diff -urNp -x '*.orig' busybox-1.31.1.org/coreutils/printf.c busybox-1.31.1/coreutils/printf.c
--- busybox-1.31.1.org/coreutils/printf.c	2019-06-10 12:50:53.000000000 +0200
+++ busybox-1.31.1/coreutils/printf.c	2021-10-21 10:28:37.833148938 +0200
@@ -59,6 +59,9 @@
 //usage:       "$ printf \"Val=%d\\n\" 5\n"
 //usage:       "Val=5\n"
 
+// on by default
+#define BB_FEATURE_PRINTF_GETTEXT
+
 #include "libbb.h"
 
 /* A note on bad input: neither bash 3.2 nor coreutils 6.10 stop on it.
@@ -400,11 +403,132 @@ static char **print_formatted(char *f, c
 	return argv;
 }
 
+/*
+ * Very pure gettext added by Michal Moskal <malekith@pld-linux.org>
+ * This possibly could be converted into utility function
+ * and used in other places as well.
+ */
+
+#ifdef BB_FEATURE_PRINTF_GETTEXT
+/* The magic number of the GNU message catalog format.  */
+#define _MAGIC 0x950412de
+
+/* Header for binary .mo file format.  */
+struct mo_file_header
+{
+	/* The magic number.  */
+	u_int32_t magic;
+	/* The revision number of the file format.  */
+	u_int32_t revision;
+	/* The number of strings pairs.  */
+	u_int32_t nstrings;
+	/* Offset of table with start offsets of original strings.  */
+	u_int32_t orig_tab_offset;
+	/* Offset of table with start offsets of translation strings.  */
+	u_int32_t trans_tab_offset;
+	/* Size of hashing table.  */
+	u_int32_t hash_tab_size;
+	/* Offset of first hashing entry.  */
+	u_int32_t hash_tab_offset;
+};
+
+struct string_desc
+{
+	/* Length of addressed string.  */
+	u_int32_t length;
+	/* Offset of string in file.  */
+	u_int32_t offset;
+};
+
+static u_int32_t swap(u_int32_t i)
+{
+	return (i << 24) | ((i & 0xff00) << 8) |
+		((i >> 8) & 0xff00) | (i >> 24);
+}
+#define swap_if(a) ((has_to_swap) ? swap(a) : (a))
+static char *getmsg(const char *filename, const char *msgid)
+{
+	int fd;
+	struct mo_file_header *ptr;
+	struct stat st;
+	int has_to_swap;
+	size_t top, bottom;
+	struct string_desc *orig_tab, *trans_tab = NULL;
+	int act = -1;
+	char *ret = (char*)msgid;
+
+	if (filename == NULL || stat(filename, &st))
+		return ret;
+
+	fd = open(filename, O_RDONLY);
+	if (fd == -1)
+		return ret;
+
+	ptr = (struct mo_file_header *) mmap(NULL, st.st_size, PROT_READ,
+			MAP_PRIVATE, fd, 0);
+	close(fd);
+
+	if (ptr == (void*)-1)
+		return ret;
+
+	has_to_swap = ptr->magic != _MAGIC;
+
+	if (swap_if(ptr->magic) != _MAGIC)
+		goto oops;
+
+	/* FIXME: use hash table */
+
+	orig_tab = (struct string_desc *)
+		((char *) ptr + swap_if(ptr->orig_tab_offset));
+	trans_tab = (struct string_desc *)
+		((char *) ptr + swap_if(ptr->trans_tab_offset));
+
+	bottom = 0;
+	top = swap_if(ptr->nstrings);
+	while (bottom < top) {
+		int cmp_val;
+		act = (bottom + top) / 2;
+		cmp_val =
+			strcmp(msgid,
+					((char *) ptr + swap_if(orig_tab[act].offset)));
+		if (cmp_val < 0)
+			top = act;
+		else if (cmp_val > 0)
+			bottom = act + 1;
+		else
+			break;
+		act = -1;
+	}
+
+oops:
+	if (act != -1)
+		ret = strdup(((char *) ptr + swap_if(trans_tab[act].offset)));
+	munmap(ptr, st.st_size);
+	return ret;
+}
+#else
+# define getmsg(a,b) (b)
+#endif
+
 int printf_main(int argc UNUSED_PARAM, char **argv)
 {
 	int conv_err;
 	char *format;
 	char **argv2;
+	int opt;
+	const char *nls_file = NULL;
+
+	while ((opt = getopt(argc, argv, "n:")) != -1)
+		switch (opt) {
+			case 'n':
+				nls_file = optarg;
+				break;
+			default:
+				bb_show_usage();
+				break;
+		}
+
+	format = getmsg(nls_file, argv[optind++]);
 
 	/* We must check that stdout is not closed.
 	 * The reason for this is highly non-obvious.
@@ -436,8 +560,8 @@ int printf_main(int argc UNUSED_PARAM, c
 		bb_show_usage();
 	}
 
-	format = argv[1];
-	argv2 = argv + 2;
+    argv += optind;
+	argv2 = argv;
 
 	conv_err = 0;
 	do {