diff -Naur man-1.6e.orig/catopen/catopen.c man-1.6e/catopen/catopen.c
--- man-1.6e.orig/catopen/catopen.c	2005-08-20 20:26:06.000000000 -0300
+++ man-1.6e/catopen/catopen.c	2007-05-18 11:31:05.000000000 -0300
@@ -9,22 +9,63 @@
 extern char *index (const char *, int);         /* not always in <string.h> */
 extern char *my_malloc(int);	/* in util.c */
 
+/* if the program has sgid/suid privileges then getenv doesn't return
+ * NLSPATH; so we set here a good default value.
+ */
 #ifndef DEFAULT_NLSPATH
 # if __GLIBC__ >= 2
-#  define DEFAULT_NLSPATH "/usr/share/locale/%L/%N"
+#  define DEFAULT_NLSPATH "/usr/share/locale/%L/%N:/usr/share/locale/%l_%t/%N:/usr/share/locale/%l/%N"
 # else
 #  define DEFAULT_NLSPATH "/usr/lib/locale/%N/%L"
 # endif
 #endif
 
-static nl_catd my_catopenpath(char *name, char *path);
+static nl_catd my_catopenpath(char *name, char *path, char *lang);
 
 static				/* this source included in gripes.c */
 nl_catd
 my_catopen(char *name, int oflag) {
-  nl_catd fd;
+  nl_catd fd = (nl_catd) -1;
+
+  /* using first the my_catopenpath, which looks with LANGUAGE
+   * and only if it fails ressort to catopen, it gives better i18n
+   */
+  {
+    char *nlspath, *lang, *s;
 
-  fd = catopen(name, oflag);
+    /*
+     * "If NLSPATH does not exist in the environment, or if a
+     * message catalog cannot be opened in any of the paths specified
+     * by NLSPATH, then an implementation defined default path is used"
+     */
+    nlspath = getenv("NLSPATH");
+    if (!nlspath)
+      nlspath = DEFAULT_NLSPATH;
+ 
+    lang = getenv("LANGUAGE");
+    if (!lang)
+      lang = getenv("LC_ALL");
+    if (!lang)
+      lang = getenv("LC_MESSAGES");
+    if (!lang)
+      lang = getenv("LANG");
+    if (!lang)
+      lang = "";
+ 
+    while(*lang && (fd == (nl_catd) -1)) {
+      s = index(lang, ':');
+      if (s) *s = 0;
+        fd = my_catopenpath(name, nlspath, lang);
+      if (s) lang=s+1;
+      else lang = "";
+    }
+    if (fd == (nl_catd) -1)
+      fd = my_catopenpath(name, nlspath, "en");
+  }
+
+  /* still not found, use the system catopen */
+  if (fd == (nl_catd) -1)
+    fd = catopen(name, oflag);
 
   if (fd == (nl_catd) -1 && oflag) {
     oflag = 0;
@@ -32,8 +73,6 @@
   }
 
   if (fd == (nl_catd) -1) {
-    char *nlspath;
-
     /* The libc catopen fails - let us see if we can do better */
     /* The quotes below are from X/Open, XPG 1987, Vol. 3. */
 
@@ -58,17 +97,6 @@
 #endif
     }
 
-    /*
-     * "If NLSPATH does not exist in the environment, or if a
-     * message catalog cannot be opened in any of the paths specified
-     * by NLSPATH, then an implementation defined default path is used"
-     */
-
-    nlspath = getenv("NLSPATH");
-    if (nlspath)
-      fd = my_catopenpath(name, nlspath);
-    if (fd == (nl_catd) -1)
-      fd = my_catopenpath(name, DEFAULT_NLSPATH);
   }
   return fd;
 }
@@ -90,15 +118,13 @@
  *
  */
 static nl_catd
-my_catopenpath(char *name, char *nlspath) {
-  int fd;
+my_catopenpath(char *name, char *nlspath, char *lang) {
   nl_catd cfd = (nl_catd) -1;
-  char *path0, *path, *s, *file, *lang, *lang_l, *lang_t, *lang_c;
+  char *path0, *path, *s, *file, *lang_l, *lang_t, *lang_c;
   int langsz, namesz, sz, lang_l_sz, lang_t_sz, lang_c_sz;
 
   namesz = strlen(name);
 
-  lang = getenv("LANG");
   if (!lang)
     lang = "";
   langsz = strlen(lang);
@@ -194,14 +220,9 @@
       path = s+1;
     } else
       path = 0;
-    fd = open(file, O_RDONLY);
-    if (fd != -1) {
-      /* we found the right catalog - but we don't know the
-	 type of nl_catd, so close it again and ask libc */
-      close(fd);
-      cfd = catopen(file, 0);
-      break;
-    }
+	cfd = catopen(file, 0);
+	if (cfd != (nl_catd) -1)
+			break;
   }
 
   free(path0);
diff -Naur man-1.6e.orig/src/manpath.c man-1.6e/src/manpath.c
--- man-1.6e.orig/src/manpath.c	2006-08-03 18:18:33.000000000 -0300
+++ man-1.6e/src/manpath.c	2007-05-18 11:02:48.000000000 -0300
@@ -282,13 +282,14 @@
 		/* We cannot use "lang = setlocale(LC_MESSAGES, NULL)" or so:
 		   the return value of setlocale is an opaque string. */
 		/* POSIX prescribes the order: LC_ALL, LC_MESSAGES, LANG */
-		if((lang = getenv("LC_ALL")) != NULL)
+	        /* LANGUAGE is GNU/Linux and overrules all */
+		if((lang = getenv("LANGUAGE")) != NULL)
 			split2(dir, lang, add_to_mandirlist_x, perrs);
-		if((lang = getenv("LC_MESSAGES")) != NULL)
+		else if((lang = getenv("LC_ALL")) != NULL)
 			split2(dir, lang, add_to_mandirlist_x, perrs);
-		if((lang = getenv("LANG")) != NULL)
+		else if((lang = getenv("LC_MESSAGES")) != NULL)
 			split2(dir, lang, add_to_mandirlist_x, perrs);
-		if((lang = getenv("LANGUAGE")) != NULL)
+		else if((lang = getenv("LANG")) != NULL)
 			split2(dir, lang, add_to_mandirlist_x, perrs);
 		add_to_mandirlist_x(dir, 0, perrs);
 	}
