diff --git a/apps/web/src/common/utils/time.test.ts b/apps/web/src/common/utils/time.test.ts
index 8479d4647..53af55310 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/common/utils/time.test.ts
+++ b/apps/web/src/common/utils/time.test.ts
@@ -21,3 +21,21 @@ describe('time', () => {
     expect(formatToNowStrict('2022-09-28T02:11:54Z')).toBe('2 months');
   });
 });
+
+describe('time locale', () => {
+  it('follows the locale that is active at call time', () => {
+    let locale = 'en';
+    jest.isolateModules(() => {
+      jest.doMock('@common/utils/getLocale', () => ({
+        __esModule: true,
+        default: () => locale,
+      }));
+      const mod = require('./time');
+      const en = mod.formatToNow('2022-09-28T02:11:54Z');
+      locale = 'zh';
+      const zh = mod.formatToNow('2022-09-28T02:11:54Z');
+      expect(en).toContain('about');
+      expect(zh).not.toEqual(en);
+    });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/apps/web/src/common/utils/time.ts b/apps/web/src/common/utils/time.ts
index fce7917ae..69a4a3d10 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/common/utils/time.ts
+++ b/apps/web/src/common/utils/time.ts
@@ -8,8 +8,10 @@ import { enGB, zhCN } from 'date-fns/locale';
 import getLocale from '@common/utils/getLocale';
 
 const FORMAT_YMD = 'yyyy-MM-dd';
-const local = getLocale();
 const languages = { en: enGB, zh: zhCN };
+// Read the locale at call time: capturing it in a module-level constant froze the
+// date language for the lifetime of the bundle.
+const currentLocale = () => languages[getLocale()];
 
 export const formatISO = (s: string, layout?: string) => {
   if (!s) return '';
@@ -20,13 +22,13 @@ export const formatISO = (s: string, layout?: string) => {
 export const formatToNow = (s: string) => {
   if (!s) return '';
   const p = parseJSON(s);
-  return formatDistanceToNow(p, { locale: languages[local] });
+  return formatDistanceToNow(p, { locale: currentLocale() });
 };
 
 export const formatToNowStrict = (s: string) => {
   if (!s) return '';
   const p = parseJSON(s);
-  return formatDistanceToNowStrict(p, { locale: languages[local] });
+  return formatDistanceToNowStrict(p, { locale: currentLocale() });
 };
 
 export const isTimestampWithinSec = (ts: string, sec: number): boolean => {