diff --git a/django/utils/translation/trans_real.py b/django/utils/translation/trans_real.py
index 3d94f22348..dd40ac5de2 100644
--- a/django/utils/translation/trans_real.py
+++ b/django/utils/translation/trans_real.py
@@ -292,15 +292,20 @@ def do_translate(message, translation_function):
 
     # str() is allowing a bytestring message to remain bytestring on Python 2
     eol_message = message.replace(str('\r\n'), str('\n')).replace(str('\r'), str('\n'))
-    t = getattr(_active, "value", None)
-    if t is not None:
-        result = getattr(t, translation_function)(eol_message)
+
+    if len(eol_message) == 0:
+        # Returns an empty value of the corresponding type if an empty message
+        # is given, instead of metadata, which is the default gettext behavior.
+        result = type(message)("")
     else:
-        if _default is None:
-            _default = translation(settings.LANGUAGE_CODE)
-        result = getattr(_default, translation_function)(eol_message)
+        _default = _default or translation(settings.LANGUAGE_CODE)
+        translation_object = getattr(_active, "value", _default)
+
+        result = getattr(translation_object, translation_function)(eol_message)
+
     if isinstance(message, SafeData):
         return mark_safe(result)
+
     return result
 
 
diff --git a/tests/i18n/tests.py b/tests/i18n/tests.py
index 321f3b17e2..9cf979ab16 100644
--- a/tests/i18n/tests.py
+++ b/tests/i18n/tests.py
@@ -345,6 +345,16 @@ class TranslationTests(TestCase):
         """
         self.assertEqual('django', six.text_type(string_concat("dja", "ngo")))
 
+    def test_empty_value(self):
+        """
+        Empty value must stay empty after being translated (#23196).
+        """
+        with translation.override('de'):
+            self.assertEqual("", ugettext(""))
+            self.assertEqual(b"", gettext(b""))
+            s = mark_safe("")
+            self.assertEqual(s, ugettext(s))
+
     def test_safe_status(self):
         """
         Translating a string requiring no auto-escaping shouldn't change the "safe" status.