diff --git a/Examples/test-suite/csharp/apply_strings_runme.cs b/Examples/test-suite/csharp/apply_strings_runme.cs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..deaa5213b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Examples/test-suite/csharp/apply_strings_runme.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+
+using System;
+using apply_stringsNamespace;
+
+public class apply_strings_runme {
+
+  private static string TEST_MESSAGE = "A message from target language to the C++ world and back again.";
+
+  public static void Main() {
+    if (apply_strings.UCharFunction(TEST_MESSAGE) != TEST_MESSAGE) throw new Exception("UCharFunction failed");
+    if (apply_strings.SCharFunction(TEST_MESSAGE) != TEST_MESSAGE) throw new Exception("SCharFunction failed");
+    SWIGTYPE_p_char pChar = apply_strings.CharFunction(null);
+    if (pChar != null) throw new Exception("CharFunction failed");
+  }
+}
+
diff --git a/Examples/test-suite/java/apply_strings_runme.java b/Examples/test-suite/java/apply_strings_runme.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..0b9f78085
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Examples/test-suite/java/apply_strings_runme.java
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+import apply_strings.*;
+
+public class apply_strings_runme {
+
+  static {
+    try {
+	System.loadLibrary("apply_strings");
+    } catch (UnsatisfiedLinkError e) {
+      System.err.println("Native code library failed to load. See the chapter on Dynamic Linking Problems in the SWIG Java documentation for help.\n" + e);
+      System.exit(1);
+    }
+  }
+
+  private static String TEST_MESSAGE = "A message from target language to the C++ world and back again.";
+
+  public static void main(String argv[]) {
+    if (!apply_strings.UCharFunction(TEST_MESSAGE).equals(TEST_MESSAGE)) throw new RuntimeException("UCharFunction failed");
+    if (!apply_strings.SCharFunction(TEST_MESSAGE).equals(TEST_MESSAGE)) throw new RuntimeException("SCharFunction failed");
+    SWIGTYPE_p_char pChar = apply_strings.CharFunction(null);
+    if (pChar != null) throw new RuntimeException("CharFunction failed");
+  }
+}
+
+
diff --git a/Examples/test-suite/perl5/apply_strings_runme.pl b/Examples/test-suite/perl5/apply_strings_runme.pl
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..6e0ad3d2d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Examples/test-suite/perl5/apply_strings_runme.pl
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+use apply_strings;
+
+my $TEST_MESSAGE = "A message from target language to the C++ world and back again.";
+
+if (apply_strings::UCharFunction($TEST_MESSAGE) ne $TEST_MESSAGE) {
+  die "UCharFunction failed";
+}
+if (apply_strings::SCharFunction($TEST_MESSAGE) ne $TEST_MESSAGE) {
+  die "SCharFunction failed";
+}
diff --git a/Lib/csharp/csharp.swg b/Lib/csharp/csharp.swg
index f968637d5..d71c52f47 100644
--- a/Lib/csharp/csharp.swg
+++ b/Lib/csharp/csharp.swg
@@ -126,8 +126,8 @@
 %typemap(out) double             %{ $result = $1; %}
 
 /* char * - treat as String */
-%typemap(in) char * %{ $1 = $input; %}
-%typemap(out) char * %{ $result = SWIG_csharp_string_callback($1); %}
+%typemap(in) char * %{ $1 = ($1_type)$input; %}
+%typemap(out) char * %{ $result = SWIG_csharp_string_callback((const char *)$1); %}
 
 %typemap(out, null="") void ""
 
diff --git a/Lib/guile/typemaps.i b/Lib/guile/typemaps.i
index 332dc02ed..4a726cf17 100644
--- a/Lib/guile/typemaps.i
+++ b/Lib/guile/typemaps.i
@@ -289,11 +289,11 @@ SIMPLE_MAP(unsigned long long, gh_scm2ulong_long, gh_ulong_long2scm, integer);
 /* Strings */
 
  %typemap (in,     doc="$NAME is a string")      char *(int must_free = 0) {
-  $1 = SWIG_scm2str($input);
+  $1 = ($1_type)SWIG_scm2str($input);
   must_free = 1;
  }
  %typemap (varin,  doc="NEW-VALUE is a string")  char * {$1 = SWIG_scm2str($input);}
- %typemap (out,    doc="<string>")              char * {$result = gh_str02scm($1);}
+ %typemap (out,    doc="<string>")              char * {$result = gh_str02scm((const char *)$1);}
  %typemap (varout, doc="<string>")              char * {$result = gh_str02scm($1);}
  %typemap (in, doc="$NAME is a string")          char * *INPUT(char * temp, int must_free = 0) {
    temp = (char *) SWIG_scm2str($input); $1 = &temp;
diff --git a/Lib/java/java.swg b/Lib/java/java.swg
index 015c24f33..d7b59ccd9 100644
--- a/Lib/java/java.swg
+++ b/Lib/java/java.swg
@@ -358,13 +358,13 @@
 %typemap(directorin, descriptor="Ljava/lang/String;", noblock=1) char * {
  $input = 0;
   if ($1) {
-    $input = JCALL1(NewStringUTF, jenv, $1);
+    $input = JCALL1(NewStringUTF, jenv, (const char *)$1);
     if (!$input) return $null;
   }
 }
 
-%typemap(freearg, noblock=1) char * { if ($1) JCALL2(ReleaseStringUTFChars, jenv, $input, $1); }
-%typemap(out, noblock=1) char * { if($1) $result = JCALL1(NewStringUTF, jenv, $1); }
+%typemap(freearg, noblock=1) char * { if ($1) JCALL2(ReleaseStringUTFChars, jenv, $input, (const char *)$1); }
+%typemap(out, noblock=1) char * { if($1) $result = JCALL1(NewStringUTF, jenv, (const char *)$1); }
 %typemap(javadirectorin) char * "$jniinput"
 %typemap(javadirectorout) char * "$javacall"
 
@@ -629,14 +629,14 @@
 %typemap(directorin, descriptor="Ljava/lang/String;", noblock=1) char[ANY], char[] {
   $input = 0;
   if ($1) {
-    $input = JCALL1(NewStringUTF, jenv, $1);
+    $input = JCALL1(NewStringUTF, jenv, (const char *)$1);
     if (!$input) return $null;
   }
 }
 
 %typemap(argout) char[ANY], char[] ""
-%typemap(freearg, noblock=1) char[ANY], char[] { if ($1) JCALL2(ReleaseStringUTFChars, jenv, $input, $1); }
-%typemap(out, noblock=1) char[ANY], char[] { if($1) $result = JCALL1(NewStringUTF, jenv, $1); }
+%typemap(freearg, noblock=1) char[ANY], char[] { if ($1) JCALL2(ReleaseStringUTFChars, jenv, $input, (const char *)$1); }
+%typemap(out, noblock=1) char[ANY], char[] { if($1) $result = JCALL1(NewStringUTF, jenv, (const char *)$1); }
 %typemap(javadirectorin) char[ANY], char[] "$jniinput"
 %typemap(javadirectorout) char[ANY], char[] "$javacall"
 
diff --git a/Lib/lua/lua.swg b/Lib/lua/lua.swg
index 5b2dbdebc..47af5b2cd 100644
--- a/Lib/lua/lua.swg
+++ b/Lib/lua/lua.swg
@@ -67,10 +67,16 @@
 %{  lua_pushboolean(L,(int)*$1); SWIG_arg++;%}
 
 // strings (char* and char[])
-%typemap(in,checkfn="lua_isstring") const char*, char*, const char[ANY], char[ANY]
+%typemap(in,checkfn="lua_isstring") const char*, char*
+%{$1 = ($1_type)lua_tostring(L, $input);%}
+
+%typemap(in,checkfn="lua_isstring") const char[ANY], char[ANY]
 %{$1 = (char*)lua_tostring(L, $input);%}
 
-%typemap(out) const char*, char*, const char[ANY], char[ANY]
+%typemap(out) const char*, char*
+%{  lua_pushstring(L,(const char*)$1); SWIG_arg++;%}
+
+%typemap(out) const char[ANY], char[ANY]
 %{  lua_pushstring(L,$1); SWIG_arg++;%}
 
 // char's
diff --git a/Lib/typemaps/strings.swg b/Lib/typemaps/strings.swg
index 53aeb95a1..b4f2bd7e2 100644
--- a/Lib/typemaps/strings.swg
+++ b/Lib/typemaps/strings.swg
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@
   if (!SWIG_IsOK(res)) {
     %argument_fail(res,"$type",$symname, $argnum);
   }
-  $1 = buf;
+  $1 = ($1_type)buf;
 }
 %typemap(freearg,noblock=1,match="in") Char *, const Char * {
   if (alloc$argnum == SWIG_NEWOBJ) %delete_array(buf$argnum);
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@
 /* out */
 
 %typemap(out,noblock=1,fragment=#SWIG_FromCharPtr) Char *, const Char* {
-  %set_output(SWIG_FromCharPtr($1));
+  %set_output(SWIG_FromCharPtr((const Char *)$1));
 }
 
 
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@
   %set_varoutput(SWIG_FromCharPtr($1));
 }
 
-/* meberin */
+/* memberin */
 
 %typemap(memberin,noblock=1) Char * {
   if ($1) %delete_array($1);
@@ -159,7 +159,7 @@
 %typemap(directorin,noblock=1,fragment=#SWIG_FromCharPtr)
   Char *, Char const*, Char *const, Char const *const, 
   Char const *&, Char *const &, Char const *const & {
-  $input = SWIG_FromCharPtr($1_name);
+  $input = SWIG_FromCharPtr((const Char *)$1_name);
 }
 
 
@@ -174,7 +174,7 @@
   if (alloc == SWIG_NEWOBJ) {
     swig_acquire_ownership_array(buf);
   }
-  $result = buf;
+  $result = ($1_type)buf;
 }
 %typemap(directorfree,noblock=1) Char *
 {