diff --git a/src/linguist/lupdate/lupdate.h b/src/linguist/lupdate/lupdate.h
index cb9f8bf48378739d320d751a58f3c83b293206ec..c04add8661cda0157326a4e7a386b3a9f00b971d 100644
--- a/src/linguist/lupdate/lupdate.h
+++ b/src/linguist/lupdate/lupdate.h
@@ -71,7 +71,8 @@ enum UpdateOption {
 Q_DECLARE_FLAGS(UpdateOptions, UpdateOption)
 Q_DECLARE_OPERATORS_FOR_FLAGS(UpdateOptions)
 
-Translator merge(const Translator &tor, const Translator &virginTor,
+Translator merge(
+    const Translator &tor, const Translator &virginTor, const QList<Translator> &aliens,
     UpdateOptions options, QString &err);
 
 void fetchtrInlinedCpp(const QString &in, Translator &translator, const QString &context);
diff --git a/src/linguist/lupdate/main.cpp b/src/linguist/lupdate/main.cpp
index 37428eff24316e4c51b16d13641be44a795847c7..191b1d14db4bc6fc46d568d88b5abec3b7e08286 100644
--- a/src/linguist/lupdate/main.cpp
+++ b/src/linguist/lupdate/main.cpp
@@ -148,9 +148,23 @@ static void printUsage()
 }
 
 static void updateTsFiles(const Translator &fetchedTor, const QStringList &tsFileNames,
+    const QStringList &alienFiles,
     bool setCodec, const QString &sourceLanguage, const QString &targetLanguage,
     UpdateOptions options, bool *fail)
 {
+    QList<Translator> aliens;
+    foreach (const QString &fileName, alienFiles) {
+        ConversionData cd;
+        Translator tor;
+        if (!tor.load(fileName, cd, QLatin1String("auto"))) {
+            printErr(cd.error());
+            *fail = true;
+            continue;
+        }
+        tor.resolveDuplicates();
+        aliens << tor;
+    }
+
     QDir dir;
     QString err;
     foreach (const QString &fileName, tsFileNames) {
@@ -202,7 +216,7 @@ static void updateTsFiles(const Translator &fetchedTor, const QStringList &tsFil
         UpdateOptions theseOptions = options;
         if (tor.locationsType() == Translator::NoLocations) // Could be set from file
             theseOptions |= NoLocations;
-        Translator out = merge(tor, fetchedTor, theseOptions, err);
+        Translator out = merge(tor, fetchedTor, aliens, theseOptions, err);
         if (setCodec)
             out.setCodec(fetchedTor.codec());
 
@@ -463,7 +477,8 @@ static void processProjects(bool topLevel, bool nestComplain, const QStringList
             }
             processProject(false, proFile, option, parser, visitor, options, codecForSource,
                            targetLanguage, sourceLanguage, &tor, fail);
-            updateTsFiles(tor, tsFiles, setCodec, sourceLanguage, targetLanguage, options, fail);
+            updateTsFiles(tor, tsFiles, QStringList(),
+                          setCodec, sourceLanguage, targetLanguage, options, fail);
             pro->deref();
             continue;
         }
@@ -509,6 +524,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
     QSet<QString> projectRoots;
     QStringList sourceFiles;
     QStringList includePath;
+    QStringList alienFiles;
     QString targetLanguage;
     QString sourceLanguage;
     QByteArray codecForTr;
@@ -766,10 +782,17 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
                         }
                     }
                 } else {
+                    foreach (const Translator::FileFormat &fmt, Translator::registeredFileFormats()) {
+                        if (file.endsWith(QLatin1Char('.') + fmt.extension, Qt::CaseInsensitive)) {
+                            alienFiles << file;
+                            goto gotfile;
+                        }
+                    }
                     sourceFiles << QDir::cleanPath(fi.absoluteFilePath());;
                     projectRoots.insert(fi.absolutePath() + QLatin1Char('/'));
                 }
             }
+          gotfile:
             numFiles++;
         }
     } // for args
@@ -799,7 +822,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
         cd.m_allCSources = allCSources;
         fetchedTor.setCodecName(codecForTr);
         processSources(fetchedTor, sourceFiles, cd);
-        updateTsFiles(fetchedTor, tsFileNames, !codecForTr.isEmpty(),
+        updateTsFiles(fetchedTor, tsFileNames, alienFiles, !codecForTr.isEmpty(),
                       sourceLanguage, targetLanguage, options, &fail);
     } else {
         if (!sourceFiles.isEmpty() || !includePath.isEmpty()) {
@@ -821,7 +844,7 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
             fetchedTor.setCodecName(codecForTr);
             processProjects(true, true, proFiles, outDirMap, &option, &parser, options, QByteArray(),
                             targetLanguage, sourceLanguage, &fetchedTor, &fail);
-            updateTsFiles(fetchedTor, tsFileNames, !codecForTr.isEmpty(),
+            updateTsFiles(fetchedTor, tsFileNames, alienFiles, !codecForTr.isEmpty(),
                           sourceLanguage, targetLanguage, options, &fail);
         } else {
             processProjects(true, false, proFiles, outDirMap, &option, &parser, options, QByteArray(),
diff --git a/src/linguist/lupdate/merge.cpp b/src/linguist/lupdate/merge.cpp
index b898cce5c4383abe52955f5fa9b5ef0404766b2a..9f068f3a01fc7925337369d78feb368c040f46d3 100644
--- a/src/linguist/lupdate/merge.cpp
+++ b/src/linguist/lupdate/merge.cpp
@@ -325,7 +325,8 @@ int applySameTextHeuristic(Translator &tor)
   translation yet.
 */
 
-Translator merge(const Translator &tor, const Translator &virginTor,
+Translator merge(
+    const Translator &tor, const Translator &virginTor, const QList<Translator> &aliens,
     UpdateOptions options, QString &err)
 {
     int known = 0;
@@ -476,6 +477,42 @@ Translator merge(const Translator &tor, const Translator &virginTor,
             ++neww;
     }
 
+    /*
+      "Alien" translators can be used to augment the vernacular translator.
+    */
+    foreach (const Translator &alf, aliens) {
+        foreach (TranslatorMessage mv, alf.messages()) {
+            if (mv.sourceText().isEmpty() || !mv.isTranslated())
+                continue;
+            int mvi = outTor.find(mv);
+            if (mvi >= 0) {
+                TranslatorMessage &tm = outTor.message(mvi);
+                if (tm.type() != TranslatorMessage::Finished && !tm.isTranslated()) {
+                    tm.setTranslations(mv.translations());
+                    --neww;
+                    ++known;
+                }
+            } else {
+                /*
+                 * Don't do simtex search, as the locations are likely to be
+                 * completely off anyway, so we'd find nothing.
+                 */
+                /*
+                 * Add the unmatched messages as obsoletes, so the Linguist GUI
+                 * will offer them as possible translations.
+                 */
+                mv.clearReferences();
+                mv.setType(TranslatorMessage::Obsolete);
+                if (options & NoLocations)
+                    outTor.append(mv);
+                else
+                    outTor.appendSorted(mv);
+                ++known;
+                ++obsoleted;
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
     /*
       The same-text heuristic handles cases where a message has an
       obsolete counterpart with a different context or comment.