diff --git a/src/utils/transcode.cpp b/src/utils/transcode.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..2d481f81
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/utils/transcode.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,110 @@
+#ifndef lint
+static char	rcsid[] = "@(#$Id: transcode.cpp,v 1.1 2004-12-15 09:43:48 dockes Exp $ (C) 2004 J.F.Dockes";
+#endif
+
+#ifndef TEST_TRANSCODE
+
+#include <errno.h>
+
+#include <string>
+#include <iostream>
+using std::string;
+
+#include <iconv.h>
+
+#include "transcode.h"
+
+
+bool transcode(const string &in, string &out, const string &icode,
+	       const string &ocode)
+{
+    iconv_t ic;
+    bool ret = false;
+    const int OBSIZ = 8192;
+    char obuf[OBSIZ], *op;
+
+    out.erase();
+    size_t isiz = in.length();
+    out.reserve(isiz);
+    const char *ip = in.c_str();
+
+    if((ic = iconv_open(ocode.c_str(), icode.c_str())) == (iconv_t)-1) {
+	out = string("iconv_open failed for ") + icode
+	    + " -> " + ocode;
+	goto error;
+    }
+    
+    while (isiz > 0) {
+	size_t osiz;
+	op = obuf;
+	osiz = OBSIZ;
+	if(iconv(ic, &ip, &isiz, &op, &osiz) == -1 && errno != E2BIG){
+	    out.erase();
+	    out = string("iconv failed for ") + icode + " -> " + ocode +
+		" : " + strerror(errno);
+	    goto error;
+	}
+	out.append(obuf, OBSIZ - osiz);
+    }
+
+    if(iconv_close(ic) == -1) {
+	out.erase();
+	out = string("iconv_close failed for ") + icode
+	    + " -> " + ocode;
+	goto error;
+    }
+    ret = true;
+ error:
+    return ret;
+}
+
+
+#else
+
+#include <errno.h>
+
+#include <string>
+#include <iostream>
+
+#include <unistd.h>
+#include <fcntl.h>
+
+using namespace std;
+
+#include "readfile.h"
+#include "transcode.h"
+
+int main(int argc, char **argv)
+{
+    if (argc != 5) {
+	cerr << "Usage: trcsguess ifilename icode ofilename ocode" << endl;
+	exit(1);
+    }
+    const string ifilename = argv[1];
+    const string icode = argv[2];
+    const string ofilename = argv[3];
+    const string ocode = argv[4];
+
+    string text;
+    if (!file_to_string(ifilename, text)) {
+	cerr << "Couldnt read file, errno " << errno << endl;
+	exit(1);
+    }
+    string out;
+    if (!transcode(text, out, icode, ocode)) {
+	cerr << out << endl;
+	exit(1);
+    }
+    int fd = open(ofilename.c_str(), O_CREAT|O_TRUNC|O_WRONLY, 0666);
+    if (fd < 0) {
+	perror("Open/create output");
+	exit(1);
+    }
+    if (write(fd, out.c_str(), out.length()) != out.length()) {
+	perror("write");
+	exit(1);
+    }
+    close(fd);
+    exit(0);
+}
+#endif
diff --git a/src/utils/transcode.h b/src/utils/transcode.h
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c059de25
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/utils/transcode.h
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+#ifndef _TRANSCODE_H_INCLUDED_
+#define _TRANSCODE_H_INCLUDED_
+/* @(#$Id: transcode.h,v 1.1 2004-12-15 09:43:48 dockes Exp $  (C) 2004 J.F.Dockes */
+
+#include <string>
+
+extern bool transcode(const std::string &in, std::string &out, 
+		      const std::string &icode,
+		      const std::string &ocode);
+
+#endif /* _TRANSCODE_H_INCLUDED_ */