diff --git a/src/game/game_text.cpp b/src/game/game_text.cpp
--- a/src/game/game_text.cpp
+++ b/src/game/game_text.cpp
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ std::unique_ptr<LanguageStrings> ReadRaw
 			while (i > 0 && (buffer[i - 1] == '\r' || buffer[i - 1] == '\n' || buffer[i - 1] == ' ')) i--;
 			buffer[i] = '\0';
 
-			ret->lines.push_back(stredup(buffer, buffer + to_read - 1));
+			ret->lines.emplace_back(buffer, buffer + to_read - 1);
 
 			if (len > to_read) {
 				to_read = 0;
@@ -129,8 +129,8 @@ std::unique_ptr<LanguageStrings> ReadRaw
 
 /** A reader that simply reads using fopen. */
 struct StringListReader : StringReader {
-	const char * const *p;   ///< The current location of the iteration.
-	const char * const *end; ///< The end of the iteration.
+	StringList::const_iterator p;   ///< The current location of the iteration.
+	StringList::const_iterator end; ///< The end of the iteration.
 
 	/**
 	 * Create the reader.
@@ -140,7 +140,7 @@ struct StringListReader : StringReader {
 	 * @param translation Are we reading a translation?
 	 */
 	StringListReader(StringData &data, const LanguageStrings &strings, bool master, bool translation) :
-			StringReader(data, strings.language, master, translation), p(strings.lines.data()), end(p + strings.lines.size())
+			StringReader(data, strings.language, master, translation), p(strings.lines.begin()), end(strings.lines.end())
 	{
 	}
 
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ struct StringListReader : StringReader {
 	{
 		if (this->p == this->end) return NULL;
 
-		strecpy(buffer, *this->p, last);
+		strecpy(buffer, this->p->c_str(), last);
 		this->p++;
 
 		return buffer;
@@ -157,13 +157,13 @@ struct StringListReader : StringReader {
 
 /** Class for writing an encoded language. */
 struct TranslationWriter : LanguageWriter {
-	StringList *strings; ///< The encoded strings.
+	StringList &strings; ///< The encoded strings.
 
 	/**
 	 * Writer for the encoded data.
 	 * @param strings The string table to add the strings to.
 	 */
-	TranslationWriter(StringList *strings) : strings(strings)
+	TranslationWriter(StringList &strings) : strings(strings)
 	{
 	}
 
@@ -184,28 +184,25 @@ struct TranslationWriter : LanguageWrite
 
 	void Write(const byte *buffer, size_t length)
 	{
-		char *dest = MallocT<char>(length + 1);
-		memcpy(dest, buffer, length);
-		dest[length] = '\0';
-		this->strings->push_back(dest);
+		this->strings.emplace_back((const char *)buffer, length);
 	}
 };
 
 /** Class for writing the string IDs. */
 struct StringNameWriter : HeaderWriter {
-	StringList *strings; ///< The string names.
+	StringList &strings; ///< The string names.
 
 	/**
 	 * Writer for the string names.
 	 * @param strings The string table to add the strings to.
 	 */
-	StringNameWriter(StringList *strings) : strings(strings)
+	StringNameWriter(StringList &strings) : strings(strings)
 	{
 	}
 
 	void WriteStringID(const char *name, int stringid)
 	{
-		if (stringid == (int)this->strings->size()) this->strings->push_back(stredup(name));
+		if (stringid == (int)this->strings.size()) this->strings.emplace_back(name);
 	}
 
 	void Finalise(const StringData &data)
@@ -314,7 +311,7 @@ void GameStrings::Compile()
 
 	this->version = data.Version();
 
-	StringNameWriter id_writer(&this->string_names);
+	StringNameWriter id_writer(this->string_names);
 	id_writer.WriteHeader(data);
 
 	for (const auto &p : this->raw_strings) {
@@ -324,7 +321,7 @@ void GameStrings::Compile()
 		if (_errors != 0) throw std::exception();
 
 		this->compiled_strings.emplace_back(new LanguageStrings(p->language));
-		TranslationWriter writer(&this->compiled_strings.back()->lines);
+		TranslationWriter writer(this->compiled_strings.back()->lines);
 		writer.WriteLang(data);
 	}
 }
@@ -340,7 +337,7 @@ GameStrings *_current_data = NULL;
 const char *GetGameStringPtr(uint id)
 {
 	if (id >= _current_data->cur_language->lines.size()) return GetStringPtr(STR_UNDEFINED);
-	return _current_data->cur_language->lines[id];
+	return _current_data->cur_language->lines[id].c_str();
 }
 
 /**
@@ -359,8 +356,8 @@ void RegisterGameTranslation(Squirrel *e
 	if (SQ_FAILED(sq_get(vm, -2))) return;
 
 	int idx = 0;
-	for (const char * const p : _current_data->string_names) {
-		sq_pushstring(vm, p, -1);
+	for (const auto &p : _current_data->string_names) {
+		sq_pushstring(vm, p.c_str(), -1);
 		sq_pushinteger(vm, idx);
 		sq_rawset(vm, -3);
 		idx++;