diff --git a/lib/outputcomponents.php b/lib/outputcomponents.php
index 79f01e0db2c..2b18213bcc8 100644
--- a/lib/outputcomponents.php
+++ b/lib/outputcomponents.php
@@ -2323,15 +2323,22 @@ class custom_menu_item implements renderable {
  * @since     Moodle 2.0
  */
 class custom_menu extends custom_menu_item {
+
+    /** @var string the language we should render for, null disables multilang support */
+    protected $currentlanguage = null;
+
     /**
      * Creates the custom menu
-     * @param string $text Sets the text for this custom menu, never gets used and is optional
+     *
+     * @param string $definition the menu items definition in syntax required by {@link convert_text_to_menu_nodes()}
+     * @param string $language the current language code, null disables multilang support
      */
-    public function __construct($text='base') {
-        global $CFG;
-        parent::__construct($text);
-        if (!empty($CFG->custommenuitems)) {
-            $this->override_children(self::convert_text_to_menu_nodes($CFG->custommenuitems));
+    public function __construct($definition = '', $currentlanguage = null) {
+
+        $this->currentlanguage = $currentlanguage;
+        parent::__construct('root'); // create virtual root element of the menu
+        if (!empty($definition)) {
+            $this->override_children(self::convert_text_to_menu_nodes($definition, $currentlanguage));
         }
     }
 
@@ -2353,8 +2360,9 @@ class custom_menu extends custom_menu_item {
      * then be added to a custom menu.
      *
      * Structure:
-     *     text|url|title
-     * The number of hyphens at the start determines the depth of the item
+     *     text|url|title|langs
+     * The number of hyphens at the start determines the depth of the item. The
+     * languages are optional, comma separated list of languages the line is for.
      *
      * Example structure:
      *     First level first item|http://www.moodle.com/
@@ -2364,16 +2372,16 @@ class custom_menu extends custom_menu_item {
      *     -Second level third item|http://www.moodle.com/development/
      *     First level second item|http://www.moodle.com/feedback/
      *     First level third item
+     *     English only|http://moodle.com|English only item|en
+     *     German only|http://moodle.de|Deutsch|de,de_du,de_kids
+     *
      *
      * @static
-     * @param string $text
+     * @param string $text the menu items definition
+     * @param string $language the language code, null disables multilang support
      * @return array
      */
-    public static function convert_text_to_menu_nodes($text) {
-        $text = format_text($text, FORMAT_MOODLE, array(
-            'para'     => false,
-            'newlines' => false,
-            'context'  => get_system_context()));
+    public static function convert_text_to_menu_nodes($text, $language = null) {
         $lines = explode("\n", $text);
         $children = array();
         $lastchild = null;
@@ -2381,27 +2389,38 @@ class custom_menu extends custom_menu_item {
         $lastsort = 0;
         foreach ($lines as $line) {
             $line = trim($line);
-            $bits = explode('|', $line ,4);    // name|url|title|sort
-            if (!array_key_exists(0, $bits) || empty($bits[0])) {
+            $bits = explode('|', $line, 4);    // name|url|title|langs
+            if (!array_key_exists(0, $bits) or empty($bits[0])) {
                 // Every item must have a name to be valid
                 continue;
             } else {
                 $bits[0] = ltrim($bits[0],'-');
             }
-            if (!array_key_exists(1, $bits)) {
+            if (!array_key_exists(1, $bits) or empty($bits[1])) {
                 // Set the url to null
                 $bits[1] = null;
             } else {
                 // Make sure the url is a moodle url
                 $bits[1] = new moodle_url(trim($bits[1]));
             }
-            if (!array_key_exists(2, $bits)) {
+            if (!array_key_exists(2, $bits) or empty($bits[2])) {
                 // Set the title to null seeing as there isn't one
                 $bits[2] = $bits[0];
             }
+            if (!array_key_exists(3, $bits) or empty($bits[3])) {
+                // The item is valid for all languages
+                $itemlangs = null;
+            } else {
+                $itemlangs = array_map('trim', explode(',', $bits[3]));
+            }
+            if (!empty($language) and !empty($itemlangs)) {
+                // check that the item is intended for the current language
+                if (!in_array($language, $itemlangs)) {
+                    continue;
+                }
+            }
             // Set an incremental sort order to keep it simple.
-            $bits[3] = $lastsort;
-            $lastsort = $bits[3]+1;
+            $lastsort++;
             if (preg_match('/^(\-*)/', $line, $match) && $lastchild != null && $lastdepth !== null) {
                 $depth = strlen($match[1]);
                 if ($depth < $lastdepth) {
@@ -2411,26 +2430,26 @@ class custom_menu extends custom_menu_item {
                         for ($i =0; $i < $difference; $i++) {
                             $tempchild = $tempchild->get_parent();
                         }
-                        $lastchild = $tempchild->add($bits[0], $bits[1], $bits[2], $bits[3]);
+                        $lastchild = $tempchild->add($bits[0], $bits[1], $bits[2], $lastsort);
                     } else {
                         $depth = 0;
-                        $lastchild = new custom_menu_item($bits[0], $bits[1], $bits[2], $bits[3]);
+                        $lastchild = new custom_menu_item($bits[0], $bits[1], $bits[2], $lastsort);
                         $children[] = $lastchild;
                     }
                 } else if ($depth > $lastdepth) {
                     $depth = $lastdepth + 1;
-                    $lastchild = $lastchild->add($bits[0], $bits[1], $bits[2], $bits[3]);
+                    $lastchild = $lastchild->add($bits[0], $bits[1], $bits[2], $lastsort);
                 } else {
                     if ($depth == 0) {
-                        $lastchild = new custom_menu_item($bits[0], $bits[1], $bits[2], $bits[3]);
+                        $lastchild = new custom_menu_item($bits[0], $bits[1], $bits[2], $lastsort);
                         $children[] = $lastchild;
                     } else {
-                        $lastchild = $lastchild->get_parent()->add($bits[0], $bits[1], $bits[2], $bits[3]);
+                        $lastchild = $lastchild->get_parent()->add($bits[0], $bits[1], $bits[2], $lastsort);
                     }
                 }
             } else {
                 $depth = 0;
-                $lastchild = new custom_menu_item($bits[0], $bits[1], $bits[2], $bits[3]);
+                $lastchild = new custom_menu_item($bits[0], $bits[1], $bits[2], $lastsort);
                 $children[] = $lastchild;
             }
             $lastdepth = $depth;
diff --git a/lib/outputrenderers.php b/lib/outputrenderers.php
index 9f2bb835d78..1f00572bdc6 100644
--- a/lib/outputrenderers.php
+++ b/lib/outputrenderers.php
@@ -2410,7 +2410,7 @@ EOD;
         if (empty($CFG->custommenuitems)) {
             return '';
         }
-        $custommenu = new custom_menu();
+        $custommenu = new custom_menu($CFG->custommenuitems, current_language());
         return $this->render_custom_menu($custommenu);
     }
 
diff --git a/lib/simpletest/testoutputcomponents.php b/lib/simpletest/testoutputcomponents.php
index 61f67086d35..f8aa788b2ef 100644
--- a/lib/simpletest/testoutputcomponents.php
+++ b/lib/simpletest/testoutputcomponents.php
@@ -112,3 +112,111 @@ class user_picture_test extends UnitTestCase {
         $this->assertEqual($returned->custom1, 'Value of custom1');
     }
 }
+
+
+/**
+ * Unit tests for the custom_menu class
+ */
+class custom_menu_test extends UnitTestCase {
+
+    public function test_empty_menu() {
+        $emptymenu = new custom_menu();
+        $this->assertTrue($emptymenu instanceof custom_menu);
+        $this->assertFalse($emptymenu->has_children());
+    }
+
+    public function test_basic_syntax() {
+        $definition = <<<EOF
+Moodle community|http://moodle.org
+-Moodle free support|http://moodle.org/support
+-Moodle development|http://moodle.org/development
+--Moodle Tracker|http://tracker.moodle.org
+--Moodle Docs|http://docs.moodle.org
+-Moodle News|http://moodle.org/news
+Moodle company
+-Hosting|http://moodle.com/hosting|Commercial hosting
+-Support|http://moodle.com/support|Commercial support
+EOF;
+
+        $menu = new custom_menu($definition);
+        $this->assertTrue($menu instanceof custom_menu);
+        $this->assertTrue($menu->has_children());
+        $firstlevel = $menu->get_children();
+        $this->assertIsA($firstlevel, 'array');
+        $this->assertEqual(2, count($firstlevel));
+
+        $item = array_shift($firstlevel);
+        $this->assertTrue($item instanceof custom_menu_item);
+        $this->assertTrue($item->has_children());
+        $this->assertEqual(3, count($item->get_children()));
+        $this->assertEqual('Moodle community', $item->get_text());
+        $itemurl = $item->get_url();
+        $this->assertTrue($itemurl instanceof moodle_url);
+        $this->assertEqual('http://moodle.org', $itemurl->out());
+        $this->assertEqual($item->get_text(), $item->get_title()); // implicit title
+
+        $item = array_shift($firstlevel);
+        $this->assertTrue($item->has_children());
+        $this->assertEqual(2, count($item->get_children()));
+        $this->assertEqual('Moodle company', $item->get_text());
+        $this->assertTrue(is_null($item->get_url()));
+
+        $subitem = array_shift($item->get_children());
+        $this->assertFalse($subitem->has_children());
+        $this->assertEqual('Hosting', $subitem->get_text());
+        $this->assertEqual('Commercial hosting', $subitem->get_title());
+    }
+
+    public function test_multilang_support() {
+        $definition = <<<EOF
+Start|http://school.info
+Info
+-English|http://school.info/en|Information in English|en
+-Deutsch|http://school.info/de|Informationen in deutscher Sprache|de,de_du,de_kids
+EOF;
+
+        // the menu without multilang support
+        $menu = new custom_menu($definition);
+        $this->assertTrue($menu->has_children());
+        $this->assertEqual(2, count($menu->get_children()));
+
+        $infomenu = array_pop($menu->get_children());
+        $this->assertTrue($infomenu->has_children());
+        $this->assertEqual(2, count($infomenu->get_children()));
+
+        $langspecinfo = array_shift($infomenu->get_children());
+        $this->assertEqual('Information in English', $langspecinfo->get_title());
+
+        // same menu for English language selected
+        $menu = new custom_menu($definition, 'en');
+        $this->assertTrue($menu->has_children());
+        $this->assertEqual(2, count($menu->get_children()));
+
+        $infomenu = array_pop($menu->get_children());
+        $this->assertTrue($infomenu->has_children());
+        $this->assertEqual(1, count($infomenu->get_children()));
+
+        $langspecinfo = array_shift($infomenu->get_children());
+        $this->assertEqual('Information in English', $langspecinfo->get_title());
+
+        // same menu for German (de_du) language selected
+        $menu = new custom_menu($definition, 'de_du');
+        $this->assertTrue($menu->has_children());
+        $this->assertEqual(2, count($menu->get_children()));
+
+        $infomenu = array_pop($menu->get_children());
+        $this->assertTrue($infomenu->has_children());
+        $this->assertEqual(1, count($infomenu->get_children()));
+
+        $langspecinfo = array_shift($infomenu->get_children());
+        $this->assertEqual('Informationen in deutscher Sprache', $langspecinfo->get_title());
+
+        // same menu for Czech language selected
+        $menu = new custom_menu($definition, 'cs');
+        $this->assertTrue($menu->has_children());
+        $this->assertEqual(2, count($menu->get_children()));
+
+        $infomenu = array_pop($menu->get_children());
+        $this->assertFalse($infomenu->has_children());
+    }
+}