diff --git a/ckan/lib/helpers.py b/ckan/lib/helpers.py
index 87c62f9617d..a8b0ffa0429 100644
--- a/ckan/lib/helpers.py
+++ b/ckan/lib/helpers.py
@@ -105,13 +105,27 @@ def _add_i18n_to_url(url_to_amend, **kw):
         root = request.environ.get('SCRIPT_NAME', '')
     except TypeError:
         root = ''
-    if default_locale:
-        url = url_to_amend
+    # ckan.root_path is defined when we have none standard language
+    # position in the url
+    root_path = config.get('ckan.root_path')
+    if root_path:
+        # we have a special root specified so use that
+        if default_locale:
+            root = re.sub('/{{LANG}}', '', root_path)
+        else:
+            root = re.sub('{{LANG}}', locale, root_path)
+        # make sure we don't have a trailing / on the root
+        if root[-1] == '/':
+            root = root[:-1]
+        url = '%s%s' % (root, url_to_amend)
     else:
-        # we need to strip the root from the url and the add it before
-        # the language specification.
-        url = url_to_amend[len(root):]
-        url = '%s/%s%s' % (root, locale,  url)
+        if default_locale:
+            url = url_to_amend
+        else:
+            # we need to strip the root from the url and the add it before
+            # the language specification.
+            url = url_to_amend[len(root):]
+            url = '%s/%s%s' % (root, locale,  url)
 
     # stop the root being added twice in redirects
     if no_root:
diff --git a/doc/i18n.rst b/doc/i18n.rst
index 7dd5daf4517..07c2c50f95f 100644
--- a/doc/i18n.rst
+++ b/doc/i18n.rst
@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@ Internationalize CKAN
 
 CKAN is used in many countries, and adding a new language to the web interface is a simple process. 
 
+CKAN uses the url to determine which language is used. An example would be ``/fr/dataset`` would be shown in french.  If CKAN is running under a directory then an example would be ``/root/fr/dataset``.  For custom paths the ``ckan.root_path`` config option can be used and is of the form ``/path/from/root/with/{{LANG}}/substitution``.
+
 .. Note: Storing metadata field values in more than one language is a separate topic. This is achieved by storing the translations in extra fields. A custom dataset form and dataset display template are recommended. Ask the CKAN team for more information.
 
 Supported Languages