diff --git a/include/wx/translation.h b/include/wx/translation.h
index 88a7ba6430..fcde4c7863 100644
--- a/include/wx/translation.h
+++ b/include/wx/translation.h
@@ -300,6 +300,42 @@ inline const wxString& wxGetTranslation(const wxString& str1,
                : wxTranslations::GetUntranslatedString(str2);
 }
 
+/*
+ * Get and set the default encoding for strings to be translated.
+ * These are only useful when the wxNO_IMPLICIT_WXSTRING_ENCODING macro is
+ * defined.
+ */
+WXDLLIMPEXP_BASE const wxMBConv &wxGetInlineEncoding();
+
+WXDLLIMPEXP_BASE void wxSetInlineEncoding(const wxMBConv &conv);
+
+#ifdef wxNO_IMPLICIT_WXSTRING_ENCODING
+
+/*
+ * It must always be possible to call wxGetTranslation() with const
+ * char* arguments.
+ */
+inline const wxString& wxGetTranslation(const char *str,
+                                        const char *domain = "",
+                                        const char *context = "") {
+    const wxMBConv &conv = wxGetInlineEncoding();
+    return wxGetTranslation(wxString(str, conv), wxString(domain, conv),
+                            wxString(context, conv));
+}
+
+inline const wxString& wxGetTranslation(const char *str1,
+                                        const char *str2,
+                                        unsigned n,
+                                        const char *domain = "",
+                                        const char *context = "") {
+    const wxMBConv &conv = wxGetInlineEncoding();
+    return wxGetTranslation(wxString(str1, conv), wxString(str2, conv), n,
+                            wxString(domain, conv),
+                            wxString(context, conv));
+}
+
+#endif // wxNO_IMPLICIT_WXSTRING_ENCODING
+
 #else // !wxUSE_INTL
 
 // the macros should still be defined - otherwise compilation would fail
diff --git a/src/common/translation.cpp b/src/common/translation.cpp
index ee8b586fa0..c6c8991367 100644
--- a/src/common/translation.cpp
+++ b/src/common/translation.cpp
@@ -2110,4 +2110,16 @@ public:
 
 wxIMPLEMENT_DYNAMIC_CLASS(wxTranslationsModule, wxModule);
 
+// Encoding for strings to be translated, passed as const char *.
+static const wxMBConv *inlineEncoding = &wxConvLibc;
+
+WXDLLIMPEXP_BASE const wxMBConv &wxGetInlineEncoding() {
+    return *inlineEncoding;
+}
+
+WXDLLIMPEXP_BASE void wxSetInlineEncoding(const wxMBConv &conv) {
+    inlineEncoding = &conv;
+}
+
+
 #endif // wxUSE_INTL