Index: src/commands.c
===================================================================
--- src/commands.c	(revision 47632)
+++ src/commands.c	(working copy)
@@ -293,6 +293,7 @@ command_set(struct confmodule *mod, char
             { /* Pass the value on to getlanguage() in templates.c */
                 debug_printf(0, "Setting debconf/language to %s", argv[1]);
                 setenv("LANGUAGE", argv[1], 1);
+                mod->templates->methods.reload(mod->templates);
             }
             else if (strcmp(argv[0], "debconf/priority") == 0)
             {
Index: src/template.c
===================================================================
--- src/template.c	(revision 47632)
+++ src/template.c	(working copy)
@@ -91,6 +91,19 @@ static bool allow_i18n(void)
 		return true;
 }
 
+static bool load_all_translations(void)
+{
+	static int translations = -1;
+	if (translations == -1) {
+		const char *translations_env = getenv("DEBCONF_DROP_TRANSLATIONS");
+		if (translations_env && !strcmp(translations_env, "1"))
+			translations = 0;
+		else
+			translations = 1;
+	}
+	return (translations == 1);
+}
+
 /*
  * Function: template_new
  * Input: a tag, describing which template this is.  Can be null.
@@ -490,8 +503,29 @@ void template_lset(struct template *t, c
 
     if (*lang == 0)
         curlang = getlanguage();
-    else
+    else if (load_all_translations() || strcmp(lang, "C") == 0)
         curlang = lang;
+    else {
+        const char *wantlang_full = getlanguage();
+        char *wantlang;
+        char *p;
+
+        if (wantlang_full) {
+            wantlang = strdup(wantlang_full);
+            p = strpbrk(wantlang, "_.@");
+            if (p)
+                *p = '\0';
+            if (strncmp(lang, wantlang, strlen(wantlang)) == 0)
+                curlang = lang;
+            else {
+                INFO(INFO_VERBOSE, "Dropping %s/%s for %s (wantlang=%s)", t->tag, field, lang, wantlang);
+                free(wantlang);
+                return;
+            }
+            free(wantlang);
+        } else
+            curlang = lang;
+    }
 
     p = t->fields;
     last = p;
Index: src/modules/db/rfc822db/rfc822db.c
===================================================================
--- src/modules/db/rfc822db/rfc822db.c	(revision 47632)
+++ src/modules/db/rfc822db/rfc822db.c	(working copy)
@@ -22,6 +22,9 @@
 
 FILE *outf = NULL;
 
+static struct template *rfc822db_template_get(struct template_db *db,
+    const char *ltag);
+
 int nodetemplatecomp(const void *pa, const void *pb) {
   return strcmp(((struct template *)pa)->tag, 
                 ((struct template *)pb)->tag);
@@ -194,6 +197,71 @@ static int rfc822db_template_load(struct
     return DC_OK;
 }
 
+/*
+ * Function: rfc822db_template_reload
+ * Input: template database
+ * Output: DC_OK/DC_NOTOK
+ * Description: reparse a template db file and update the cache; used when
+ *              the language is changed
+ * Assumptions: the file is in valid rfc822 format
+ */
+static int rfc822db_template_reload(struct template_db *db)
+{
+    struct template_db_cache *dbdata = db->data;
+    char tmp[1024];
+    const char *path;
+    FILE *inf;
+    struct rfc822_header *header = NULL;
+    INFO(INFO_VERBOSE, "rfc822db_template_reload(db)");
+    snprintf(tmp, sizeof(tmp), "%s::path", db->configpath);
+    path = db->config->get(db->config, tmp, 0);
+    if (path == NULL ||
+        (inf = fopen(path, "r")) == NULL)
+    {
+        INFO(INFO_VERBOSE, "Cannot open template file %s",
+            path ? path : "<empty>");
+        return DC_NOTOK;
+    }
+
+    while ((header = rfc822_parse_stanza(inf)) != NULL)
+    {
+        struct template *tmp;
+        bool is_new = false;
+        const char *name;
+        struct rfc822_header *h;
+
+        name = rfc822_header_lookup(header, "name");
+        if (name == NULL)
+        {
+            INFO(INFO_ERROR, "Read a stanza without a name");
+            DELETE(header);
+            continue;
+        }
+
+        INFO(INFO_VERBOSE, "Template %s:", name);
+        tmp = rfc822db_template_get(db, name);
+        if (!tmp) {
+            tmp = template_new(name);
+            is_new = true;
+        }
+        for (h = header; h != NULL; h = h->next)
+            if (strcmp(h->header, "Name") != 0) {
+                INFO(INFO_VERBOSE, "  %s=%s", h->header, h->value);
+                template_lset(tmp, NULL, h->header, h->value);
+            }
+
+        tmp->next = NULL;
+        if (is_new)
+            tsearch(tmp, &dbdata->root, nodetemplatecomp);
+        else
+            template_deref(tmp);
+    }
+
+    fclose(inf);
+
+    return DC_OK;
+}
+
 void rfc822db_template_dump(const void *node, const VISIT which, const int depth)
 {
     const char *p, *lang;
@@ -709,6 +777,7 @@ static struct question *rfc822db_questio
 struct template_db_module debconf_template_db_module = {
     initialize: rfc822db_template_initialize,
     load: rfc822db_template_load,
+    reload: rfc822db_template_reload,
     save: rfc822db_template_save,
     set: rfc822db_template_set,
     get: rfc822db_template_get,
Index: src/test/test.config
===================================================================
--- src/test/test.config	(revision 47632)
+++ src/test/test.config	(working copy)
@@ -42,6 +42,10 @@ debug "register ANS: $ans"
 
 askquestion test/string-register critical
 
+echo "SET debconf/language fr"
+
+askquestion test/string-register critical
+
 echo "SET debconf/language en"
 
 read ans
Index: src/test/test.templates
===================================================================
--- src/test/test.templates	(revision 47632)
+++ src/test/test.templates	(working copy)
@@ -45,11 +45,19 @@ Choices-C: foo bar (C), baz quux (C), fo
 Choices: foo bar, baz quux, foo baz, bar quux, moo cow, alpha, beta, gamma, delta, epsilon, i don't remember what the next one is, ${EXTRA-TRANS}
 Description: Select one option
  This is the prompt for a select-type question
+Description-de.UTF-8: Selecten Sie eine Option
+ Dies ist die Eingabeaufforderung für eine Selectfrage
+Description-fr.UTF-8: Select one option (French)
+ This is the prompt for a select-type question (French)
 
 Template: test/string
 Type: string
 Description: Enter a string
  This is the prompt for a string-type question
+Description-de.UTF-8: Angeben Sie ein String
+ Dies ist die Eingabeaufforderung für eine Stringfrage
+Description-fr.UTF-8: Enter a string (French)
+ This is the prompt for a string-type question (French)
 
 Template: test/text
 Type: text
Index: src/database.c
===================================================================
--- src/database.c	(revision 47632)
+++ src/database.c	(working copy)
@@ -62,6 +62,11 @@ static int template_db_load(struct templ
     return DC_OK;
 }
 
+static int template_db_reload(struct template_db *db)
+{
+    return DC_OK;
+}
+
 static int template_db_save(struct template_db *db)
 {
     return DC_OK;
@@ -174,6 +179,7 @@ struct template_db *template_db_new(stru
 	SETMETHOD(initialize);
 	SETMETHOD(shutdown);
 	SETMETHOD(load);
+	SETMETHOD(reload);
 	SETMETHOD(save);
 	SETMETHOD(set);
 	SETMETHOD(get);
Index: src/debconf-loadtemplate.c
===================================================================
--- src/debconf-loadtemplate.c	(revision 47632)
+++ src/debconf-loadtemplate.c	(working copy)
@@ -85,6 +85,9 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
     config = config_new();
     parsecmdline(config, argc, argv);
 
+    /* always load all translations if running standalone */
+    unsetenv("DEBCONF_DROP_TRANSLATIONS");
+
     /* If debconf is already running, use debconfclient to load
      * the templates;
      * This is a hack until we introduce a standard debconf
Index: src/database.h
===================================================================
--- src/database.h	(revision 47632)
+++ src/database.h	(working copy)
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ struct template_db_module {
     int (*initialize)(struct template_db *db, struct configuration *cfg);
     int (*shutdown)(struct template_db *db);
     int (*load)(struct template_db *db);
+    int (*reload)(struct template_db *db);
     int (*save)(struct template_db *db);
     int (*set)(struct template_db *db, struct template *t);
     struct template *(*get)(struct template_db *db, const char *name);