diff --git a/entity.test b/entity.test
index 3d667c1..10fcf9a 100644
--- a/entity.test
+++ b/entity.test
@@ -569,6 +569,12 @@ class EntityMetadataTestCase extends EntityWebTestCase {
       )
     );
     field_create_instance($this->instance);
+
+    // Make the body field and the node type 'page' translatable.
+    $field = field_info_field('body');
+    $field['translatable'] = TRUE;
+    field_update_field($field);
+    variable_set('language_content_type_page', 1);
   }
 
   /**
@@ -658,20 +664,24 @@ class EntityMetadataTestCase extends EntityWebTestCase {
     $this->assertEqual($node->body[LANGUAGE_NONE][0]['value'], "<b>The second body.</b>", 'Update appears in the wrapped entity.');
     $this->assert(isset($node->body[LANGUAGE_NONE][0]['safe_value']), 'Formatted text has been processed.');
 
-    // Test translating the body.
+    // Test translating the body on an English node.
     locale_add_language('de');
+    $body['en'][0] = array('value' => '<b>English body.</b>', 'summary' => '<b>The body.</b>');
+    $node = $this->drupalCreateNode(array('body' => $body, 'language' => 'en', 'type' => 'page'));
+    $wrapper = entity_metadata_wrapper('node', $node);
+
     $wrapper->language('de');
 
     $languages = language_list();
     $this->assertEqual($wrapper->getPropertyLanguage(), $languages['de'], 'Wrapper language has been set to German');
-    $this->assertEqual($wrapper->body->value->value(), "<p>The second body.</p>\n", 'Language fallback on neutral language.');
+    $this->assertEqual($wrapper->body->value->value(), "<p>English body.</p>\n", 'Language fallback on neutral language.');
 
     // Set a German text using the wrapper.
     $wrapper->body->set(array('value' => "<b>Der zweite Text.</b>"));
-
     $this->assertEqual($wrapper->body->value->value(), "<p>Der zweite Text.</p>\n", 'German body set and retrieved.');
-    $wrapper->language(NULL);
-    $this->assertEqual($wrapper->body->value->value(), "<p>The second body.</p>\n", 'Language neutral text is still there.');
+
+    $wrapper->language(LANGUAGE_NONE);
+    $this->assertEqual($wrapper->body->value->value(), "<p>English body.</p>\n", 'Language neutral text is still there.');
 
     // Test iterator.
     $type_info = entity_get_property_info('node');
diff --git a/modules/callbacks.inc b/modules/callbacks.inc
index c7904ab..9ff9a6d 100644
--- a/modules/callbacks.inc
+++ b/modules/callbacks.inc
@@ -395,7 +395,8 @@ function entity_metadata_language_list() {
 function entity_metadata_field_property_get($entity, array $options, $name, $entity_type, $info) {
   $field = field_info_field($name);
   $columns = array_keys($field['columns']);
-  $langcode = field_language($entity_type, $entity, $name, isset($options['language']) ? $options['language']->language : NULL);
+  $langcode = isset($options['language']) ? $options['language']->language : LANGUAGE_NONE;
+  $langcode = entity_metadata_field_get_language($entity_type, $entity, $field, $langcode, TRUE);
   $values = array();
   if (isset($entity->{$name}[$langcode])) {
     foreach ($entity->{$name}[$langcode] as $delta => $data) {
@@ -416,11 +417,7 @@ function entity_metadata_field_property_get($entity, array $options, $name, $ent
 function entity_metadata_field_property_set($entity, $name, $value, $langcode, $entity_type) {
   $field = field_info_field($name);
   $columns = array_keys($field['columns']);
-  if (!isset($langcode)) {
-    // Try to figure out the default language used by the entity.
-    // @todo: Update once http://drupal.org/node/1260640 has been fixed.
-    $langcode = isset($entity->language) ? $entity->language : LANGUAGE_NONE;
-  }
+  $langcode = entity_metadata_field_get_language($entity_type, $entity, $field, $langcode);
   $values = $field['cardinality'] == 1 ? array($value) : (array) $value;
 
   $items = array();
@@ -457,8 +454,9 @@ function entity_metadata_field_verbatim_get($entity, array $options, $name, $ent
   // Set contextual info useful for getters of any child properties.
   $context['instance'] = field_info_instance($context['parent']->type(), $name, $context['parent']->getBundle());
   $context['field'] = field_info_field($name);
+  $langcode = isset($options['language']) ? $options['language']->language : LANGUAGE_NONE;
+  $langcode = entity_metadata_field_get_language($entity_type, $entity, $context['field'], $langcode, TRUE);
 
-  $langcode = field_language($entity_type, $entity, $name, isset($options['language']) ? $options['language']->language : NULL);
   if ($context['field']['cardinality'] == 1) {
     return isset($entity->{$name}[$langcode][0]) ? $entity->{$name}[$langcode][0] : NULL;
   }
@@ -469,13 +467,9 @@ function entity_metadata_field_verbatim_get($entity, array $options, $name, $ent
  * Writes the passed field items in the object. Useful as field level setter
  * to set the whole data structure at once.
  */
-function entity_metadata_field_verbatim_set($entity, $name, $items, $langcode) {
+function entity_metadata_field_verbatim_set($entity, $name, $items, $langcode, $entity_type) {
   $field = field_info_field($name);
-  if (!isset($langcode)) {
-    // Try to figure out the default language used by the entity.
-    // @todo: Update once http://drupal.org/node/1260640 has been fixed.
-    $langcode = isset($entity->language) ? $entity->language : LANGUAGE_NONE;
-  }
+  $langcode = entity_metadata_field_get_language($entity_type, $entity, $entity_type, $langcode);
   $value = $field['cardinality'] == 1 ? array($items) : (array) $items;
   // Filter out any items set to NULL.
   $entity->{$name}[$langcode] = array_filter($value);
@@ -486,6 +480,37 @@ function entity_metadata_field_verbatim_set($entity, $name, $items, $langcode) {
 }
 
 /**
+ * Helper for determining the field language to be used.
+ *
+ * Note that we cannot use field_language() as we are not about to display
+ * values, but generally read/write values.
+ *
+ * @param $fallback
+ *   (optional) Whether to fall back to the entity default language, if no
+ *   value is available for the given language code yet.
+ *
+ * @return
+ *   The language code to use.
+ */
+function entity_metadata_field_get_language($entity_type, $entity, $field, $langcode = LANGUAGE_NONE, $fallback = FALSE) {
+  // Try to figure out the default language used by the entity.
+  // @todo: Update once http://drupal.org/node/1260640 has been fixed.
+  $default_langcode = isset($entity->language) ? $entity->language : LANGUAGE_NONE;
+
+  // Determine the right language to use.
+  if ($default_langcode != LANGUAGE_NONE && field_is_translatable($entity_type, $field)) {
+    $langcode = ($langcode != LANGUAGE_NONE) ? field_valid_language($langcode, $default_langcode) : $default_langcode;
+    if (!isset($entity->{$field['field_name']}[$langcode]) && $fallback) {
+      $langcode = $default_langcode;
+    }
+    return $langcode;
+  }
+  else {
+    return LANGUAGE_NONE;
+  }
+}
+
+/**
  * Callback for getting the sanitized text of 'text_formatted' properties.
  * This callback is used for both the 'value' and the 'summary'.
  */