diff --git a/dexlib/src/main/java/org/jf/dexlib/StringDataItem.java b/dexlib/src/main/java/org/jf/dexlib/StringDataItem.java
index 4b1836eb..c2b892ad 100644
--- a/dexlib/src/main/java/org/jf/dexlib/StringDataItem.java
+++ b/dexlib/src/main/java/org/jf/dexlib/StringDataItem.java
@@ -78,12 +78,12 @@ public class StringDataItem extends Item<StringDataItem> {
     public static StringDataItem lookupStringDataItem(DexFile dexFile, String value) {
         StringDataItem StringDataItem = new StringDataItem(dexFile, value);
         return dexFile.StringDataSection.getInternedItem(StringDataItem);
-    }    
+    }
 
     /** {@inheritDoc} */
     protected void readItem(Input in, ReadContext readContext) {
         in.readUnsignedLeb128(); //string length
-        stringValue = Utf8Utils.utf8BytesToString(in.readNullTerminatedBytes());
+        stringValue = in.realNullTerminatedUtf8String();
     }
 
     /** {@inheritDoc} */
diff --git a/dexlib/src/main/java/org/jf/dexlib/Util/ByteArrayInput.java b/dexlib/src/main/java/org/jf/dexlib/Util/ByteArrayInput.java
index 6fc1a354..ae6bfea1 100644
--- a/dexlib/src/main/java/org/jf/dexlib/Util/ByteArrayInput.java
+++ b/dexlib/src/main/java/org/jf/dexlib/Util/ByteArrayInput.java
@@ -296,7 +296,7 @@ public class ByteArrayInput
     }
 
     /** {@inheritDoc} */
-    public byte[] readNullTerminatedBytes() {
+    public String realNullTerminatedUtf8String() {
         int startPosition = cursor;
         while (data[cursor] != 0) {
             cursor++;
@@ -305,12 +305,11 @@ public class ByteArrayInput
             }
         }
         int byteCount = cursor - startPosition;
+
         //skip the terminating null
         cursor++;
 
-        byte[] result = new byte[byteCount];
-        System.arraycopy(data, startPosition, result, 0, byteCount);
-        return result;
+        return Utf8Utils.utf8BytesToString(data, startPosition, byteCount);
     }
 
     /** {@inheritDoc} */
diff --git a/dexlib/src/main/java/org/jf/dexlib/Util/Input.java b/dexlib/src/main/java/org/jf/dexlib/Util/Input.java
index 160ececa..e1f07a45 100644
--- a/dexlib/src/main/java/org/jf/dexlib/Util/Input.java
+++ b/dexlib/src/main/java/org/jf/dexlib/Util/Input.java
@@ -132,11 +132,13 @@ public interface Input {
     public byte[] readBytes(int length);
 
     /**
-     * reads a <code>byte[]</code> from this instance, from the current cursor up to but not including
+     * reads and decodes a null terminated utf8 string from the current cursor up to but not including
      * the next null (0) byte. The terminating null byte is read and discarded, so that after the read,
      * the cursor is positioned at the byte immediately after the terminating null
+     *
+     * @return a string representing the decoded value
      */
-    public byte[] readNullTerminatedBytes();
+    public String realNullTerminatedUtf8String();
 
     /**
      * Skips the given number of bytes.
diff --git a/dexlib/src/main/java/org/jf/dexlib/Util/Utf8Utils.java b/dexlib/src/main/java/org/jf/dexlib/Util/Utf8Utils.java
index cc18ea7d..3086f77c 100644
--- a/dexlib/src/main/java/org/jf/dexlib/Util/Utf8Utils.java
+++ b/dexlib/src/main/java/org/jf/dexlib/Util/Utf8Utils.java
@@ -68,17 +68,18 @@ public final class Utf8Utils {
      * This method uses a global buffer to avoid having to allocate one every time, so it is *not* thread-safe
      *
      * @param bytes non-null; the bytes to convert
+     * @param start the start index of the utf8 string to convert
+     * @param length the length of the utf8 string to convert, not including any null-terminator that might be present  
      * @return non-null; the converted string
      */
-    public static String utf8BytesToString(byte[] bytes) {
-        int length = bytes.length;
+    public static String utf8BytesToString(byte[] bytes, int start, int length) {
         if (tempBuffer == null || tempBuffer.length < length) {
             tempBuffer = new char[length];
         }
         char[] chars = tempBuffer;
         int outAt = 0;
 
-        for (int at = 0; length > 0; /*at*/) {
+        for (int at = start; length > 0; /*at*/) {
             int v0 = bytes[at] & 0xFF;
             char out;
             switch (v0 >> 4) {