diff --git a/django/templatetags/i18n.py b/django/templatetags/i18n.py
index 7c54ce034c6..7c29f63c590 100644
--- a/django/templatetags/i18n.py
+++ b/django/templatetags/i18n.py
@@ -97,14 +97,16 @@ class TranslateNode(Node):
 
 
 class BlockTranslateNode(Node):
+
     def __init__(self, extra_context, singular, plural=None, countervar=None,
-            counter=None, message_context=None):
+            counter=None, message_context=None, trimmed=False):
         self.extra_context = extra_context
         self.singular = singular
         self.plural = plural
         self.countervar = countervar
         self.counter = counter
         self.message_context = message_context
+        self.trimmed = trimmed
 
     def render_token_list(self, tokens):
         result = []
@@ -115,7 +117,10 @@ class BlockTranslateNode(Node):
             elif token.token_type == TOKEN_VAR:
                 result.append('%%(%s)s' % token.contents)
                 vars.append(token.contents)
-        return ''.join(result), vars
+        msg = ''.join(result)
+        if self.trimmed:
+            msg = translation.trim_whitespace(msg)
+        return msg, vars
 
     def render(self, context, nested=False):
         if self.message_context:
@@ -438,6 +443,8 @@ def do_block_translate(parser, token):
                     '"context" in %r tag expected '
                     'exactly one argument.') % bits[0]
                 six.reraise(TemplateSyntaxError, TemplateSyntaxError(msg), sys.exc_info()[2])
+        elif option == "trimmed":
+            value = True
         else:
             raise TemplateSyntaxError('Unknown argument for %r tag: %r.' %
                                       (bits[0], option))
@@ -453,6 +460,8 @@ def do_block_translate(parser, token):
         message_context = None
     extra_context = options.get('with', {})
 
+    trimmed = options.get("trimmed", False)
+
     singular = []
     plural = []
     while parser.tokens:
@@ -474,7 +483,7 @@ def do_block_translate(parser, token):
         raise TemplateSyntaxError("'blocktrans' doesn't allow other block tags (seen %r) inside it" % token.contents)
 
     return BlockTranslateNode(extra_context, singular, plural, countervar,
-            counter, message_context)
+                              counter, message_context, trimmed=trimmed)
 
 
 @register.tag
diff --git a/django/utils/translation/__init__.py b/django/utils/translation/__init__.py
index e4e8c6e1be6..9d46ce67e4a 100644
--- a/django/utils/translation/__init__.py
+++ b/django/utils/translation/__init__.py
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 Internationalization support.
 """
 from __future__ import unicode_literals
-
+import re
 from django.utils.encoding import force_text
 from django.utils.functional import lazy
 from django.utils import six
@@ -218,3 +218,9 @@ def get_language_info(lang_code):
             return LANG_INFO[generic_lang_code]
         except KeyError:
             raise KeyError("Unknown language code %s and %s." % (lang_code, generic_lang_code))
+
+trim_whitespace_re = re.compile('\s*\n\s*')
+
+
+def trim_whitespace(s):
+    return trim_whitespace_re.sub(' ', s.strip())
diff --git a/django/utils/translation/trans_real.py b/django/utils/translation/trans_real.py
index e3081dd19ac..ff2d8ca25d6 100644
--- a/django/utils/translation/trans_real.py
+++ b/django/utils/translation/trans_real.py
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ from django.utils._os import upath
 from django.utils.safestring import mark_safe, SafeData
 from django.utils import six
 from django.utils.six import StringIO
-from django.utils.translation import TranslatorCommentWarning
+from django.utils.translation import TranslatorCommentWarning, trim_whitespace
 
 
 # Translations are cached in a dictionary for every language+app tuple.
@@ -530,6 +530,7 @@ def blankout(src, char):
     """
     return dot_re.sub(char, src)
 
+
 context_re = re.compile(r"""^\s+.*context\s+((?:"[^"]*?")|(?:'[^']*?'))\s*""")
 inline_re = re.compile(r"""^\s*trans\s+((?:"[^"]*?")|(?:'[^']*?'))(\s+.*context\s+((?:"[^"]*?")|(?:'[^']*?')))?\s*""")
 block_re = re.compile(r"""^\s*blocktrans(\s+.*context\s+((?:"[^"]*?")|(?:'[^']*?')))?(?:\s+|$)""")
@@ -553,6 +554,7 @@ def templatize(src, origin=None):
     message_context = None
     intrans = False
     inplural = False
+    trimmed = False
     singular = []
     plural = []
     incomment = False
@@ -582,20 +584,29 @@ def templatize(src, origin=None):
                 endbmatch = endblock_re.match(t.contents)
                 pluralmatch = plural_re.match(t.contents)
                 if endbmatch:
+                    if trimmed:
+                        singular = trim_whitespace(''.join(singular))
+                    else:
+                        singular = ''.join(singular)
+
                     if inplural:
-                        if message_context:
-                            out.write(' npgettext(%r, %r, %r,count) ' % (message_context, ''.join(singular), ''.join(plural)))
+                        if trimmed:
+                            plural = trim_whitespace(''.join(plural))
                         else:
-                            out.write(' ngettext(%r, %r, count) ' % (''.join(singular), ''.join(plural)))
+                            plural = ''.join(plural)
+                        if message_context:
+                            out.write(' npgettext(%r, %r, %r,count) ' % (message_context, singular, plural))
+                        else:
+                            out.write(' ngettext(%r, %r, count) ' % (singular, plural))
                         for part in singular:
                             out.write(blankout(part, 'S'))
                         for part in plural:
                             out.write(blankout(part, 'P'))
                     else:
                         if message_context:
-                            out.write(' pgettext(%r, %r) ' % (message_context, ''.join(singular)))
+                            out.write(' pgettext(%r, %r) ' % (message_context, singular))
                         else:
-                            out.write(' gettext(%r) ' % ''.join(singular))
+                            out.write(' gettext(%r) ' % singular)
                         for part in singular:
                             out.write(blankout(part, 'S'))
                     message_context = None
@@ -678,6 +689,7 @@ def templatize(src, origin=None):
                             message_context = message_context.strip("'")
                     intrans = True
                     inplural = False
+                    trimmed = 'trimmed' in t.split_contents()
                     singular = []
                     plural = []
                 elif cmatches:
diff --git a/docs/releases/1.7.txt b/docs/releases/1.7.txt
index 8c5e81d0f3d..9501da7ca1b 100644
--- a/docs/releases/1.7.txt
+++ b/docs/releases/1.7.txt
@@ -342,6 +342,15 @@ Internationalization
   still read from in 1.7. Sessions will be migrated to the new ``_language``
   key as they are written.
 
+* The :ttag:`blocktrans` now supports a ``trimmed`` option. This
+  option will remove newline characters from the beginning and the end of the
+  content of the ``{% blocktrans %}`` tag, replace any whitespace at the
+  beginning and end of a line and merge all lines into one using a space
+  character to separate them. This is quite useful for indenting the content of
+  a ``{% blocktrans %}`` tag without having the indentation characters end up
+  in the corresponding entry in the PO file, which makes the translation
+  process easier.
+
 Management Commands
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
 
diff --git a/docs/topics/i18n/translation.txt b/docs/topics/i18n/translation.txt
index 41887d16ba2..6b862bb6d94 100644
--- a/docs/topics/i18n/translation.txt
+++ b/docs/topics/i18n/translation.txt
@@ -674,6 +674,30 @@ markers<contextual-markers>` using the ``context`` keyword:
 
     {% blocktrans with name=user.username context "greeting" %}Hi {{ name }}{% endblocktrans %}
 
+Another feature ``{% blocktrans %}`` supports is the ``trimmed`` option. This
+option will remove newline characters from the beginning and the end of the
+content of the ``{% blocktrans %}`` tag, replace any whitespace at the beginning
+and end of a line and merge all lines into one using a space character to
+separate them. This is quite useful for indenting the content of a ``{%
+blocktrans %}`` tag without having the indentation characters end up in the
+corresponding entry in the PO file, which makes the translation process easier.
+
+For instance, the following ``{% blocktrans %}`` tag::
+
+    {% blocktrans trimmed %}
+      First sentence.
+      Second paragraph.
+    {% endblocktrans %}
+
+will result in the entry ``"First sentence. Second paragraph."`` in the PO file,
+compared to ``"\n  First sentence.\n  Second sentence.\n"``, if the ``trimmed``
+option had not been specified.
+
+.. versionchanged:: 1.7
+
+    The ``trimmed`` option was added.
+
+
 String literals passed to tags and filters
 ------------------------------------------
 
diff --git a/tests/i18n/commands/templates/test.html b/tests/i18n/commands/templates/test.html
index 6cb4493ef66..bd777285498 100644
--- a/tests/i18n/commands/templates/test.html
+++ b/tests/i18n/commands/templates/test.html
@@ -82,3 +82,15 @@ continued here.{% endcomment %}
 {% trans "Translatable literal with context wrapped in double quotes" context "Context wrapped in double quotes" as var %}
 {% blocktrans context 'Special blocktrans context wrapped in single quotes' %}Translatable literal with context wrapped in single quotes{% endblocktrans %}
 {% blocktrans context "Special blocktrans context wrapped in double quotes" %}Translatable literal with context wrapped in double quotes{% endblocktrans %}
+
+
+{# BasicExtractorTests.test_blocktrans_trimmed #}
+{% blocktrans %}
+  Text with a few
+  line breaks.
+{% endblocktrans %}
+{% blocktrans trimmed %}
+  Again some text with a few
+  line breaks, this time
+  should be trimmed.
+{% endblocktrans %}
diff --git a/tests/i18n/test_extraction.py b/tests/i18n/test_extraction.py
index 633184f7c54..87535540aea 100644
--- a/tests/i18n/test_extraction.py
+++ b/tests/i18n/test_extraction.py
@@ -121,6 +121,17 @@ class BasicExtractorTests(ExtractorTests):
             self.assertMsgId('I think that 100%% is more that 50%% of %(obj)s.', po_contents)
             self.assertMsgId("Blocktrans extraction shouldn't double escape this: %%, a=%(a)s", po_contents)
 
+    def test_blocktrans_trimmed(self):
+        os.chdir(self.test_dir)
+        management.call_command('makemessages', locale=LOCALE, verbosity=0)
+        self.assertTrue(os.path.exists(self.PO_FILE))
+        with open(self.PO_FILE, 'r') as fp:
+            po_contents = force_text(fp.read())
+            # should not be trimmed
+            self.assertNotMsgId('Text with a few line breaks.', po_contents)
+            # should be trimmed
+            self.assertMsgId("Again some text with a few line breaks, this time should be trimmed.", po_contents)
+
     def test_force_en_us_locale(self):
         """Value of locale-munging option used by the command is the right one"""
         from django.core.management.commands.makemessages import Command
diff --git a/tests/i18n/tests.py b/tests/i18n/tests.py
index 42e743dedfb..32eadfbb466 100644
--- a/tests/i18n/tests.py
+++ b/tests/i18n/tests.py
@@ -245,6 +245,17 @@ class TranslationTests(TransRealMixin, TestCase):
             rendered = t.render(Context())
             self.assertEqual(rendered, 'Andere: Es gibt 5 Kommentare')
 
+            # Using trimmed
+            t = Template('{% load i18n %}{% blocktrans trimmed %}\n\nThere\n\t are 5  \n\n   comments\n{% endblocktrans %}')
+            rendered = t.render(Context())
+            self.assertEqual(rendered, 'There are 5 comments')
+            t = Template('{% load i18n %}{% blocktrans with num_comments=5 context "comment count" trimmed %}\n\nThere are  \t\n  \t {{ num_comments }} comments\n\n{% endblocktrans %}')
+            rendered = t.render(Context())
+            self.assertEqual(rendered, 'Es gibt 5 Kommentare')
+            t = Template('{% load i18n %}{% blocktrans context "other super search" count number=2 trimmed %}\n{{ number }} super \n result{% plural %}{{ number }} super results{% endblocktrans %}')
+            rendered = t.render(Context())
+            self.assertEqual(rendered, '2 andere Super-Ergebnisse')
+
             # Mis-uses
             self.assertRaises(TemplateSyntaxError, Template, '{% load i18n %}{% blocktrans context with month="May" %}{{ month }}{% endblocktrans %}')
             self.assertRaises(TemplateSyntaxError, Template, '{% load i18n %}{% blocktrans context %}{% endblocktrans %}')