diff --git a/.circleci/config.yml b/.circleci/config.yml
index b9ad76e0c1..ed74272503 100644
--- a/.circleci/config.yml
+++ b/.circleci/config.yml
@@ -669,11 +669,6 @@ jobs:
           name: Starting Saucelabs tunnel service
           command: ./tools/saucelabs/sauce-service.sh run
           background: true
-      # add module umd tsc compile option so the test can work
-      # properly in the legacy browsers
-      - run: yarn tsc -p packages --module UMD
-      - run: yarn tsc -p modules --module UMD
-      - run: yarn bazel build //packages/zone.js:npm_package
       # Build test fixtures for a test that rely on Bazel-generated fixtures. Note that disabling
       # specific tests which are reliant on such generated fixtures is not an option as SystemJS
       # in the Saucelabs legacy job always fetches referenced files, even if the imports would be
@@ -682,10 +677,26 @@ jobs:
       - run:
           name: Preparing Bazel-generated fixtures required in legacy tests
           command: |
-            yarn bazel build //packages/core/test:downleveled_es5_fixture
+            yarn bazel build \
+                //packages/core/test:downleveled_es5_fixture \
+                //packages/common/locales
+
             # Needed for the ES5 downlevel reflector test in `packages/core/test/reflection`.
+            mkdir -p dist/all/@angular/core/test/reflection/
             cp dist/bin/packages/core/test/reflection/es5_downleveled_inheritance_fixture.js \
               dist/all/@angular/core/test/reflection/es5_downleveled_inheritance_fixture.js
+            # Locale files are needed for i18n tests running within Saucelabs. These are added
+            # directly as sources so that the TypeScript compilation of `/packages/tsconfig.json`
+            # can succeed. Note that the base locale and currencies files are checked-in, so
+            # we do not need to re-generate those through Bazel.
+            mkdir -p packages/common/locales/extra
+            cp dist/bin/packages/common/locales/*.ts packages/common/locales
+            cp dist/bin/packages/common/locales/extra/*.ts packages/common/locales/extra
+      # add module umd tsc compile option so the test can work
+      # properly in the legacy browsers
+      - run: yarn tsc -p packages --module UMD
+      - run: yarn tsc -p modules --module UMD
+      - run: yarn bazel build //packages/zone.js:npm_package
       - run:
           # Waiting on ready ensures that we don't run tests too early without Saucelabs not being ready.
           name: Waiting for Saucelabs tunnel to connect