diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index aada20f..384098e 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -64,10 +64,18 @@ endif ("${CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME}" MATCHES "BSD")
 foreach (extra iconv rt)
 	find_library (extra_lib_${extra} ${extra})
 	if (extra_lib_${extra})
-		list (APPEND project_libraries ${extra})
+		list (APPEND project_libraries ${extra_lib_${extra}})
 	endif (extra_lib_${extra})
 endforeach (extra)
 
+include (CheckCSourceRuns)
+set (CMAKE_REQUIRED_LIBRARIES ${project_libraries})
+get_property (CMAKE_REQUIRED_INCLUDES
+	DIRECTORY "${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}" PROPERTY INCLUDE_DIRECTORIES)
+CHECK_C_SOURCE_RUNS ("#include <iconv.h>
+	int main () { return iconv_open (\"UTF-8//TRANSLIT\", \"ISO-8859-1\")
+		== (iconv_t) -1; }" ICONV_ACCEPTS_TRANSLIT)
+
 # Dependencies for degesch
 pkg_check_modules (libffi REQUIRED libffi)
 list (APPEND degesch_libraries ${libffi_LIBRARIES})
diff --git a/config.h.in b/config.h.in
index 100ac26..e5a98d0 100644
--- a/config.h.in
+++ b/config.h.in
@@ -8,4 +8,6 @@
 #cmakedefine HAVE_EDITLINE
 #cmakedefine HAVE_LUA
 
+#cmakedefine01 ICONV_ACCEPTS_TRANSLIT
+
 #endif  // ! CONFIG_H
diff --git a/degesch.c b/degesch.c
index bee5ef8..7b83dd4 100644
--- a/degesch.c
+++ b/degesch.c
@@ -2021,6 +2021,20 @@ filter_color_cube_for_acceptable_nick_colors (size_t *len)
 	return table;
 }
 
+static bool
+app_iconv_open (iconv_t *target, const char *to, const char *from)
+{
+	if (ICONV_ACCEPTS_TRANSLIT)
+	{
+		char *to_real = xstrdup_printf ("%s//TRANSLIT", to);
+		*target = iconv_open (to_real, from);
+		free (to_real);
+	}
+	else
+		*target = iconv_open (to, from);
+	return *target != (iconv_t) -1;
+}
+
 static void
 app_context_init (struct app_context *self)
 {
@@ -2040,25 +2054,15 @@ app_context_init (struct app_context *self)
 	self->backlog_limit = 1000;
 	self->last_displayed_msg_time = time (NULL);
 
-	char *encoding = nl_langinfo (CODESET);
-	// FIXME: put a check for "//TRANSLIT" in CMakeLists.txt
-#ifdef __linux__
-	encoding = xstrdup_printf ("%s//TRANSLIT", encoding);
-#else // ! __linux__
-	encoding = xstrdup (encoding);
-#endif // ! __linux__
-
-	if ((self->term_from_utf8 =
-		iconv_open (encoding, "UTF-8")) == (iconv_t) -1
-	 || (self->latin1_to_utf8 =
-		iconv_open ("UTF-8", "ISO-8859-1")) == (iconv_t) -1
-	 || (self->term_to_utf8 =
-		iconv_open ("UTF-8", nl_langinfo (CODESET))) == (iconv_t) -1)
+	// Windows 1252 redefines several silly control characters as glyphs
+	char *native = nl_langinfo (CODESET);
+	if (!app_iconv_open (&self->term_from_utf8, native, "UTF-8")
+	 || !app_iconv_open (&self->term_to_utf8, "UTF-8", native)
+	 || (!app_iconv_open (&self->latin1_to_utf8, "UTF-8", "WINDOWS-1252")
+	  && !app_iconv_open (&self->latin1_to_utf8, "UTF-8", "ISO-8859-1")))
 		exit_fatal ("creating the UTF-8 conversion object failed: %s",
 			strerror (errno));
 
-	free (encoding);
-
 	self->input = input_new ();
 	self->input->user_data = self;
 	str_vector_init (&self->pending_input);