diff --git a/src/context.js b/src/context.js
index 65a06e38a..0c532c6e1 100644
--- a/src/context.js
+++ b/src/context.js
@@ -4,7 +4,8 @@ let defaultOptions = {
   bindI18n: 'languageChanged loaded',
   bindStore: 'added removed',
   translateFuncName: 't',
-  nsMode: 'default'
+  nsMode: 'default',
+  usePureComponent: false
 };
 
 let i18n;
diff --git a/src/shallowEqual.js b/src/shallowEqual.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..591ee0bd4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/shallowEqual.js
@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+/**
+ * Copyright (c) 2013-present, Facebook, Inc.
+ *
+ * This source code is licensed under the MIT license found in the
+ * LICENSE file in the root directory of this source tree.
+ *
+ * @providesModule shallowEqual
+ * @typechecks
+ * @flow
+ */
+
+/* eslint-disable no-self-compare */
+
+const hasOwnProperty = Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty;
+
+/**
+ * inlined Object.is polyfill to avoid requiring consumers ship their own
+ * https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/Object/is
+ */
+function is(x, y) {
+  // SameValue algorithm
+  if (x === y) {
+    // Steps 1-5, 7-10
+    // Steps 6.b-6.e: +0 != -0
+    // Added the nonzero y check to make Flow happy, but it is redundant
+    return x !== 0 || y !== 0 || 1 / x === 1 / y;
+  }
+  // Step 6.a: NaN == NaN
+  return x !== x && y !== y;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Performs equality by iterating through keys on an object and returning false
+ * when any key has values which are not strictly equal between the arguments.
+ * Returns true when the values of all keys are strictly equal.
+ */
+export default function shallowEqual(objA, objB) {
+  if (is(objA, objB)) {
+    return true;
+  }
+
+  if (
+    typeof objA !== 'object' ||
+    objA === null ||
+    typeof objB !== 'object' ||
+    objB === null
+  ) {
+    return false;
+  }
+
+  const keysA = Object.keys(objA);
+  const keysB = Object.keys(objB);
+
+  if (keysA.length !== keysB.length) {
+    return false;
+  }
+
+  // Test for A's keys different from B.
+  for (let i = 0; i < keysA.length; i++) {
+    if (
+      !hasOwnProperty.call(objB, keysA[i]) ||
+      !is(objA[keysA[i]], objB[keysA[i]])
+    ) {
+      return false;
+    }
+  }
+
+  return true;
+}
diff --git a/src/translate.js b/src/translate.js
index 7aae234e5..22903c217 100644
--- a/src/translate.js
+++ b/src/translate.js
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import React, { Component } from 'react';
 import PropTypes from 'prop-types';
 import hoistStatics from 'hoist-non-react-statics';
+import shallowEqual from './shallowEqual';
 import { getDefaults, setDefaults, getI18n, setI18n } from './context';
 import I18n from './I18n';
 
@@ -26,6 +27,14 @@ export default function translate(namespaces, options = {}) {
         this.getWrappedInstance = this.getWrappedInstance.bind(this);
       }
 
+      shouldComponentUpdate(nextProps) {
+        if (!this.options.usePureComponent) {
+          return true;
+        }
+
+        return !shallowEqual(this.props, nextProps);
+      }
+
       getWrappedInstance() {
         if (!this.options.withRef) {
           // eslint-disable-next-line no-console