diff --git a/eslint/locale.js b/eslint/locale.js
index 60ae21e6e5..a686a4b616 100644
--- a/eslint/locale.js
+++ b/eslint/locale.js
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ function collectMembers(node) {
  */
 function walkDown(locale, path) {
 	if (!locale) return null;
-	if (!path || path.length === 0) return locale;
+	if (!path || path.length === 0 || !path[0]) return locale;
 	return walkDown(locale[path[0]], path.slice(1));
 }
 
@@ -112,6 +112,11 @@ function theRule(context) {
 				return;
 			}
 
+			// we hit something weird, assume the programmers know what
+			// they're doing (this is usually some complicated slicing of
+			// the translation structure)
+			if (typeof(translation) !== 'string') return;
+
 			// some more checks on how the translation is called
 			if (method == 'ts') {
 				if (translation.match(/\{/)) {
diff --git a/eslint/locale.test.js b/eslint/locale.test.js
index f08950b8c7..626fe1587c 100644
--- a/eslint/locale.test.js
+++ b/eslint/locale.test.js
@@ -11,6 +11,8 @@ ruleTester.run(
   {
     valid: [
       {code: 'i18n.ts.foo.bar', options: [locale] },
+      // we don't detect the problem here, but should still accept it
+      {code: 'i18n.ts.foo["something"]', options: [locale] },
       {code: 'i18n.ts.top', options: [locale] },
       {code: 'i18n.tsx.foo.baz({x:1})', options: [locale] },
       {code: 'whatever.i18n.ts.blah.blah', options: [locale] },