diff --git a/src/Mod/Draft/DraftGui.py b/src/Mod/Draft/DraftGui.py
index d97dfee93..0f36ab721 100644
--- a/src/Mod/Draft/DraftGui.py
+++ b/src/Mod/Draft/DraftGui.py
@@ -103,10 +103,16 @@ class todo:
         QtCore.QTimer.singleShot(0, todo.doTasks)
         todo.commitlist = cl
 
-def translate(context,text):
+try:
+    _encoding = QtGui.QApplication.UnicodeUTF8
+    def translate(context, text):
         "convenience function for Qt translator"
-        return QtGui.QApplication.translate(context, text, None,
-                                            QtGui.QApplication.UnicodeUTF8)
+        return QtGui.QApplication.translate(context, text, None, _encoding)
+except AttributeError:
+    def translate(context, text):
+        "convenience function for Qt translator"
+        return QtGui.QApplication.translate(context, text, None)
+
 
 #---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # UNITS handling
@@ -1977,10 +1983,10 @@ class FacebinderTaskPanel:
         return True
 
     def retranslateUi(self, TaskPanel):
-        TaskPanel.setWindowTitle(QtGui.QApplication.translate("draft", "Faces", None, QtGui.QApplication.UnicodeUTF8))
-        self.delButton.setText(QtGui.QApplication.translate("draft", "Remove", None, QtGui.QApplication.UnicodeUTF8))
-        self.addButton.setText(QtGui.QApplication.translate("draft", "Add", None, QtGui.QApplication.UnicodeUTF8))
-        self.title.setText(QtGui.QApplication.translate("draft", "Facebinder elements", None, QtGui.QApplication.UnicodeUTF8))
+        TaskPanel.setWindowTitle(QtGui.QApplication.translate("draft", "Faces", None))
+        self.delButton.setText(QtGui.QApplication.translate("draft", "Remove", None))
+        self.addButton.setText(QtGui.QApplication.translate("draft", "Add", None))
+        self.title.setText(QtGui.QApplication.translate("draft", "Facebinder elements", None))
 
 
 if not hasattr(FreeCADGui,"draftToolBar"):
diff --git a/src/Mod/Draft/DraftTools.py b/src/Mod/Draft/DraftTools.py
index 8b9a5d21d..2a7d3a51b 100644
--- a/src/Mod/Draft/DraftTools.py
+++ b/src/Mod/Draft/DraftTools.py
@@ -74,9 +74,15 @@ MODALT = MODS[Draft.getParam("modalt",2)]
 #---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 
-def translate(context,text):
-    "convenience function for Qt translator"
-    return QtGui.QApplication.translate(context, text, None, QtGui.QApplication.UnicodeUTF8).encode("utf8")
+try:
+    _encoding = QtGui.QApplication.UnicodeUTF8
+    def translate(context, text):
+        "convenience function for Qt translator"
+        return QtGui.QApplication.translate(context, text, None, _encoding).encode("utf8")
+except AttributeError:
+    def translate(context, text):
+        "convenience function for Qt translator"
+        return QtGui.QApplication.translate(context, text, None).encode("utf8")
 
 def msg(text=None,mode=None):
     "prints the given message on the FreeCAD status bar"
diff --git a/src/Mod/OpenSCAD/OpenSCADCommands.py b/src/Mod/OpenSCAD/OpenSCADCommands.py
index f188fa21a..1d51d956c 100644
--- a/src/Mod/OpenSCAD/OpenSCADCommands.py
+++ b/src/Mod/OpenSCAD/OpenSCADCommands.py
@@ -30,10 +30,17 @@ This Script includes the GUI Commands of the OpenSCAD module
 
 import FreeCAD,FreeCADGui
 from PySide import QtCore, QtGui
-def translate(context,text):
-    "convenience function for Qt translator"
-    return QtGui.QApplication.translate(context, text, None, \
-        QtGui.QApplication.UnicodeUTF8)
+
+try:
+    _encoding = QtGui.QApplication.UnicodeUTF8
+    def translate(context, text):
+        "convenience function for Qt translator"
+        return QtGui.QApplication.translate(context, text, None, _encoding)
+except AttributeError:
+    def translate(context, text):
+        "convenience function for Qt translator"
+        return QtGui.QApplication.translate(context, text, None)
+
 def utf8(unio):
     return unicode(unio).encode('UTF8')
 
diff --git a/src/Mod/OpenSCAD/OpenSCADUtils.py b/src/Mod/OpenSCAD/OpenSCADUtils.py
index f7b447bc0..26ab35327 100644
--- a/src/Mod/OpenSCAD/OpenSCADUtils.py
+++ b/src/Mod/OpenSCAD/OpenSCADUtils.py
@@ -29,11 +29,17 @@ This Script includes various pyhton helper functions that are shared across
 the module
 '''
 
-def translate(context,text):
-    "convenience function for Qt translator"
-    from PySide import QtGui
-    return QtGui.QApplication.translate(context, text, None, \
-        QtGui.QApplication.UnicodeUTF8)
+try:
+    _encoding = QtGui.QApplication.UnicodeUTF8
+    def translate(context, text):
+        "convenience function for Qt translator"
+        from PySide import QtGui
+        return QtGui.QApplication.translate(context, text, None, _encoding)
+except AttributeError:
+    def translate(context, text):
+        "convenience function for Qt translator"
+        from PySide import QtGui
+        return QtGui.QApplication.translate(context, text, None)
 
 try:
     import FreeCAD
diff --git a/src/Mod/OpenSCAD/importCSG.py b/src/Mod/OpenSCAD/importCSG.py
index ac40b9270..ff1d570ec 100644
--- a/src/Mod/OpenSCAD/importCSG.py
+++ b/src/Mod/OpenSCAD/importCSG.py
@@ -59,11 +59,17 @@ if open.__module__ == '__builtin__':
 import tokrules
 from tokrules import tokens
 
-def translate(context,text):
-    "convenience function for Qt translator"
-    from PySide import QtGui
-    return QtGui.QApplication.translate(context, text, None, \
-        QtGui.QApplication.UnicodeUTF8)
+try:
+    _encoding = QtGui.QApplication.UnicodeUTF8
+    def translate(context, text):
+        "convenience function for Qt translator"
+        from PySide import QtGui
+        return QtGui.QApplication.translate(context, text, None, _encoding)
+except AttributeError:
+    def translate(context, text):
+        "convenience function for Qt translator"
+        from PySide import QtGui
+        return QtGui.QApplication.translate(context, text, None)
 
 def open(filename):
     "called when freecad opens a file."
diff --git a/src/Mod/Part/BOPTools/JoinFeatures.py b/src/Mod/Part/BOPTools/JoinFeatures.py
index 916b1e7d6..05960b2fc 100644
--- a/src/Mod/Part/BOPTools/JoinFeatures.py
+++ b/src/Mod/Part/BOPTools/JoinFeatures.py
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ try:
     _encoding = QtGui.QApplication.UnicodeUTF8
     def _translate(context, text, disambig):
         return QtGui.QApplication.translate(context, text, disambig, _encoding)
-except NameError:
+except AttributeError:
     def _translate(context, text, disambig):
         return QtGui.QApplication.translate(context, text, disambig)
 #--------------------------/translation-related code ----------------------------------------
diff --git a/src/Mod/Part/BOPTools/SplitFeatures.py b/src/Mod/Part/BOPTools/SplitFeatures.py
index 1d3db0a1f..5e9afcec9 100644
--- a/src/Mod/Part/BOPTools/SplitFeatures.py
+++ b/src/Mod/Part/BOPTools/SplitFeatures.py
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ try:
     _encoding = QtGui.QApplication.UnicodeUTF8
     def _translate(context, text, disambig):
         return QtGui.QApplication.translate(context, text, disambig, _encoding)
-except NameError:
+except AttributeError:
     def _translate(context, text, disambig):
         return QtGui.QApplication.translate(context, text, disambig)
 #--------------------------/translation-related code ----------------------------------------
diff --git a/src/Mod/Start/StartPage/StartPage.py b/src/Mod/Start/StartPage/StartPage.py
index 343e9eafc..08daf2ec8 100644
--- a/src/Mod/Start/StartPage/StartPage.py
+++ b/src/Mod/Start/StartPage/StartPage.py
@@ -33,8 +33,12 @@ FreeCADGui.updateLocale()
 def translate(context,text):
     "convenience function for the Qt translator"
     # return str(QtGui.QApplication.translate(context, text, None, QtGui.QApplication.UnicodeUTF8).toUtf8())
-    u = QtGui.QApplication.translate(context, text, None,
-                                     QtGui.QApplication.UnicodeUTF8).encode("utf8")
+    try:
+        _encoding = QtGui.QApplication.UnicodeUTF8
+        u = QtGui.QApplication.translate(context, text, None, _encoding).encode("utf8")
+    except AttributeError:
+        u = QtGui.QApplication.translate(context, text, None).encode("utf8")
+        
     s = cStringIO.StringIO()
     for i in u:
         if ord(i) == 39: