diff --git a/modules/TDEL10n.cmake b/modules/TDEL10n.cmake
index 5c0db26..2faa466 100644
--- a/modules/TDEL10n.cmake
+++ b/modules/TDEL10n.cmake
@@ -54,16 +54,6 @@ if( NOT DEFINED MSGUNIQ_EXECUTABLE )
   endif( )
 endif( )
 
-if( NOT DEFINED MSGCAT_EXECUTABLE )
-  find_program( MSGCAT_EXECUTABLE
-    NAMES msgcat
-    HINTS "${TDE_PREFIX}/bin"
-  )
-  if( "${MSGCAT_EXECUTABLE}" STREQUAL "MSGCAT_EXECUTABLE-NOTFOUND" )
-    tde_message_fatal( "msgcat is required but not found" )
-  endif( )
-endif( )
-
 if( NOT DEFINED PO4A_GETTEXTIZE_EXECUTABLE )
   find_program( PO4A_GETTEXTIZE_EXECUTABLE
     NAMES po4a-gettextize
@@ -305,7 +295,7 @@ macro( tde_l10n_create_template )
   if( ${_dest} MATCHES "[^/]$" )
     set( _dest "${_dest}/" )
   endif( )
-  if( ${_dest} MATCHES "^[^/]" )
+  if( NOT IS_ABSOLUTE ${_dest} )
     set( _dest "${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/${_dest}" )
   endif( )
 
@@ -555,12 +545,6 @@ macro( tde_l10n_create_template )
       WORKING_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}
       OUTPUT_VARIABLE _pot
     )
-
-    # set charset and encoding headers
-    if( _pot )
-      string( REPLACE "Content-Type: text/plain; charset=CHARSET" "Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8" _pot "${_pot}" )
-      string( REPLACE "Content-Transfer-Encoding: ENCODING" "Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit" _pot "${_pot}" )
-    endif( )
   endif( )
 
   # process desktop files
@@ -573,13 +557,8 @@ macro( tde_l10n_create_template )
     endforeach( )
 
     # create translation template for desktop files
-    if( _pot )
-      set( _withPotHeader "--omit-header" )
-    else( )
-      set( _withPotHeader "--foreign-user" )
-    endif( )
     execute_process(
-      COMMAND ${XGETTEXT_EXECUTABLE} ${_withPotHeader}
+      COMMAND ${XGETTEXT_EXECUTABLE} --foreign-user
         --from-code=UTF-8 -C -c -ki18n -o - ${_desktops}
       WORKING_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}
       OUTPUT_VARIABLE _potDesktop
@@ -588,43 +567,34 @@ macro( tde_l10n_create_template )
     # merge translation templates
     if( _potDesktop )
       if( _pot )
-        file( WRITE ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/extracted-pot.tmp "${_pot}" )
-        file( APPEND ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/extracted-pot.tmp "${_potDesktop}" )
-        execute_process(
-          COMMAND ${MSGUNIQ_EXECUTABLE} --use-first
-          INPUT_FILE ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/extracted-pot.tmp
-          WORKING_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}
-          OUTPUT_VARIABLE _pot
-        )
-        file( REMOVE ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/extracted-pot.tmp )
+        set( _pot "${_pot}\n${_potDesktop}" )
       else( )
         set( _pot "${_potDesktop}" )
-
-        # set charset and encoding headers
-        string( REPLACE "Content-Type: text/plain; charset=CHARSET" "Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8" _pot "${_pot}" )
-        string( REPLACE "Content-Transfer-Encoding: ENCODING" "Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit" _pot "${_pot}" )
       endif( )
     endif( )
   endif( )
 
-  # merge additional pot files
+  # join additional pot files
   if( _pots )
-    file( WRITE ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/extracted-pot.tmp "${_pot}" )
-    execute_process(
-      COMMAND ${MSGCAT_EXECUTABLE} --use-first extracted-pot.tmp ${_pots}
-      WORKING_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}
-      OUTPUT_VARIABLE _pot
-    )
-    file( REMOVE ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/extracted-pot.tmp )
-
-    # set charset and encoding headers
-    string( REPLACE "Content-Type: text/plain; charset=CHARSET" "Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8" _pot "${_pot}" )
-    string( REPLACE "Content-Transfer-Encoding: ENCODING" "Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit" _pot "${_pot}" )
+    foreach( _extra_pot IN LISTS _pots )
+      file( READ ${_extra_pot} _extra_pot )
+      if( _extra_pot )
+        if( _pot )
+          set( _pot "${_pot}\n${_extra_pot}" )
+        else( )
+          set( _pot "${_extra_pot}" )
+        endif( )
+      endif( )
+    endforeach( )
   endif( )
 
   # finalize translation template
   if( _pot )
 
+    # set charset and encoding headers
+    string( REPLACE "Content-Type: text/plain; charset=CHARSET" "Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8" _pot "${_pot}" )
+    string( REPLACE "Content-Transfer-Encoding: ENCODING" "Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit" _pot "${_pot}" )
+
     # update references for resources to original files and line numbers
     list( FIND _files "extracted-rc.tde_l10n" _extractedRC_index )
     if( "${_extractedRC_index}" GREATER -1
@@ -650,6 +620,18 @@ macro( tde_l10n_create_template )
     # update references for modified source files (".tde_l10n" extension)
     string( REGEX REPLACE "\\.tde_l10n[0-9]*(:[0-9]+)" "\\1" _pot "${_pot}" )
 
+    # merge unique strings
+    string( REGEX REPLACE "\n\n(#[^\n]*\n)*msgid \"\"\nmsgstr \"\"\n(\"[^\n]*\n)*\n" "\n\n" _pot "${_pot}" )
+    file( WRITE ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/extracted-pot.tmp "${_pot}" )
+    execute_process(
+      COMMAND ${MSGUNIQ_EXECUTABLE}
+      INPUT_FILE ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/extracted-pot.tmp
+      WORKING_DIRECTORY ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}
+      OUTPUT_VARIABLE _pot
+    )
+    file( REMOVE ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/extracted-pot.tmp )
+    string( REGEX REPLACE "(^|\n)#.? #-#-#-#-# [^\n]* #-#-#-#-#\n" "\\1" _pot "${_pot}" )
+
     # replace the references for _translatorinfo with instructions in the comment
     string( REGEX REPLACE
       "(^|\n)(#:[^\n]*) _translatorinfo:1($|[^\n]*)"