diff --git a/apps/emqx_dashboard/src/emqx_dashboard_desc_cache.erl b/apps/emqx_dashboard/src/emqx_dashboard_desc_cache.erl
index b503fed88..fcabd3688 100644
--- a/apps/emqx_dashboard/src/emqx_dashboard_desc_cache.erl
+++ b/apps/emqx_dashboard/src/emqx_dashboard_desc_cache.erl
@@ -27,15 +27,12 @@
 %% @doc Global ETS table to cache the description of the configuration items.
 %% The table is owned by the emqx_dashboard_sup the root supervisor of emqx_dashboard.
 %% The cache is initialized with the default language (English) and
-%% all the desc.<lang>.hocon files in the www/static directory (extracted from dashboard package).
+%% all the desc.<lang>.hocon files in the app's priv directory
 init() ->
     ok = ensure_app_loaded(emqx_dashboard),
     PrivDir = code:priv_dir(emqx_dashboard),
-    EngDesc = filename:join([PrivDir, "desc.en.hocon"]),
-    WwwStaticDir = filename:join([PrivDir, "www", "static"]),
-    OtherLangDesc0 = filelib:wildcard("desc.*.hocon", WwwStaticDir),
-    OtherLangDesc = lists:map(fun(F) -> filename:join([WwwStaticDir, F]) end, OtherLangDesc0),
-    Files = [EngDesc | OtherLangDesc],
+    Files0 = filelib:wildcard("desc.*.hocon", PrivDir),
+    Files = lists:map(fun(F) -> filename:join([PrivDir, F]) end, Files0),
     ok = emqx_utils_ets:new(?MODULE, [public, ordered_set, {read_concurrency, true}]),
     ok = lists:foreach(fun(F) -> load_desc(?MODULE, F) end, Files).
 
diff --git a/lib-ee/emqx_license/src/emqx_license_schema.erl b/lib-ee/emqx_license/src/emqx_license_schema.erl
index 7383af92c..bb7868d8d 100644
--- a/lib-ee/emqx_license/src/emqx_license_schema.erl
+++ b/lib-ee/emqx_license/src/emqx_license_schema.erl
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ check_license_watermark(Conf) ->
 %% @doc The default license key.
 %% This default license has 1000 connections limit.
 %% It is issued on 2023-01-09 and valid for 5 years (1825 days)
-%% NOTE: when updating a new key, the schema doc in emqx_license_schema_i18n.conf
+%% NOTE: when updating a new key, the schema doc in emqx_license_schema.hocon
 %% should be updated accordingly
 default_license() ->
     <<
diff --git a/scripts/merge-config.escript b/scripts/merge-config.escript
index 812bfea2c..014183eda 100755
--- a/scripts/merge-config.escript
+++ b/scripts/merge-config.escript
@@ -19,9 +19,7 @@ main(_) ->
         io_lib:nl()
     ],
     ok = file:write_file("apps/emqx_conf/etc/emqx.conf.all", Conf),
-    merge_desc_files_per_lang("en"),
-    %% TODO: remove this when we have zh translation moved to dashboard package
-    merge_desc_files_per_lang("zh").
+    merge_desc_files().
 
 merge(BaseConf, Cfgs) ->
     Confs = [BaseConf | lists:map(fun read_conf/1, Cfgs)],
@@ -80,29 +78,17 @@ try_enter_child(Dir, Files, Cfgs) ->
             get_all_cfgs(filename:join([Dir, "src"]), Cfgs)
     end.
 
-%% Desc files merge is for now done locally in emqx.git repo for all languages.
-%% When zh and other languages are moved to a separate repo,
-%% we will only merge the en files.
-%% The file for other languages will be merged in the other repo,
-%% the built as a part of the dashboard package,
-%% finally got pulled at build time as a part of the dashboard package.
-merge_desc_files_per_lang(Lang) ->
+%% Merge English descriptions.
+%% other translations are downloaded in pre-compile.sh
+merge_desc_files() ->
     BaseConf = <<"">>,
-    Cfgs0 = get_all_desc_files(Lang),
-    Conf = do_merge_desc_files_per_lang(BaseConf, Cfgs0),
-    OutputFile = case Lang of
-        "en" ->
-            %% en desc will always be in the priv dir of emqx_dashboard
-             "apps/emqx_dashboard/priv/desc.en.hocon";
-        "zh" ->
-            %% so far we inject zh desc as if it's extracted from dashboard package
-            %% TODO: remove this when we have zh translation moved to dashboard package
-            "apps/emqx_dashboard/priv/www/static/desc.zh.hocon"
-    end,
+    Cfgs0 = get_all_desc_files(),
+    Conf = do_merge_desc_files(BaseConf, Cfgs0),
+    OutputFile = "apps/emqx_dashboard/priv/desc.en.hocon",
     ok = filelib:ensure_dir(OutputFile),
     ok = file:write_file(OutputFile, Conf).
 
-do_merge_desc_files_per_lang(BaseConf, Cfgs) ->
+do_merge_desc_files(BaseConf, Cfgs) ->
     lists:foldl(
       fun(CfgFile, Acc) ->
               case filelib:is_regular(CfgFile) of
@@ -113,14 +99,7 @@ do_merge_desc_files_per_lang(BaseConf, Cfgs) ->
               end
       end, BaseConf, Cfgs).
 
-get_all_desc_files(Lang) ->
-    Dir =
-        case Lang of
-            "en" ->
-                 filename:join(["rel", "i18n"]);
-            "zh" ->
-                %% TODO: remove this when we have zh translation moved to dashboard package
-                 filename:join(["rel", "i18n", "zh"])
-        end,
+get_all_desc_files() ->
+    Dir = filename:join(["rel", "i18n"]),
     Files = filelib:wildcard("*.hocon", Dir),
     lists:map(fun(Name) -> filename:join([Dir, Name]) end, Files).
diff --git a/scripts/pre-compile.sh b/scripts/pre-compile.sh
index 71251a03e..1700dd8a4 100755
--- a/scripts/pre-compile.sh
+++ b/scripts/pre-compile.sh
@@ -19,5 +19,14 @@ esac
 cd -P -- "$(dirname -- "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")/.."
 
 ./scripts/get-dashboard.sh "$dashboard_version"
+
+# generate merged config files and English translation of the desc (desc.en.hocon)
 ./scripts/merge-config.escript
+
+# download desc (i18n) translations
+curl -L --silent --show-error \
+     --output "apps/emqx_dashboard/priv/desc.zh.hocon" \
+    'https://raw.githubusercontent.com/emqx/emqx-i18n/main/desc.zh.hocon'
+
+# generate sbom
 ./scripts/update-bom.sh "$PROFILE_STR" ./rel