diff --git a/.autotest b/.autotest
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..5e739f46
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.autotest
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+require 'autotest/restart'
+
+Autotest.add_hook :initialize do |at|
+  at.testlib = "minitest/autorun"
+end
+
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index b066d1ea..3dae10fe 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 .DS_Store
 test/rails/fixtures
 nbproject/
+gemfiles/vendor/**/*
 vendor/**/*
 *.swp
 pkg
diff --git a/Gemfile b/Gemfile
index 92f28620..0a135402 100644
--- a/Gemfile
+++ b/Gemfile
@@ -6,3 +6,5 @@ gem 'mocha'
 gem 'test_declarative'
 gem 'rake'
 gem 'minitest'
+gem 'minitest-autotest'
+gem 'autotest-suffix'
diff --git a/Gemfile.lock b/Gemfile.lock
index 005f916b..dc544349 100644
--- a/Gemfile.lock
+++ b/Gemfile.lock
@@ -6,8 +6,13 @@ PATH
 GEM
   remote: https://rubygems.org/
   specs:
+    autotest-suffix (1.1.0)
     metaclass (0.0.4)
-    minitest (5.5.1)
+    minitest (5.9.0)
+    minitest-autotest (1.0.3)
+      minitest-server (~> 1.0)
+    minitest-server (1.0.4)
+      minitest (~> 5.0)
     mocha (1.1.0)
       metaclass (~> 0.0.1)
     rake (10.4.2)
@@ -18,8 +23,13 @@ PLATFORMS
   ruby
 
 DEPENDENCIES
+  autotest-suffix
   i18n!
   minitest
+  minitest-autotest
   mocha
   rake
   test_declarative
+
+BUNDLED WITH
+   1.11.2
diff --git a/lib/i18n.rb b/lib/i18n.rb
index e3f7cbed..c36cae3b 100644
--- a/lib/i18n.rb
+++ b/lib/i18n.rb
@@ -285,6 +285,29 @@ def enforce_available_locales!(locale)
       end
     end
 
+    def deep_symbolize_keys(hash)
+      hash.inject({}) { |result, (key, value)|
+        value = deep_symbolize_keys(value) if value.is_a?(Hash)
+        the_key = (key.to_sym rescue key) || key
+        the_key = remove_ending_separator(the_key)
+        result[the_key] = value
+        result
+      }
+    end
+
+    # If a key ends with the separator, then removes the separator.
+    # This consolidates the storage and lookup of keys ending in a separator.
+    def remove_ending_separator(key)
+      if key[-1] == I18n.default_separator
+        new_key = key[0..key.length - 2]
+        if key.is_a? Symbol
+          new_key = new_key.to_sym
+        end
+        key = new_key
+      end
+      key
+    end
+
   private
 
     # Any exceptions thrown in translate will be sent to the @@exception_handler
diff --git a/lib/i18n/backend/flatten.rb b/lib/i18n/backend/flatten.rb
index c23f7c13..25593859 100644
--- a/lib/i18n/backend/flatten.rb
+++ b/lib/i18n/backend/flatten.rb
@@ -110,4 +110,4 @@ def escape_default_separator(key) #:nodoc:
 
     end
   end
-end
\ No newline at end of file
+end
diff --git a/lib/i18n/backend/key_value.rb b/lib/i18n/backend/key_value.rb
index a79fc1aa..a5a4f35c 100644
--- a/lib/i18n/backend/key_value.rb
+++ b/lib/i18n/backend/key_value.rb
@@ -59,6 +59,7 @@ def initialize(store, subtrees=true)
 
         def store_translations(locale, data, options = {})
           escape = options.fetch(:escape, true)
+          data = I18n.deep_symbolize_keys(data)
           flatten_translations(locale, data, escape, @subtrees).each do |key, value|
             key = "#{locale}.#{key}"
 
@@ -66,7 +67,7 @@ def store_translations(locale, data, options = {})
             when Hash
               if @subtrees && (old_value = @store[key])
                 old_value = ActiveSupport::JSON.decode(old_value)
-                value = old_value.deep_symbolize_keys.deep_merge!(value) if old_value.is_a?(Hash)
+                value = I18n.deep_symbolize_keys(old_value).deep_merge!(value) if old_value.is_a?(Hash)
               end
             when Proc
               raise "Key-value stores cannot handle procs"
@@ -88,9 +89,11 @@ def available_locales
 
         def lookup(locale, key, scope = [], options = {})
           key   = normalize_flat_keys(locale, key, scope, options[:separator])
+          key = I18n.remove_ending_separator key
+
           value = @store["#{locale}.#{key}"]
           value = ActiveSupport::JSON.decode(value) if value
-          value.is_a?(Hash) ? value.deep_symbolize_keys : value
+          value.is_a?(Hash) ? I18n.deep_symbolize_keys(value) : value
         end
       end
 
diff --git a/lib/i18n/backend/simple.rb b/lib/i18n/backend/simple.rb
index 95ffb6ab..d80f635c 100644
--- a/lib/i18n/backend/simple.rb
+++ b/lib/i18n/backend/simple.rb
@@ -29,9 +29,12 @@ def initialized?
         # translations will be overwritten by new ones only at the deepest
         # level of the hash.
         def store_translations(locale, data, options = {})
+          if options[:separator]
+            I18n.default_separator = options[:separator]
+          end
           locale = locale.to_sym
           translations[locale] ||= {}
-          data = data.deep_symbolize_keys
+          data = I18n.deep_symbolize_keys(data)
           translations[locale].deep_merge!(data)
         end
 
diff --git a/lib/i18n/core_ext/hash.rb b/lib/i18n/core_ext/hash.rb
index 895f41a4..a530d69a 100644
--- a/lib/i18n/core_ext/hash.rb
+++ b/lib/i18n/core_ext/hash.rb
@@ -9,19 +9,11 @@ def except(*less_keys)
     slice(*keys - less_keys)
   end unless Hash.method_defined?(:except)
 
-  def deep_symbolize_keys
-    inject({}) { |result, (key, value)|
-      value = value.deep_symbolize_keys if value.is_a?(Hash)
-      result[(key.to_sym rescue key) || key] = value
-      result
-    }
-  end unless Hash.method_defined?(:deep_symbolize_keys)
-
   # deep_merge_hash! by Stefan Rusterholz, see http://www.ruby-forum.com/topic/142809
   MERGER = proc do |key, v1, v2|
     Hash === v1 && Hash === v2 ? v1.merge(v2, &MERGER) : v2
   end
-  
+
   def deep_merge!(data)
     merge!(data, &MERGER)
   end unless Hash.method_defined?(:deep_merge!)
diff --git a/test/backend/key_value_test.rb b/test/backend/key_value_test.rb
index 097780df..b3c905aa 100644
--- a/test/backend/key_value_test.rb
+++ b/test/backend/key_value_test.rb
@@ -40,4 +40,10 @@ def assert_flattens(expected, nested, escape=true, subtree=true)
       I18n.t("foo", :raise => true)
     end
   end
+
+  test "key value store: can store and retrieve a translation which key ends with the escope separator character" do
+    setup_backend!
+    store_translations :'en', :"yyy." => "yyy value"
+    assert_equal("yyy value", I18n.t("yyy."))
+  end
 end if I18n::TestCase.key_value?
diff --git a/test/backend/memoize_test.rb b/test/backend/memoize_test.rb
index 0fb9f904..2c42fe27 100644
--- a/test/backend/memoize_test.rb
+++ b/test/backend/memoize_test.rb
@@ -44,4 +44,10 @@ def test_resets_available_locales_on_store_translations
     assert I18n.available_locales.include?(:copa)
     assert_equal 1, I18n.backend.spy_calls
   end
+
+  def test_memoize_can_store_and_retrieve_a_translation_ending_in_separator
+    store_translations :'en', :"yyy." => "yyy value"
+    assert_equal("yyy value", I18n.t("yyy."))
+  end
+
 end
diff --git a/test/backend/simple_test.rb b/test/backend/simple_test.rb
index 4d0c447f..61702434 100644
--- a/test/backend/simple_test.rb
+++ b/test/backend/simple_test.rb
@@ -70,6 +70,11 @@ def setup
     assert_equal Hash[:'en', {:foo => {:bar => 'bar', :baz => 'baz'}}], translations
   end
 
+  test "simple store and lookup: can store and retrieve a translation which key ends with the escope separator character" do
+    store_translations :'en', :"yyy." => "yyy value"
+    assert_equal("yyy value", I18n.t("yyy."))
+  end
+
   # reloading translations
 
   test "simple reload_translations: unloads translations" do
diff --git a/test/core_ext/hash_test.rb b/test/core_ext/hash_test.rb
index f7ebd6fe..cd56e687 100644
--- a/test/core_ext/hash_test.rb
+++ b/test/core_ext/hash_test.rb
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ class I18nCoreExtHashInterpolationTest < I18n::TestCase
   test "#deep_symbolize_keys" do
     hash = { 'foo' => { 'bar' => { 'baz' => 'bar' } } }
     expected = { :foo => { :bar => { :baz => 'bar' } } }
-    assert_equal expected, hash.deep_symbolize_keys
+    assert_equal expected, I18n.deep_symbolize_keys(hash)
   end
 
   test "#slice" do
diff --git a/test/test_helper.rb b/test/test_helper.rb
index dabb6a7b..e1b42b23 100644
--- a/test/test_helper.rb
+++ b/test/test_helper.rb
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ def self.key_value?
   def setup
     super
     I18n.enforce_available_locales = false
+    I18n.default_separator = nil
   end
 
   def teardown