--- src/util.c
+++ src/util.c
@@ -34,6 +34,8 @@
 #include <errno.h>		/* my_system */
 #include <string.h>
 #include <ctype.h>
+#include <iconv.h>
+#include <langinfo.h>
 
 #include "tty.h"
 #include "global.h"
@@ -755,11 +757,60 @@ char *load_file (char *filename)
     }
 }
 
+char *utf8_to_local(char *str)
+{
+   iconv_t cd;
+   size_t buflen = strlen(str);
+   char *output;
+   int retry = 1;
+        
+   cd = iconv_open (nl_langinfo(CODESET), "UTF-8");
+   if (cd == (iconv_t) -1) {
+	return g_strdup(str);
+   }
+
+   output = g_malloc(buflen + 1);
+     
+   while (retry)
+   {
+	char *wrptr = output;
+	char *inptr = str;
+	size_t insize = buflen;
+	size_t avail = buflen;
+        size_t nconv;
+     
+        nconv = iconv (cd, &inptr, &insize, &wrptr, &avail);
+        if (nconv == (size_t) -1)
+        {
+    	    if (errno == E2BIG)
+	    {
+		buflen *= 2;
+		g_free(output);
+		output = g_malloc(buflen + 1);
+	    }
+	    else
+	    {
+		g_free(output);
+		return g_strdup(str);
+	    }
+	}
+	else {
+	    retry = 0;
+	    *wrptr = 0;
+	}
+    }
+     
+    iconv_close (cd);
+    
+    return output;
+}
+
 char *load_mc_home_file (const char *filename, char ** allocated_filename)
 {
     char *hintfile_base, *hintfile;
     char *lang;
     char *data;
+    char *conv_data;
 
     hintfile_base = concat_dir_and_file (mc_home, filename);
     lang = guess_message_value ();
@@ -789,7 +840,10 @@ char *load_mc_home_file (const char *fil
     else
 	g_free (hintfile);
 
-    return data;
+    conv_data = utf8_to_local(data);
+    g_free(data);
+    
+    return conv_data;
 }
 
 /* Check strftime() results. Some systems (i.e. Solaris) have different