diff --git a/src/i18n/view.i18n.js b/src/i18n/view.i18n.js
index dd065c50..2775e96b 100644
--- a/src/i18n/view.i18n.js
+++ b/src/i18n/view.i18n.js
@@ -1,36 +1,54 @@
 /*jshint multistr:true */
 
-// TODO probably some kind of mixin would be better, like: my.View - Backbone.View.extend({}); _.extend(my.View, Backbone.I18nView);
+"use strict";
+var I18nMessages = function(uniqueID, translations, languageResolverOrLocale, appHardcodedLocale) {
+    var defaultResolver = function() {
+    };
 
-Backbone.I18nView = Backbone.View.extend({
-    defaultLocale: 'en',
-    locale: 'en',
-    cache: {},
-    initializeI18n: function(locale, appHardcodedLocale) {
-        this.defaultLocale = appHardcodedLocale || 'en';
-        this.locale = locale || this.defaultLocale;
+    // which locale should we use?
+    languageResolverOrLocale = (typeof languageResolverOrLocale !== 'undefined') ?  languageResolverOrLocale : defaultResolver;
+    appHardcodedLocale = appHardcodedLocale || 'en';
 
-        this.cache[this.locale] = {};
-    },
+    if (typeof(languageResolverOrLocale) === 'function') {
+        languageResolverOrLocale = languageResolverOrLocale();
+    }
+    if (languageResolverOrLocale == undefined) {
+        languageResolverOrLocale = appHardcodedLocale;
+    }
+
+    if (I18nMessages.prototype._formatters[uniqueID, languageResolverOrLocale]) {
+        return I18nMessages.prototype._formatters[uniqueID, languageResolverOrLocale];
+    }
+    I18nMessages.prototype._formatters[uniqueID, languageResolverOrLocale] = this;
+
+    // ========== VARIABLES & FUNCTIONS ==========
+    var self = this;
+
+    this.locale = languageResolverOrLocale;
+    this.cache= {};
+
+    this.getLocale = function() {
+        return this.locale;
+    };
+
+    // ============= FormatJS.io backend =========
+
+    this.t = function(key, values, defaultMessage) {
+        values = (typeof values !== 'undefined') ?  values : {};
 
-    // TODO how to use it from outside? an singleton instance of I18n? use case: pass translated strings into view initializer
-    t: function(key) {
-        this.t(key, {}, null);
-    },
-    t: function(key, values, defaultMessage) {
         // get the message from current locale
-        var msg = recline.View.translations[this.locale][key];
+        var msg = this.translations[this.locale][key];
 
         // fallback to key or default message if no translation is defined
         if (msg == null) {
-            if (this.locale != this.defaultLocale) {
+            if (this.locale != this.appHardcodedLocale) {
                 console.warn("Missing locale for " + this.locale + "." + key);
             }
             msg = defaultMessage;
         }
         if (msg == null) {
             msg = key;
-            if (this.locale === this.defaultLocale) {
+            if (this.locale === this.appHardcodedLocale) {
                 // no need to define lang entry for short sentences, just use underscores as spaces
                 msg = msg.replace(/_/g, ' ');
             }
@@ -38,9 +56,9 @@ Backbone.I18nView = Backbone.View.extend({
         }
 
         try {
-            var formatter = this.cache[this.locale][msg];
+            var formatter = this.cache[msg];
             if (formatter === undefined) {
-                this.cache[this.locale][msg] = formatter = new IntlMessageFormat(msg, this.locale);
+                this.cache[msg] = formatter = new IntlMessageFormat(msg, this.locale);
             }
             var formatted = formatter.format(values);
 
@@ -56,16 +74,18 @@ Backbone.I18nView = Backbone.View.extend({
         }
     },
 
-    MustacheFormatter: function() {
-        var formatter = new Proxy(this, {
-            get: function(view, name) {
+    // ============ Mustache integration ========
+
+    this.mustacheI18Tags = function() {
+        var tagsProxy = new Proxy(this, {
+            get: function(messages, name) {
                 return function() {
                     var f = function (text, render) {
-                        var trans = view.t(name, this, text);
+                        var trans = messages.t(name, this, text);
                         return render(trans);
                     }
                     f.toString = function() {
-                        return view.t(name);
+                        return messages.t(name);
                     }
                     return f;
                 };
@@ -76,7 +96,11 @@ Backbone.I18nView = Backbone.View.extend({
         });
 
         return {
-            't': formatter,
+            't': tagsProxy,
         };
     },
-});
\ No newline at end of file
+
+    this.injectMustache = function(tmplData) {
+        return _.extend(tmplData, self.mustacheI18Tags());
+    }
+};
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/base.js b/test/base.js
index 93ebd69a..dcf016ed 100644
--- a/test/base.js
+++ b/test/base.js
@@ -22,6 +22,14 @@ var Fixture = {
     ];
     var dataset = new recline.Model.Dataset({records: documents, fields: fields});
     return dataset;
+  },
+
+  getTranslations: function() {
+    return {
+      pl: {
+        Grid: 'Tabela'
+      }
+    };
   }
 };
 
diff --git a/test/view.i18n.test.js b/test/view.i18n.test.js
index 52adfce5..40919b95 100644
--- a/test/view.i18n.test.js
+++ b/test/view.i18n.test.js
@@ -1,101 +1,80 @@
 (function ($) {
 
-module("View - i18n support");
+module("I18nMessages");
 
 test('translate simple key custom locale', function () {
-  var dataset = Fixture.getDataset();
-  var view = new recline.View.MultiView({
-    model: dataset,
-    locale: 'pl' // todo or should it go in the state parameter?
-  });
+  var fmt = I18nMessages('somelib', Fixture.getTranslations(), 'pl');
 
-  equal(view.t('Grid'), 'Tabela');
+  equal(fmt.t('Grid'), 'Tabela');
 });
 
 test('translate simple key default locale', function () {
-  var dataset = Fixture.getDataset();
-  var view = new recline.View.MultiView({
-    model: dataset
-  });
+  var fmt = I18nMessages('somelib', Fixture.getTranslations());
 
-  equal(view.t('Add_row'), 'Add row');
+  equal(fmt.t('Add_row'), 'Add row');
 });
 
 test('override custom locale', function () {
-  var dataset = Fixture.getDataset();
-  var view = new recline.View.MultiView({
-    model: dataset,
-    locale: 'pl'
-  });
+  var fmt = I18nMessages('recline', recline.View.translations, 'pl');
   var oldTranslation = recline.View.translations['pl']['Grid'];
 
-  // set custom strings in external app after recline script
+  // set custom strings in external app after including recline script
   recline.View.translations['pl']['Grid'] = 'Dane';
 
-  equal(view.t('Grid'), 'Dane');
+  equal(fmt.t('Grid'), 'Dane');
+
   recline.View.translations['pl']['Grid'] = oldTranslation;
 });
 
 test('override default locale', function () {
-  var dataset = Fixture.getDataset();
-  var view = new recline.View.MultiView({
-    model: dataset
-  });
+  var fmt = I18nMessages('recline', recline.View.translations, 'en');
   var oldTranslation = recline.View.translations['en']['Grid'];
 
-  // set custom strings in external app after recline script
+  // set custom strings in external app after including recline script
   recline.View.translations['en']['Grid'] = 'Data';
 
-  equal(view.t('Grid'), 'Data');
+  equal(fmt.t('Grid'), 'Data');
+
   recline.View.translations['en']['Grid'] = oldTranslation;
 });
 
 test('fallback to key if translation not present', function () {
-  var dataset = Fixture.getDataset();
-  var view = new recline.View.MultiView({
-    model: dataset
-  });
+  var fmt = I18nMessages('somelib', Fixture.getTranslations());
 
-  equal(view.t('thiskeydoesnotexist'), 'thiskeydoesnotexist');
+  equal(fmt.t('thiskeydoesnotexist'), 'thiskeydoesnotexist');
 });
 
 test('fallback to default message', function () {
-  var dataset = Fixture.getDataset();
-  var view = new recline.View.MultiView({
-    model: dataset
-  });
+  var fmt = I18nMessages('somelib', Fixture.getTranslations());
 
-  equal(view.t('thiskeydoesnotexist', {}, 'Fallback to default message'), 'Fallback to default message');
+  equal(fmt.t('thiskeydoesnotexist', {}, 'Fallback to default message'), 'Fallback to default message');
 });
 
 test('mustache formatter - simple key', function () {
-  var dataset = Fixture.getDataset();
-  var view = new recline.View.MultiView({
-    model: dataset,
-    locale: 'pl'
-  });
+  var fmt = I18nMessages('somelib', Fixture.getTranslations(), 'pl');
 
+  // test without template rendering
+  var mustacheIntegration = fmt.injectMustache({});
+  equal(mustacheIntegration.t.Grid, 'Tabela')
+
+  // test within template rendering
   var template = '{{t.Grid}}';
   var tmplData = {};
 
-  // adding i18n support [do it in view before passing data to render functions]
-  tmplData = _.extend(tmplData, view.MustacheFormatter());
+  tmplData = fmt.injectMustache(tmplData);
 
   var out = Mustache.render(template, tmplData);
   equal(out, 'Tabela');
 });
 
 test('mustache formatter - complex key', function () {
-  var dataset = Fixture.getDataset();
-  var view = new recline.View.MultiView({
-    model: dataset,
-  });
+  var fmt = I18nMessages('somelib', Fixture.getTranslations(), 'pl');
 
   var template = '{{#t.num_records}}{recordCount} records{{/t.num_records}}';
   var tmplData = {recordCount: 5};
 
-  // adding i18n support [do it in view before passing data to render functions]
-  tmplData = _.extend(tmplData, view.MustacheFormatter());
+  // injecting i18n support [do it in view before passing data to render functions]
+  tmplData = fmt.injectMustache(tmplData);
 
   var out = Mustache.render(template, tmplData);
   equal(out, '5 records');
@@ -103,46 +82,80 @@ test('mustache formatter - complex key', function () {
 
 
 test('translate complex key default locale', function () {
-  var dataset = Fixture.getDataset();
-  var view = new recline.View.MultiView({
-    model: dataset
-  });
+  var fmt = I18nMessages('somelib', Fixture.getTranslations(), 'pl');
 
   equal(view.t('codeforall', {records: 3}, '<span>{records} records</span>'), '<span>3 records</span>');
 });
 
-test('translate complex key custom locale', function () {
-  var dataset = Fixture.getDataset();
-  var view = new recline.View.MultiView({
-    model: dataset,
-    locale: 'pl'
-  });
+test('mustache formatter - translate complex key custom locale', function () {
+  var translations = {
+    pl: {
+      codeforall: '<span>{records} rekordy</span>'
+    }
+  };
+  var fmt = I18nMessages('somelib', translations, 'pl');
 
-  recline.View.translations['pl']['codeforall'] = '<span>{records} rekordy</span>';
-  equal(view.t('codeforall', {records: 3}, '<span>{records} records</span>'), '<span>3 rekordy</span>');
+  equal(fmt.t('codeforall', {records: 3}, '<span>{records} records</span>'), '<span>3 rekordy</span>');
 });
 
-test('translate complex key custom locale custom count', function () {
-  var dataset = Fixture.getDataset();
-  var view = new recline.View.MultiView({
-    model: dataset,
-    locale: 'pl'
-  });
-
-  recline.View.translations['pl']['codeforall'] = '{records, plural, ' +
+test('mustache formatter - translate complex key custom locale custom count', function () {
+  var translations = {
+    pl: {
+      codeforall: {records, plural, ' +
       '=0 {brak zdjęć}' +
       '=1 {{records} zdjęcie}' +
       'few {{records} zdjęcia}' +
-      'other {{records} zdjęć}}';
+      'other {{records} zdjęć}}'
+    }
+  };
+  var fmt = I18nMessages('somelib', translations, 'pl');
 
-  equal(view.t('codeforall', {records: 0}), 'brak zdjęć');
-  equal(view.t('codeforall', {records: 1}), '1 zdjęcie');
-  equal(view.t('codeforall', {records: 3}), '3 zdjęcia');
-  equal(view.t('codeforall', {records: 5}), '5 zdjęć');
+  equal(fmt.t('codeforall', {records: 0}), 'brak zdjęć');
+  equal(fmt.t('codeforall', {records: 1}), '1 zdjęcie');
+  equal(fmt.t('codeforall', {records: 3}), '3 zdjęcia');
+  equal(fmt.t('codeforall', {records: 5}), '5 zdjęć');
 });
 
+test('I18nMessages specified locale', function () {
+  var fmt = I18nMessages('somelib', {}, 'pl');
 
-// todo test dynamic language changes
+  equal(fmt.getLocale(), 'pl');
+});
+
+test('I18nMessages default locale', function () {
+  var fmt = I18nMessages('somelib', {});
+
+  // no language set in HTML tag
+  equal($('html').attr('lang'), undefined);
+
+  equal(fmt.getLocale(), 'en');
+});
+
+test('I18nMessages default html:lang default locale resolver', function () {
+  var fmt = I18nMessages('somelib', {});
+
+
+  $('html').attr('lang', 'de');
+  equal(fmt.getLocale(), 'de');
+  $('html').attr('lang', null);
+});
+
+test('I18nMessages default locale custom resolver', function () {
+  var localeResolver = function() { return 'fr'; };
+  var fmt = I18nMessages('somelib', {}, localeResolver);
+
+  equal(fmt.getLocale(), 'fr');
+});
+
+test('I18nMessages singletons, function () {
+  var lib1_pl = I18nMessages('lib1', {}, 'pl');
+  var lib2_pl = I18nMessages('lib2', {}, 'pl');
+  var lib1_en = I18nMessages('lib1', {}, 'en');
+
+  strictEqual(I18nMessages('lib1', {}, 'pl'), lib1_pl);
+  notStrictEqual(lib1_pl, lib1_en);
+  notStrictEqual(lib1_pl, lib2_pl);
+});
 
 })(this.jQuery);