diff --git a/src/Symfony/Component/Translation/Tests/TranslatorCacheTest.php b/src/Symfony/Component/Translation/Tests/TranslatorCacheTest.php
index fdbb4f48e6dea..63846a2621bb7 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Component/Translation/Tests/TranslatorCacheTest.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Component/Translation/Tests/TranslatorCacheTest.php
@@ -196,6 +196,37 @@ public function testDifferentCacheFilesAreUsedForDifferentSetsOfFallbackLocales(
         $this->assertEquals('bar', $translator->trans('bar'));
     }
 
+    public function testGetCatalogueBehavesConsistently()
+    {
+        /*
+         * Create a translator that loads two catalogues for two different locales.
+         * The catalogues contain distinct sets of messages.
+         */
+        $translator = new Translator('a', null, $this->tmpDir);
+        $translator->setFallbackLocales(array('b'));
+
+        $translator->addLoader('array', new ArrayLoader());
+        $translator->addResource('array', array('foo' => 'foo (a)'), 'a');
+        $translator->addResource('array', array('bar' => 'bar (b)'), 'b');
+
+        $catalogue = $translator->getCatalogue('a');
+        $this->assertFalse($catalogue->defines('bar')); // Sure, the "a" catalogue does not contain that message.
+
+        /*
+         * Now, repeat the same test.
+         * Behind the scenes, the cache is used. But that should not matter, right?
+         */
+        $translator = new Translator('a', null, $this->tmpDir);
+        $translator->setFallbackLocales(array('b'));
+
+        $translator->addLoader('array', new ArrayLoader());
+        $translator->addResource('array', array('foo' => 'foo (a)'), 'a');
+        $translator->addResource('array', array('bar' => 'bar (b)'), 'b');
+
+        $catalogue = $translator->getCatalogue('a');
+        $this->assertFalse($catalogue->defines('bar'));
+    }
+
     protected function getCatalogue($locale, $messages)
     {
         $catalogue = new MessageCatalogue($locale);
diff --git a/src/Symfony/Component/Translation/Translator.php b/src/Symfony/Component/Translation/Translator.php
index d62bfb68739cd..7d4f342dff5c3 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Component/Translation/Translator.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Component/Translation/Translator.php
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 use Symfony\Component\Config\ConfigCacheInterface;
 use Symfony\Component\Config\ConfigCacheFactoryInterface;
 use Symfony\Component\Config\ConfigCacheFactory;
+use Symfony\Component\Translation\Catalogue\DiffOperation;
 
 /**
  * Translator.
@@ -420,21 +421,6 @@ public function dumpCatalogue($locale, ConfigCacheInterface $cache)
 
     private function getFallbackContent(MessageCatalogue $catalogue)
     {
-        if (!$this->debug) {
-            // merge all fallback catalogues messages into $catalogue
-            $fallbackCatalogue = $catalogue->getFallbackCatalogue();
-            $messages = $catalogue->all();
-            while ($fallbackCatalogue) {
-                $messages = array_replace_recursive($fallbackCatalogue->all(), $messages);
-                $fallbackCatalogue = $fallbackCatalogue->getFallbackCatalogue();
-            }
-            foreach ($messages as $domain => $domainMessages) {
-                $catalogue->add($domainMessages, $domain);
-            }
-
-            return '';
-        }
-
         $fallbackContent = '';
         $current = '';
         $replacementPattern = '/[^a-z0-9_]/i';
@@ -444,6 +430,18 @@ private function getFallbackContent(MessageCatalogue $catalogue)
             $fallbackSuffix = ucfirst(preg_replace($replacementPattern, '_', $fallback));
             $currentSuffix = ucfirst(preg_replace($replacementPattern, '_', $current));
 
+            if (!$this->debug) {
+                // keep only missing messages.
+                $currentCatalogue = new MessageCatalogue($fallbackCatalogue->getLocale(), $catalogue->all());
+                $operation = new DiffOperation($fallbackCatalogue, $currentCatalogue);
+                $fallbackMessages = array();
+                foreach ($operation->getDomains() as $domain) {
+                    $fallbackMessages[$domain] = $operation->getObsoleteMessages($domain);
+                }
+            } else {
+                $fallbackMessages = $fallbackCatalogue->all();
+            }
+
             $fallbackContent .= sprintf(<<<EOF
 \$catalogue%s = new MessageCatalogue('%s', %s);
 \$catalogue%s->addFallbackCatalogue(\$catalogue%s);
@@ -452,7 +450,7 @@ private function getFallbackContent(MessageCatalogue $catalogue)
                 ,
                 $fallbackSuffix,
                 $fallback,
-                var_export($fallbackCatalogue->all(), true),
+                var_export($fallbackMessages, true),
                 $currentSuffix,
                 $fallbackSuffix
             );