diff --git a/tools/wrc/parser.y b/tools/wrc/parser.y
index 4c2f22ac0d3..f5666a03994 100644
--- a/tools/wrc/parser.y
+++ b/tools/wrc/parser.y
@@ -2161,19 +2161,17 @@ static itemex_opt_t *new_itemex_opt(int id, int type, int state, int helpid)
 static raw_data_t *load_file(string_t *filename, language_t *lang)
 {
 	FILE *fp = NULL;
-	char *path;
+	char *path, *name;
 	raw_data_t *rd;
-	string_t *name;
-	int codepage = get_language_codepage(lang->id, lang->sub);
 
-	/* FIXME: we may want to use utf-8 here */
-	if (codepage <= 0 && filename->type != str_char)
-		yyerror("Cannot convert filename to ASCII string");
-	name = convert_string( filename, str_char, codepage );
-	if (!(path = wpp_find_include(name->str.cstr, input_name)))
-		yyerror("Cannot open file %s", name->str.cstr);
+	if (filename->type == str_unicode)
+		name = convert_string_utf8( filename, 0 );
+        else
+		name = xstrdup( filename->str.cstr );
+	if (!(path = wpp_find_include(name, input_name)))
+		yyerror("Cannot open file %s", name);
 	if (!(fp = fopen( path, "rb" )))
-		yyerror("Cannot open file %s", name->str.cstr);
+		yyerror("Cannot open file %s", name);
 	free( path );
 	rd = new_raw_data();
 	fseek(fp, 0, SEEK_END);
@@ -2187,7 +2185,7 @@ static raw_data_t *load_file(string_t *filename, language_t *lang)
 	else rd->data = NULL;
 	fclose(fp);
 	rd->lvc.language = lang;
-	free_string(name);
+	free(name);
 	return rd;
 }
 
diff --git a/tools/wrc/po.c b/tools/wrc/po.c
index 3f5affd49f2..726bed393f5 100644
--- a/tools/wrc/po.c
+++ b/tools/wrc/po.c
@@ -557,14 +557,6 @@ static void po_xerror2( int severity, po_message_t message1,
 
 static const struct po_xerror_handler po_xerror_handler = { po_xerror, po_xerror2 };
 
-static string_t *convert_string_utf8( const string_t *str, int codepage )
-{
-    string_t *wstr = convert_string( str, str_unicode, codepage );
-    string_t *ustr = convert_string( wstr, str_char, CP_UTF8 );
-    free_string( wstr );
-    return ustr;
-}
-
 static po_message_t find_message( po_file_t po, const char *msgid, const char *msgctxt,
                                   po_message_iterator_t *iterator )
 {
@@ -589,8 +581,7 @@ static void add_po_string( po_file_t po, const string_t *msgid, const string_t *
     po_message_t msg;
     po_message_iterator_t iterator;
     int codepage;
-    string_t *str_buffer = NULL;
-    char *id, *id_buffer, *context, *str = NULL;
+    char *id, *id_buffer, *context, *str = NULL, *str_buffer = NULL;
 
     if (!msgid->size) return;
 
@@ -608,8 +599,7 @@ static void add_po_string( po_file_t po, const string_t *msgid, const string_t *
         if (lang) codepage = get_language_codepage( lang->id, lang->sub );
         else codepage = get_language_codepage( 0, 0 );
         assert( codepage != -1 );
-        str_buffer = convert_string_utf8( msgstr, codepage );
-        str = str_buffer->str.cstr;
+        str = str_buffer = convert_string_utf8( msgstr, codepage );
         if (is_english( lang )) get_message_context( &str );
     }
     if (!(msg = find_message( po, id, context, &iterator )))
@@ -623,7 +613,7 @@ static void add_po_string( po_file_t po, const string_t *msgid, const string_t *
     if (msgid->loc.file) po_message_add_filepos( msg, msgid->loc.file, msgid->loc.line );
     po_message_iterator_free( iterator );
     free( id_buffer );
-    if (str_buffer) free_string( str_buffer );
+    free( str_buffer );
 }
 
 struct po_file_lang
diff --git a/tools/wrc/utils.c b/tools/wrc/utils.c
index 15bbde9d74a..6ec1fe7b66e 100644
--- a/tools/wrc/utils.c
+++ b/tools/wrc/utils.c
@@ -503,6 +503,14 @@ string_t *convert_string(const string_t *str, enum str_e type, int codepage)
     return ret;
 }
 
+char *convert_string_utf8( const string_t *str, int codepage )
+{
+    int len;
+    string_t *wstr = convert_string( str, str_unicode, codepage );
+    char *ret = unicode_to_utf8( wstr->str.wstr, wstr->size, &len );
+    free_string( wstr );
+    return ret;
+}
 
 void free_string(string_t *str)
 {
diff --git a/tools/wrc/utils.h b/tools/wrc/utils.h
index 15dfacdd47d..f5d3385c558 100644
--- a/tools/wrc/utils.h
+++ b/tools/wrc/utils.h
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ void chat(const char *s, ...) __attribute__((format (printf, 1, 2)));
 char *dup_basename(const char *name, const char *ext);
 int compare_name_id(const name_id_t *n1, const name_id_t *n2);
 string_t *convert_string(const string_t *str, enum str_e type, int codepage);
+char *convert_string_utf8( const string_t *str, int codepage );
 void free_string( string_t *str );
 int check_valid_utf8( const string_t *str, int codepage );
 int check_unicode_conversion( const string_t *str_a, const string_t *str_w, int codepage );