class UserOwnDataForm(ModelForm):
+    class Meta:
+        model = UserProfile
+        fields = ["preferred_language"]
diff --git a/ephios/core/migrations/0021_userprofile_preferred_language_and_more.py b/ephios/core/migrations/0021_userprofile_preferred_language_and_more.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..94ae2979d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ephios/core/migrations/0021_userprofile_preferred_language_and_more.py
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+# Generated by Django 4.2.4 on 2023-09-30 13:03
+
+from django.db import migrations, models
+
+
+class Migration(migrations.Migration):
+    dependencies = [
+        ("core", "0020_qualificationcategory_show_with_user_and_more"),
+    ]
+
+    operations = [
+        migrations.AddField(
+            model_name="userprofile",
+            name="preferred_language",
+            field=models.CharField(
+                choices=[("de", "German"), ("en", "English")],
+                default="de",
+                max_length=10,
+                verbose_name="preferred language",
+            ),
+        ),
+        migrations.AlterField(
+            model_name="qualificationcategory",
+            name="show_with_user",
+            field=models.BooleanField(
+                default=True,
+                verbose_name="Show qualifications of this category everywhere a user is presented",
+            ),
+        ),
+    ]
diff --git a/ephios/core/models/users.py b/ephios/core/models/users.py
index 156d4e203..61ba3f8bf 100644
--- a/ephios/core/models/users.py
+++ b/ephios/core/models/users.py
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 from typing import Optional
 
 import guardian.mixins
+from django.conf import settings
 from django.contrib.auth import get_user_model
 from django.contrib.auth.base_user import AbstractBaseUser, BaseUserManager
 from django.contrib.auth.models import Group, PermissionsMixin
@@ -110,6 +111,12 @@ class UserProfile(guardian.mixins.GuardianUserMixin, PermissionsMixin, AbstractB
     date_of_birth = DateField(_("date of birth"), null=True, blank=False)
     phone = CharField(_("phone number"), max_length=254, blank=True, null=True)
     calendar_token = CharField(_("calendar token"), max_length=254, default=secrets.token_urlsafe)
+    preferred_language = CharField(
+        _("preferred language"),
+        max_length=10,
+        default=settings.LANGUAGE_CODE,
+        choices=settings.LANGUAGES,
+    )
 
     USERNAME_FIELD = "email"
     REQUIRED_FIELDS = [
diff --git a/ephios/core/services/notifications/backends.py b/ephios/core/services/notifications/backends.py
index 21a69be46..114eeeec3 100644
--- a/ephios/core/services/notifications/backends.py
+++ b/ephios/core/services/notifications/backends.py
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 
 from ephios.core.models.users import Notification
 from ephios.core.services.mail.send import send_mail
+from ephios.extra.i18n import language
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
@@ -31,23 +32,24 @@ def send_all_notifications():
     for backend in installed_notification_backends():
         for notification in Notification.objects.filter(failed=False):
             if backend.can_send(notification) and backend.user_prefers_sending(notification):
-                try:
-                    backend.send(notification)
-                except Exception as e:  # pylint: disable=broad-except
-                    if settings.DEBUG:
-                        raise e
-                    notification.failed = True
-                    notification.save()
+                with language((notification.user and notification.user.preferred_language) or None):
                     try:
-                        mail_admins(
-                            "Notification sending failed",
-                            f"Notification: {notification}\nException: {e}\n{traceback.format_exc()}",
+                        backend.send(notification)
+                    except Exception as e:  # pylint: disable=broad-except
+                        if settings.DEBUG:
+                            raise e
+                        notification.failed = True
+                        notification.save()
+                        try:
+                            mail_admins(
+                                "Notification sending failed",
+                                f"Notification: {notification}\nException: {e}\n{traceback.format_exc()}",
+                            )
+                        except smtplib.SMTPConnectError:
+                            pass  # if the mail backend threw this, mail admin will probably throw this as well
+                        logger.warning(
+                            f"Notification sending failed for notification object #{notification.pk} ({notification}) for backend {backend} with {e}"
                         )
-                    except smtplib.SMTPConnectError:
-                        pass  # if the mail backend threw this, mail admin will probably throw this as well
-                    logger.warning(
-                        f"Notification sending failed for notification object #{notification.pk} ({notification}) for backend {backend} with {e}"
-                    )
     Notification.objects.filter(failed=False).delete()
 
 
diff --git a/ephios/core/templates/core/settings/settings_personal_data.html b/ephios/core/templates/core/settings/settings_personal_data.html
index 45e1b4c5d..cee7c78f5 100644
--- a/ephios/core/templates/core/settings/settings_personal_data.html
+++ b/ephios/core/templates/core/settings/settings_personal_data.html
@@ -29,4 +29,10 @@ <h3>{% translate "Qualifications" %}</h3>
             <i>{% translate "You have not been assigned any qualificiations." %}</i>
         {% endfor %}
     </ul>
+    <h3>{% translate "Language" %}</h3>
+    <form method="post">
+        {% csrf_token %}
+        {{ form|crispy }}
+        <button type="submit" class="btn btn-primary">{% translate "Save" %}</button>
+    </form>
 {% endblock %}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/ephios/core/views/settings.py b/ephios/core/views/settings.py
index 92bc336be..effeae988 100644
--- a/ephios/core/views/settings.py
+++ b/ephios/core/views/settings.py
@@ -1,12 +1,14 @@
+from django.conf import settings
 from django.contrib.auth.mixins import LoginRequiredMixin
 from django.contrib.auth.views import PasswordChangeView
 from django.contrib.messages.views import SuccessMessageMixin
 from django.urls import reverse, reverse_lazy
 from django.utils.translation import gettext as _
 from django.views.generic import FormView, TemplateView
+from django.views.generic.edit import UpdateView
 from dynamic_preferences.forms import global_preference_form_builder
 
-from ephios.core.forms.users import UserNotificationPreferenceForm
+from ephios.core.forms.users import UserNotificationPreferenceForm, UserOwnDataForm
 from ephios.core.services.health.healthchecks import run_healthchecks
 from ephios.core.signals import management_settings_sections
 from ephios.extra.mixins import StaffRequiredMixin
@@ -62,12 +64,18 @@ def get_context_data(self, **kwargs):
         return super().get_context_data(**kwargs)
 
 
-class PersonalDataSettingsView(LoginRequiredMixin, TemplateView):
+class PersonalDataSettingsView(LoginRequiredMixin, UpdateView):
     template_name = "core/settings/settings_personal_data.html"
+    form_class = UserOwnDataForm
+    success_url = reverse_lazy("core:settings_personal_data")
 
-    def get_context_data(self, **kwargs):
-        kwargs["userprofile"] = self.request.user
-        return super().get_context_data(**kwargs)
+    def get_object(self, queryset=None):
+        return self.request.user
+
+    def form_valid(self, form):
+        response = super().form_valid(form)
+        response.set_cookie(settings.LANGUAGE_COOKIE_NAME, form.cleaned_data["preferred_language"])
+        return response
 
 
 class CalendarSettingsView(LoginRequiredMixin, TemplateView):
diff --git a/ephios/extra/i18n.py b/ephios/extra/i18n.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..649881d9f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ephios/extra/i18n.py
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+from contextlib import contextmanager
+
+from django.conf import settings
+from django.utils import translation
+
+
+@contextmanager
+def language(lang):
+    previous_language = translation.get_language()
+    lang = lang or settings.LANGUAGE_CODE
+    translation.activate(lang)
+    try:
+        yield
+    finally:
+        translation.activate(previous_language)
diff --git a/ephios/extra/middleware.py b/ephios/extra/middleware.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e2a4d8cf3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ephios/extra/middleware.py
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+from django.conf import settings
+
+
+class EphiosLocaleMiddleware:
+    def __init__(self, get_response):
+        self.get_response = get_response
+
+    def __call__(self, request):
+        response = self.get_response(request)
+        if settings.LANGUAGE_COOKIE_NAME not in request.COOKIES:
+            try:
+                response.set_cookie(settings.LANGUAGE_COOKIE_NAME, request.user.preferred_language)
+            except (KeyError, AttributeError):
+                pass
+        return response
diff --git a/ephios/modellogging/json.py b/ephios/modellogging/json.py
index 3abe84081..cbdca4a51 100644
--- a/ephios/modellogging/json.py
+++ b/ephios/modellogging/json.py
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ def custom_hook(self, d):
                 return ContentType.objects.get_for_id(d["contenttype_id"]).get_object_for_this_type(
                     pk=d["pk"]
                 )
-            except ObjectDoesNotExist:
+            except (ObjectDoesNotExist, AttributeError):
                 return d["str"]
         for k, v in d.items():
             if isinstance(v, str):
diff --git a/ephios/settings.py b/ephios/settings.py
index 218f2f901..0bf7e6d23 100644
--- a/ephios/settings.py
+++ b/ephios/settings.py
@@ -122,6 +122,8 @@
 MIDDLEWARE = [
     "django.middleware.security.SecurityMiddleware",
     "django.contrib.sessions.middleware.SessionMiddleware",
+    "django.middleware.locale.LocaleMiddleware",
+    "ephios.extra.middleware.EphiosLocaleMiddleware",
     "django.middleware.common.CommonMiddleware",
     "django.middleware.csrf.CsrfViewMiddleware",
     "django.contrib.auth.middleware.AuthenticationMiddleware",
@@ -206,6 +208,10 @@
 # https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/3.0/topics/i18n/
 
 LANGUAGE_CODE = "de"
+LANGUAGES = [
+    ("de", gettext_lazy("German")),
+    ("en", gettext_lazy("English")),
+]
 
 TIME_ZONE = "Europe/Berlin"