diff --git a/build.xml b/build.xml
index 4a33950..00c2c92 100755
--- a/build.xml
+++ b/build.xml
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 	<property name="tools-folder" value="${root-folder}/tools/"/>
 	<property name="target-folder" value="${root-folder}/deploy/plugins"/>
 	<property name="server-folder" value="${root-folder}/server"/>
+	<property name="language-folder" value="${basedir}/language"/>
 
 	<import file="${tools-folder}/antutil.xml"/>
 
@@ -156,8 +157,47 @@
 		</exec>
 	</target>
 
+	<!-- Generate language files -->
+	<target name="language">
+		<if>
+			<available file="msgfmt" filepath="${env.PATH}" />
+			<then>
+				<foreach target="msgfmt" param="file">
+					<path>
+						<fileset dir="${language-folder}">
+							<include name="**/LC_MESSAGES/*.po"/>
+						</fileset>
+					</path>
+				</foreach>
+			</then>
+			<else>
+				<echo message="WARNING: msgfmt not available, not generating *.mo files for translations"/>
+				<!-- just copy files -->
+				<copy todir="${target-folder}/${plugin-folder}">
+					<fileset dir=".">
+						<include name="language/**/*.mo"/>
+						<include name="language/**/*.txt"/>
+					</fileset>
+				</copy>
+			</else>
+		</if>
+	</target>
+
+	<target name="msgfmt">
+		<propertyregex property="outfile" input="${file}" regexp=".*\/(language\/.*)\.po" replace="${target-folder}/${plugin-folder}/\1\.mo"/>
+		<echo message="Converting ${file} to ${outfile}"/>
+		<dirname property="outdir" file="${outfile}"/>
+		<mkdir dir="${outdir}"/>
+		<exec executable="msgfmt" failonerror="true" logError="true">
+			<arg value="-v"/>
+			<arg value="-o"/>
+			<arg value="${outfile}"/>
+			<arg value="${file}"/>
+		</exec>
+	</target>
+
 	<!-- Install all files into the target folder -->
-	<target name="deploy" depends="compress, validate">
+	<target name="deploy" depends="compress, validate, language">
 		<mkdir dir="${target-folder}/${plugin-folder}"/>
 
 		<!-- Copy (and validate) manifest.xml -->