diff --git a/pywb/apps/frontendapp.py b/pywb/apps/frontendapp.py
index 42b3e76e..ab57a701 100644
--- a/pywb/apps/frontendapp.py
+++ b/pywb/apps/frontendapp.py
@@ -670,6 +670,8 @@ class FrontEndApp(object):
             lang = args.pop('lang', '')
             if lang:
                 shift_path_info(environ)
+
+            if lang:
                 environ['pywb_lang'] = lang
             elif self.default_locale:
                 environ['pywb_lang'] = self.default_locale