diff --git a/odoo/addons/base/tests/test_translate.py b/odoo/addons/base/tests/test_translate.py
index 373e95b3aa4..d4355a0bc11 100644
--- a/odoo/addons/base/tests/test_translate.py
+++ b/odoo/addons/base/tests/test_translate.py
@@ -976,6 +976,31 @@ class TestXMLTranslation(TransactionCase):
         self.assertEqual(view.with_env(env_fr).arch_db, archf % (terms_en[0], terms_fr[1]))
         self.assertEqual(view.with_env(env_nl).arch_db, archf % (terms_en[0], terms_nl[1]))
 
+    def test_sync_xml_no_en(self):
+        self.env['res.lang']._activate_lang('fr_FR')
+        self.env['res.lang']._activate_lang('nl_NL')
+
+        archf = '<form string="X">%s<div>%s</div></form>'
+        terms_en = ('Bread and cheese', 'Fork')
+        terms_fr = ('Pain et fromage', 'Fourchetta')
+        terms_nl = ('Brood and kaas', 'Vork')
+        view = self.create_view(archf, terms_en, en_US=terms_en, fr_FR=terms_fr, nl_NL=terms_nl)
+
+        self.env['res.partner'].with_context(active_test=False).search([]).write({'lang': 'fr_FR'})
+        self.env.ref('base.lang_en').active = False
+
+        env_nolang = self.env(context={})
+        env_fr = self.env(context={'lang': 'fr_FR'})
+        env_nl = self.env(context={'lang': 'nl_NL'})
+
+        # style change and typo change
+        terms_fr = ('Pain <span style="font-weight:bold">et</span> fromage', 'Fourchette')
+        view.with_env(env_fr).write({'arch_db': archf % terms_fr})
+
+        self.assertEqual(view.with_env(env_nolang).arch_db, archf % terms_fr)
+        self.assertEqual(view.with_env(env_fr).arch_db, archf % terms_fr)
+        self.assertEqual(view.with_env(env_nl).arch_db, archf % terms_nl)
+
     def test_sync_xml_collision(self):
         """ Check translations of 'arch' after xml tags changes in source terms
             when the same term appears in different elements with different
diff --git a/odoo/fields.py b/odoo/fields.py
index 0fc850871d2..b0ed5bf4316 100644
--- a/odoo/fields.py
+++ b/odoo/fields.py
@@ -1790,7 +1790,7 @@ class _String(Field):
             if not old_translations:
                 new_translations_list.append({'en_US': cache_value, lang: cache_value})
                 continue
-            from_lang_value = old_translations.get(lang, old_translations.get('en_US'))
+            from_lang_value = old_translations.get(lang, old_translations['en_US'])
             translation_dictionary = self.get_translation_dictionary(from_lang_value, old_translations)
             text2terms = defaultdict(list)
             for term in new_terms:
@@ -1809,7 +1809,8 @@ class _String(Field):
                 for l in old_translations.keys()
             }
             new_translations[lang] = cache_value
-            new_translations.setdefault('en_US', cache_value)
+            if not records.env['res.lang']._lang_get_id('en_US'):
+                new_translations['en_US'] = cache_value
             new_translations_list.append(new_translations)
         # Maybe we can use Cache.update(records.with_context(cache_update_raw=True), self, new_translations_list, dirty=True)
         cache.update_raw(records, self, new_translations_list, dirty=True)