diff --git a/src/components/menu-bar/login-dropdown.jsx b/src/components/menu-bar/login-dropdown.jsx
index 11d23856c8f35edbec895c3b311073b8cc7ec743..0116d7342dfff258c1b8205aac36eb182bf381c6 100644
--- a/src/components/menu-bar/login-dropdown.jsx
+++ b/src/components/menu-bar/login-dropdown.jsx
@@ -7,11 +7,38 @@ eventually be consolidated.
 import classNames from 'classnames';
 import PropTypes from 'prop-types';
 import React from 'react';
+import {defineMessages} from 'react-intl';
 
 import MenuBarMenu from './menu-bar-menu.jsx';
 
 import styles from './login-dropdown.css';
 
+// these are here as a hack to get them translated, so that equivalent messages will be translated
+// when passed in from www via gui's renderLogin() function
+const LoginDropdownMessages = defineMessages({ // eslint-disable-line no-unused-vars
+    username: {
+        defaultMessage: 'Username',
+        description: 'Label for login username input',
+        id: 'general.username'
+    },
+    password: {
+        defaultMessage: 'Password',
+        description: 'Label for login password input',
+        id: 'general.password'
+    },
+    signin: {
+        defaultMessage: 'Sign in',
+        description: 'Button text for user to sign in',
+        id: 'general.signIn'
+    },
+    needhelp: {
+        defaultMessage: 'Need Help?',
+        description: 'Button text for user to indicate that they need help',
+        id: 'login.needHelp'
+    }
+});
+
+
 const LoginDropdown = ({
     className,
     isOpen,