diff --git a/init.lua b/init.lua
index 9eeea6c..5ae02a5 100644
--- a/init.lua
+++ b/init.lua
@@ -2,67 +2,38 @@
 -- Support the old multi-load method
 intllib = intllib or {}
 
+local MP = minetest.get_modpath("intllib")
+
+dofile(MP.."/lib.lua")
+
 local strings = {}
 
-local LANG = minetest.setting_get("language") or os.getenv("LANG") or "en"
+local LANG = minetest.setting_get("language")
+if not (LANG and (LANG ~= "")) then LANG = os.getenv("LANG") end
+if not (LANG and (LANG ~= "")) then LANG = "en" end
 LANG = LANG:sub(1, 2)
 
-local escapes = {
-	["\\"] = "\\",
-	["n"]  = "\n",
-	["="]  = "=",
-}
-
-local function unescape(s)
-	return s:gsub("([\\]?)\\(.)", function(slash, what)
-		if slash and (slash ~= "") then
-			return "\\"..what
-		else
-			return escapes[what] or what
-		end
-	end)
-end
-
-
-local function find_eq(s)
-	for slashes, pos in s:gmatch("([\\]*)=()") do
-		if (slashes:len() % 2) == 0 then
-			return pos - 1
-		end
-	end
-end
-
-
-function load_strings(modname)
-	local modpath = minetest.get_modpath(modname)
-	local file, err = io.open(modpath.."/locale/"..LANG..".txt", "r")
-	if not file then
-		return nil
-	end
-	local strings = {}
-	for line in file:lines() do
-		line = line:trim()
-		if line ~= "" and line:sub(1, 1) ~= "#" then
-			local pos = find_eq(line)
-			if pos then
-				local msgid = unescape(line:sub(1, pos - 1):trim())
-				strings[msgid] = unescape(line:sub(pos + 1):trim())
-			end
-		end
-	end
-	file:close()
-	return strings
-end
-
 -- Support the old multi-load method
 intllib.getters = intllib.getters or {}
 
+local function noop_getter(s)
+	return s
+end
+
 function intllib.Getter(modname)
 	modname = modname or minetest.get_current_modname()
 	if not intllib.getters[modname] then 
-		local msgstr = load_strings(modname) or {}
-		intllib.getters[modname] = function (s)
-			return msgstr[s] or s
+		local modpath = minetest.get_modpath(modname)
+		if modpath then
+			local filename = modpath.."/locale/"..LANG..".txt"
+			local msgstr = load_strings(filename)
+			if msgstr then
+				intllib.getters[modname] = function (s)
+					return msgstr[s] or s
+				end
+			else
+				intllib.getters[modname] = noop_getter
+			end
 		end
 	end
 	return intllib.getters[modname]
diff --git a/lib.lua b/lib.lua
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1268b04
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib.lua
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+
+local escapes = {
+	["\\"] = "\\",
+	["n"]  = "\n",
+	["="]  = "=",
+}
+
+local function unescape(s)
+	return s:gsub("([\\]?)\\(.)", function(slash, what)
+		if slash and (slash ~= "") then
+			return "\\"..what
+		else
+			return escapes[what] or what
+		end
+	end)
+end
+
+local function find_eq(s)
+	for slashes, pos in s:gmatch("([\\]*)=()") do
+		if (slashes:len() % 2) == 0 then
+			return pos - 1
+		end
+	end
+end
+
+function load_strings(filename)
+	local file, err = io.open(filename, "r")
+	if not file then
+		return nil
+	end
+	local strings = {}
+	for line in file:lines() do
+		line = line:trim()
+		if line ~= "" and line:sub(1, 1) ~= "#" then
+			local pos = find_eq(line)
+			if pos then
+				local msgid = unescape(line:sub(1, pos - 1):trim())
+				strings[msgid] = unescape(line:sub(pos + 1):trim())
+			end
+		end
+	end
+	file:close()
+	return strings
+end
diff --git a/tools/updatetext.lua b/tools/updatetext.lua
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..421ee12
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/updatetext.lua
@@ -0,0 +1,141 @@
+#! /usr/bin/env lua
+
+local basedir = ""
+if arg[0]:find("[/\\]") then
+	basedir = arg[0]:gsub("(.*[/\\]).*$", "%1"):gsub("\\", "/")
+end
+if basedir == "" then basedir = "./" end
+
+-- Required by load_strings()
+function string.trim(s)
+	return s:gsub("^%s*(.-)%s*$", "%1")
+end
+
+dofile(basedir.."/../lib.lua")
+
+local me = arg[0]:gsub(".*[/\\](.*)$", "%1")
+
+local function err(fmt, ...)
+	io.stderr:write(("%s: %s\n"):format(me, fmt:format(...)))
+	os.exit(1)
+end
+
+local template
+local catalogs = { }
+
+local function usage()
+	print([[
+Usage: ]]..me..[[ [OPTIONS] TEMPLATE CATALOG...
+
+Update a catalog with new strings from a template.
+
+Available options:
+  -h,--help         Show this help screen and exit.
+  -o,--output X     Set output file (default: stdout).
+
+Messages in the template that are not on the catalog are added to the
+catalog at the end.
+
+This tool also checks messages that are in the catalog but not in the
+template, and reports such lines. It's up to the user to remove such
+lines, if so desired.
+]])
+	os.exit(0)
+end
+
+local i = 1
+
+while i <= #arg do
+	local a = arg[i]
+	if (a == "-h") or (a == "--help") then
+		usage()
+	elseif (a == "-o") or (a == "--output") then
+		i = i + 1
+		if i > #arg then
+			err("missing required argument to `%s'", a)
+		end
+	elseif (a == "-c") or (a == "--comment") then
+		old_msg_mode = "c"
+	elseif (a == "-d") or (a == "--delete") then
+		old_msg_mode = "d"
+	elseif a:sub(1, 1) ~= "-" then
+		if not template then
+			template = a
+		else
+			table.insert(catalogs, a)
+		end
+	else
+		err("unrecognized option `%s'", a)
+	end
+	i = i + 1
+end
+
+if not template then
+	err("no template specified")
+elseif #catalogs == 0 then
+	err("no catalogs specified")
+end
+
+local f, e = io.open(template, "r")
+if not f then
+	err("error opening template: %s", e)
+end
+
+local function printf(fmt, ...)
+	outfile:write(fmt:format(...))
+end
+
+local escapes = { ["\n"] = "\\n", ["="] = "\\=", ["\\"] = "\\\\", }
+local function escape(s)
+	return s:gsub("[\\\n=]", escapes)
+end
+
+if output then
+	local e
+	outfile, e = io.open(output, "w")
+	if not outfile then
+		err("error opening file for writing: %s", e)
+	end
+end
+
+local function printf(fmt, ...)
+	io.stdout:write(fmt:format(...))
+end
+
+local template_msgs = load_strings(template)
+
+for _, file in ipairs(catalogs) do
+	print("Processing: "..file)
+	local catalog_msgs = load_strings(file)
+	local dirty_lines = { }
+	if catalog_msgs then
+		-- Add new entries from template.
+		for k in pairs(template_msgs) do
+			if not catalog_msgs[k] then
+				print("NEW: "..k)
+				table.insert(dirty_lines, escape(k).." =")
+			end
+		end
+		-- Check for old messages.
+		for k, v in pairs(catalog_msgs) do
+			if not template_msgs[k] then
+				print("OLD: "..k)
+			end
+		end
+		if #dirty_lines > 0 then
+			local outf, e = io.open(file, "a+")
+			if outf then
+				outf:write("\n")
+				for _, line in ipairs(dirty_lines) do
+					outf:write(line)
+					outf:write("\n")
+				end
+				outf:close()
+			else
+				io.stderr:write(("%s: WARNING: cannot write: %s\n"):format(me, e))
+			end
+		end
+	else
+		io.stderr:write(("%s: WARNING: could not load catalog\n"):format(me))
+	end
+end