diff --git a/src/boxes.c b/src/boxes.c
index 61fca6824..2c1039d44 100644
--- a/src/boxes.c
+++ b/src/boxes.c
@@ -623,12 +623,14 @@ display_bits_box (void)
     run_dlg (dbits_dlg);
 
     if (dbits_dlg->ret_value == B_ENTER) {
-	const char *errmsg;
+	char *errmsg;
+
 	display_codepage = new_display_codepage;
-	errmsg =
-	    init_translation_table (source_codepage, display_codepage);
-	if (errmsg)
+	errmsg = init_translation_table (source_codepage, display_codepage);
+	if (errmsg != NULL) {
 	    message (D_ERROR, MSG_ERROR, "%s", errmsg);
+	    g_free (errmsg);
+	}
 #ifdef HAVE_SLANG
 	tty_display_8bit (display_codepage != 0 && display_codepage != 1);
 #else
diff --git a/src/charsets.c b/src/charsets.c
index fa0dc5748..0958f7fb5 100644
--- a/src/charsets.c
+++ b/src/charsets.c
@@ -179,15 +179,13 @@ translate_character (GIConv cd, char c)
     return ch;
 }
 
-char errbuf[255];
-
 /*
  * FIXME: This assumes that ASCII is always the first encoding
  * in mc.charsets
  */
 #define CP_ASCII 0
 
-const char *
+char *
 init_translation_table (int cpsource, int cpdisplay)
 {
     int i;
@@ -214,11 +212,8 @@ init_translation_table (int cpsource, int cpdisplay)
     /* display <- inpit table */
 
     cd = g_iconv_open (cp_display, cp_source);
-    if (cd == INVALID_CONV) {
-	g_snprintf (errbuf, sizeof (errbuf),
-		    _("Cannot translate from %s to %s"), cp_source, cp_display);
-	return errbuf;
-    }
+    if (cd == INVALID_CONV)
+	return g_strdup_printf (_("Cannot translate from %s to %s"), cp_source, cp_display);
 
     for (i = 128; i <= 255; ++i)
 	conv_displ[i] = translate_character (cd, i);
@@ -228,11 +223,8 @@ init_translation_table (int cpsource, int cpdisplay)
     /* inpit <- display table */
 
     cd = g_iconv_open (cp_source, cp_display);
-    if (cd == INVALID_CONV) {
-	g_snprintf (errbuf, sizeof (errbuf),
-		    _("Cannot translate from %s to %s"), cp_display, cp_source);
-	return errbuf;
-    }
+    if (cd == INVALID_CONV)
+	return g_strdup_printf (_("Cannot translate from %s to %s"), cp_display, cp_source);
 
     for (i = 128; i <= 255; ++i) {
 	unsigned char ch;
diff --git a/src/charsets.h b/src/charsets.h
index 98186b8cb..087a5bb1f 100644
--- a/src/charsets.h
+++ b/src/charsets.h
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ const char *get_codepage_id (const int n);
 int get_codepage_index (const char *id);
 int load_codepages_list (void);
 void free_codepages_list (void);
-const char *init_translation_table (int cpsource, int cpdisplay);
+char *init_translation_table (int cpsource, int cpdisplay);
 void convert_to_display (char *str);
 void convert_from_input (char *str);
 void convert_string (unsigned char *str);
diff --git a/src/screen.c b/src/screen.c
index f9a0ff88f..22cc7127d 100644
--- a/src/screen.c
+++ b/src/screen.c
@@ -3428,7 +3428,7 @@ set_panel_encoding (WPanel * panel)
     const char *encoding = NULL;
     char *cd_path;
 #ifdef HAVE_CHARSET
-    const char *errmsg;
+    char *errmsg;
     int r;
 
     r = select_charset (-1, -1, default_source_codepage, FALSE);
@@ -3439,7 +3439,7 @@ set_panel_encoding (WPanel * panel)
     if (r == SELECT_CHARSET_NO_TRANSLATE)
     {
         /* No translation */
-        errmsg = init_translation_table (display_codepage, display_codepage);
+        g_free (init_translation_table (display_codepage, display_codepage));
         cd_path = remove_encoding_from_path (panel->cwd);
         do_panel_cd (panel, cd_path, 0);
         g_free (cd_path);
@@ -3449,9 +3449,10 @@ set_panel_encoding (WPanel * panel)
     source_codepage = r;
 
     errmsg = init_translation_table (source_codepage, display_codepage);
-    if (errmsg)
+    if (errmsg != NULL)
     {
         message (D_ERROR, MSG_ERROR, "%s", errmsg);
+        g_free (errmsg);
         return;
     }
 
diff --git a/src/selcodepage.c b/src/selcodepage.c
index 69f75b3d3..63a5847ce 100644
--- a/src/selcodepage.c
+++ b/src/selcodepage.c
@@ -115,16 +115,21 @@ select_charset (int center_y, int center_x, int current_charset, gboolean seldis
 gboolean
 do_set_codepage (int codepage)
 {
-    const char *errmsg = NULL;
+    char *errmsg;
+    gboolean ret;
 
     source_codepage = codepage;
     errmsg = init_translation_table (codepage == SELECT_CHARSET_NO_TRANSLATE ?
 					display_codepage : source_codepage,
 					display_codepage);
-    if (errmsg != NULL)
-        message (D_ERROR, MSG_ERROR, "%s", errmsg);
+    ret = errmsg == NULL;
 
-    return (errmsg == NULL);
+    if (!ret) {
+	message (D_ERROR, MSG_ERROR, "%s", errmsg);
+	g_free (errmsg);
+    }
+
+    return ret;
 }
 
 /* Show menu selecting codepage */
diff --git a/src/setup.c b/src/setup.c
index b195cca73..7ad8444df 100644
--- a/src/setup.c
+++ b/src/setup.c
@@ -868,7 +868,7 @@ load_setup (void)
     if ((autodetect_codeset[0] != '\0') && (strcmp (autodetect_codeset, "off")))
         is_autodetect_codeset_enabled = TRUE;
 
-    init_translation_table (source_codepage, display_codepage);
+    g_free (init_translation_table (source_codepage, display_codepage));
     if (get_codepage_id (display_codepage))
         utf8_display = str_isutf8 (get_codepage_id (display_codepage));
 #endif /* HAVE_CHARSET */