diff --git a/src/libespeak-ng/common.c b/src/libespeak-ng/common.c
index fdb376d5..5698f284 100644
--- a/src/libespeak-ng/common.c
+++ b/src/libespeak-ng/common.c
@@ -57,4 +57,111 @@ void strncpy0(char *to, const char *from, int size)
 	strncpy(to, from, size);
 	to[size-1] = 0;
 }
+
+int utf8_in(int *c, const char *buf)
+{
+	/* Read a unicode characater from a UTF8 string
+	 * Returns the number of UTF8 bytes used.
+	 * buf: position of buffer is moved, if character is read
+	 * c: holds UTF-16 representation of multibyte character by
+	 * skipping UTF-8 header bits of bytes in following way:
+	 * 2-byte character "ā":
+	 * hex            binary
+	 * c481           1100010010000001
+	 *    |           11000100  000001
+	 *    V              \    \ |    |
+	 * 0101           0000000100000001
+	 * 3-byte character "ꙅ":
+	 * ea9985 111010101001100110000101
+	 *            1010  011001  000101
+	 *    |       +  +--.\   \  |    |
+	 *    V        `--.  \`.  `.|    |
+	 *   A645         1010011001000101
+	 * 4-byte character "𠜎":
+	 * f0a09c8e 11110000101000001001110010001110
+	 *    V          000  100000  011100  001110
+	 *   02070e         000000100000011100001110
+	 */
+	return utf8_in2(c, buf, 0);
+}
 #pragma GCC visibility pop
+
+int utf8_out(unsigned int c, char *buf)
+{
+	// write a UTF-16 character into a buffer as UTF-8
+	// returns the number of bytes written
+
+	int n_bytes;
+	int j;
+	int shift;
+	static const char unsigned code[4] = { 0, 0xc0, 0xe0, 0xf0 };
+
+	if (c < 0x80) {
+		buf[0] = c;
+		return 1;
+	}
+	if (c >= 0x110000) {
+		buf[0] = ' '; // out of range character code
+		return 1;
+	}
+	if (c < 0x0800)
+		n_bytes = 1;
+	else if (c < 0x10000)
+		n_bytes = 2;
+	else
+		n_bytes = 3;
+
+	shift = 6*n_bytes;
+	buf[0] = code[n_bytes] | (c >> shift);
+	for (j = 0; j < n_bytes; j++) {
+		shift -= 6;
+		buf[j+1] = 0x80 + ((c >> shift) & 0x3f);
+	}
+	return n_bytes+1;
+}
+
+int utf8_in2(int *c, const char *buf, int backwards)
+{
+	// Reads a unicode characater from a UTF8 string
+	// Returns the number of UTF8 bytes used.
+	// c: holds integer representation of multibyte character
+	// buf: position of buffer is moved, if character is read
+	// backwards: set if we are moving backwards through the UTF8 string
+
+	int c1;
+	int n_bytes;
+	int ix;
+	static const unsigned char mask[4] = { 0xff, 0x1f, 0x0f, 0x07 };
+
+	// find the start of the next/previous character
+	while ((*buf & 0xc0) == 0x80) {
+		// skip over non-initial bytes of a multi-byte utf8 character
+		if (backwards)
+			buf--;
+		else
+			buf++;
+	}
+
+	n_bytes = 0;
+
+	if ((c1 = *buf++) & 0x80) {
+		if ((c1 & 0xe0) == 0xc0)
+			n_bytes = 1;
+		else if ((c1 & 0xf0) == 0xe0)
+			n_bytes = 2;
+		else if ((c1 & 0xf8) == 0xf0)
+			n_bytes = 3;
+
+		c1 &= mask[n_bytes];
+		for (ix = 0; ix < n_bytes; ix++)
+		{
+			if (!*buf)
+				/* Oops, truncated */
+				break;
+			c1 = (c1 << 6) + (*buf++ & 0x3f);
+		}
+		n_bytes = ix;
+	}
+	*c = c1;
+	return n_bytes+1;
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/libespeak-ng/common.h b/src/libespeak-ng/common.h
index 61846ce4..7265a5eb 100644
--- a/src/libespeak-ng/common.h
+++ b/src/libespeak-ng/common.h
@@ -25,6 +25,10 @@
 extern ESPEAK_NG_API int GetFileLength(const char *filename);
 extern ESPEAK_NG_API void strncpy0(char *to, const char *from, int size);
 
+ESPEAK_NG_API int utf8_in(int *c, const char *buf);
+int utf8_in2(int *c, const char *buf, int backwards);
+int utf8_out(unsigned int c, char *buf);
+
 #ifdef __cplusplus
 }
 #endif
diff --git a/src/libespeak-ng/dictionary.c b/src/libespeak-ng/dictionary.c
index 4681c5fb..98d2e0da 100644
--- a/src/libespeak-ng/dictionary.c
+++ b/src/libespeak-ng/dictionary.c
@@ -2856,6 +2856,21 @@ static const char *LookupDict2(Translator *tr, const char *word, const char *wor
 	return 0;
 }
 
+
+    static int utf8_nbytes(const char *buf)
+{
+	// Returns the number of bytes for the first UTF-8 character in buf
+
+	unsigned char c = (unsigned char)buf[0];
+	if (c < 0x80)
+		return 1;
+	if (c < 0xe0)
+		return 2;
+	if (c < 0xf0)
+		return 3;
+	return 4;
+}
+
 /* Lookup a specified word in the word dictionary.
    Returns phonetic data in 'phonetic' and bits in 'flags'
 
diff --git a/src/libespeak-ng/numbers.c b/src/libespeak-ng/numbers.c
index 1dc630f7..e0884393 100644
--- a/src/libespeak-ng/numbers.c
+++ b/src/libespeak-ng/numbers.c
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@
 #include <espeak-ng/encoding.h>
 
 #include "numbers.h"
+#include "common.h"
 #include "dictionary.h"  // for Lookup, TranslateRules, EncodePhonemes, Look...
 #include "phoneme.h"     // for phonSWITCH, PHONEME_TAB, phonEND_WORD, phonP...
 #include "readclause.h"  // for WordToString2, towlower2
diff --git a/src/libespeak-ng/tr_languages.c b/src/libespeak-ng/tr_languages.c
index 2450c454..610676bc 100644
--- a/src/libespeak-ng/tr_languages.c
+++ b/src/libespeak-ng/tr_languages.c
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@
 #include <espeak-ng/speak_lib.h>
 #include <espeak-ng/encoding.h>
 
+#include "common.h"
 #include "setlengths.h"          // for SetLengthMods
 #include "translate.h"           // for Translator, LANGUAGE_OPTIONS, L, NUM...
 
diff --git a/src/libespeak-ng/translate.c b/src/libespeak-ng/translate.c
index f1a741d2..76dfd80e 100644
--- a/src/libespeak-ng/translate.c
+++ b/src/libespeak-ng/translate.c
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@
 #include <espeak-ng/encoding.h>
 
 #include "translate.h"
+#include "common.h"
 #include "dictionary.h"           // for TranslateRules, LookupDictList, Cha...
 #include "phoneme.h"              // for phonSWITCH, PHONEME_TAB, phonPAUSE_...
 #include "phonemelist.h"          // for MakePhonemeList
@@ -237,129 +238,6 @@ int IsBracket(int c)
 	return lookupwchar(brackets, c);
 }
 
-int utf8_nbytes(const char *buf)
-{
-	// Returns the number of bytes for the first UTF-8 character in buf
-
-	unsigned char c = (unsigned char)buf[0];
-	if (c < 0x80)
-		return 1;
-	if (c < 0xe0)
-		return 2;
-	if (c < 0xf0)
-		return 3;
-	return 4;
-}
-
-int utf8_in2(int *c, const char *buf, int backwards)
-{
-	// Reads a unicode characater from a UTF8 string
-	// Returns the number of UTF8 bytes used.
-	// c: holds integer representation of multibyte character
-	// buf: position of buffer is moved, if character is read
-	// backwards: set if we are moving backwards through the UTF8 string
-
-	int c1;
-	int n_bytes;
-	int ix;
-	static const unsigned char mask[4] = { 0xff, 0x1f, 0x0f, 0x07 };
-
-	// find the start of the next/previous character
-	while ((*buf & 0xc0) == 0x80) {
-		// skip over non-initial bytes of a multi-byte utf8 character
-		if (backwards)
-			buf--;
-		else
-			buf++;
-	}
-
-	n_bytes = 0;
-
-	if ((c1 = *buf++) & 0x80) {
-		if ((c1 & 0xe0) == 0xc0)
-			n_bytes = 1;
-		else if ((c1 & 0xf0) == 0xe0)
-			n_bytes = 2;
-		else if ((c1 & 0xf8) == 0xf0)
-			n_bytes = 3;
-
-		c1 &= mask[n_bytes];
-		for (ix = 0; ix < n_bytes; ix++)
-		{
-			if (!*buf)
-				/* Oops, truncated */
-				break;
-			c1 = (c1 << 6) + (*buf++ & 0x3f);
-		}
-		n_bytes = ix;
-	}
-	*c = c1;
-	return n_bytes+1;
-}
-
-#pragma GCC visibility push(default)
-int utf8_in(int *c, const char *buf)
-{
-	/* Read a unicode characater from a UTF8 string
-	 * Returns the number of UTF8 bytes used.
-	 * buf: position of buffer is moved, if character is read
-	 * c: holds UTF-16 representation of multibyte character by
-	 * skipping UTF-8 header bits of bytes in following way:
-	 * 2-byte character "ā":
-	 * hex            binary
-	 * c481           1100010010000001
-	 *    |           11000100  000001
-	 *    V              \    \ |    |
-	 * 0101           0000000100000001
-	 * 3-byte character "ꙅ":
-	 * ea9985 111010101001100110000101
-	 *            1010  011001  000101
-	 *    |       +  +--.\   \  |    |
-	 *    V        `--.  \`.  `.|    |
-	 *   A645         1010011001000101
-	 * 4-byte character "𠜎":
-	 * f0a09c8e 11110000101000001001110010001110
-	 *    V          000  100000  011100  001110
-	 *   02070e         000000100000011100001110
-	 */
-	return utf8_in2(c, buf, 0);
-}
-#pragma GCC visibility pop
-
-int utf8_out(unsigned int c, char *buf)
-{
-	// write a UTF-16 character into a buffer as UTF-8
-	// returns the number of bytes written
-
-	int n_bytes;
-	int j;
-	int shift;
-	static const char unsigned code[4] = { 0, 0xc0, 0xe0, 0xf0 };
-
-	if (c < 0x80) {
-		buf[0] = c;
-		return 1;
-	}
-	if (c >= 0x110000) {
-		buf[0] = ' '; // out of range character code
-		return 1;
-	}
-	if (c < 0x0800)
-		n_bytes = 1;
-	else if (c < 0x10000)
-		n_bytes = 2;
-	else
-		n_bytes = 3;
-
-	shift = 6*n_bytes;
-	buf[0] = code[n_bytes] | (c >> shift);
-	for (j = 0; j < n_bytes; j++) {
-		shift -= 6;
-		buf[j+1] = 0x80 + ((c >> shift) & 0x3f);
-	}
-	return n_bytes+1;
-}
-
 char *strchr_w(const char *s, int c)
 {
 	// return NULL for any non-ascii character
diff --git a/src/libespeak-ng/translate.h b/src/libespeak-ng/translate.h
index 1417d0dc..d8720314 100644
--- a/src/libespeak-ng/translate.h
+++ b/src/libespeak-ng/translate.h
@@ -661,11 +661,6 @@ extern int (*phoneme_callback)(const char *);
 #define LEADING_2_BITS 0xC0 // 0b11000000
 #define UTF8_TAIL_BITS 0x80 // 0b10000000
 
-ESPEAK_NG_API int utf8_in(int *c, const char *buf);
-int utf8_in2(int *c, const char *buf, int backwards);
-int utf8_out(unsigned int c, char *buf);
-int utf8_nbytes(const char *buf);
-
 int lookupwchar(const unsigned short *list, int c);
 char *strchr_w(const char *s, int c);
 int IsBracket(int c);