diff --git a/StarterNG.Tests/SettingsStoreTests.cs b/StarterNG.Tests/SettingsStoreTests.cs
index 2403a0d..9b4c2b3 100644
--- a/StarterNG.Tests/SettingsStoreTests.cs
+++ b/StarterNG.Tests/SettingsStoreTests.cs
@@ -70,6 +70,18 @@ public class SettingsStoreTests
         Assert.Contains("lang en", installation.Files.ReadAllText(UserIni));
     }
 
+    [Fact]
+    public void The_language_code_is_written_in_lower_case()
+    {
+        var installation = WithHome();
+        installation.SettingsStore.Load();
+        installation.SettingsStore.Settings.LanguageCode = "ZH";
+
+        installation.SettingsStore.Save();
+
+        Assert.Contains("lang zh", installation.Files.ReadAllText(UserIni));
+    }
+
     [Fact]
     public void A_first_run_falls_back_to_the_ini_shipped_with_the_installation()
     {
diff --git a/StarterNG/App.axaml.cs b/StarterNG/App.axaml.cs
index 6b363b2..52a2cad 100644
--- a/StarterNG/App.axaml.cs
+++ b/StarterNG/App.axaml.cs
@@ -44,7 +44,18 @@ public partial class App : Avalonia.Application
             };
         AppServices.Current.Settings.Language = langName;
 
+        // What eu07.ini asked for, before the starter picks a language it can
+        // actually display.
+        string requestedCode = AppServices.Current.Settings.LanguageCode;
+
         ApplyLanguage(langName);
+
+        // The starter ships no translation for this code, so its own interface
+        // falls back - but the simulator has one and keeps it. Overwriting the key
+        // here would silently move eu07.exe to English on the next save.
+        if (!string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(requestedCode) &&
+            !string.Equals(requestedCode, Loc.CurrentLangCode, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
+            AppServices.Current.Settings.LanguageCode = requestedCode;
     }
 
     public static void ApplyLanguage(string langNameOrCode)
diff --git a/StarterNG/Infrastructure/Settings/SettingsSerializer.cs b/StarterNG/Infrastructure/Settings/SettingsSerializer.cs
index 916e159..3ad6ccd 100644
--- a/StarterNG/Infrastructure/Settings/SettingsSerializer.cs
+++ b/StarterNG/Infrastructure/Settings/SettingsSerializer.cs
@@ -171,7 +171,10 @@ public sealed class SettingsSerializer
         foreach (string key in ObsoleteKeys)
             c.Remove(key);
 
-        c.Set("lang", string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(s.LanguageCode) ? "en" : s.LanguageCode);
+        // Lower case, as the simulator expects and as the old starter wrote it.
+        c.Set("lang", string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(s.LanguageCode)
+            ? "en"
+            : s.LanguageCode.Trim().ToLowerInvariant());
         c.SetBool("fullscreen", s.Fullscreen);
         c.SetBool("inactivepause", s.PauseWhenInactive);
         c.SetBool("pause", s.PauseOnStart);