diff --git a/jedi/_compatibility.py b/jedi/_compatibility.py
index 828a32a4..2b6b3932 100644
--- a/jedi/_compatibility.py
+++ b/jedi/_compatibility.py
@@ -320,3 +320,64 @@ if is_py3:
     import queue
 else:
     import Queue as queue
+
+
+if sys.version_info[:2] == (3, 3):
+    """
+    Monkeypatch the unpickler in Python 3.3. This is needed, because the
+    argument `encoding='bytes'` is not supported in 3.3, but badly needed to
+    communicate with Python 2.
+    """
+    import pickle
+
+    class NewUnpickler(pickle._Unpickler):
+        dispatch = dict(pickle._Unpickler.dispatch)
+
+        def _decode_string(self, value):
+            # Used to allow strings from Python 2 to be decoded either as
+            # bytes or Unicode strings.  This should be used only with the
+            # STRING, BINSTRING and SHORT_BINSTRING opcodes.
+            if self.encoding == "bytes":
+                return value
+            else:
+                return value.decode(self.encoding, self.errors)
+
+        def load_string(self):
+            data = self.readline()[:-1]
+            # Strip outermost quotes
+            if len(data) >= 2 and data[0] == data[-1] and data[0] in b'"\'':
+                data = data[1:-1]
+            else:
+                raise pickle.UnpicklingError("the STRING opcode argument must be quoted")
+            self.append(self._decode_string(pickle.codecs.escape_decode(data)[0]))
+        dispatch[pickle.STRING[0]] = load_string
+
+        def load_binstring(self):
+            # Deprecated BINSTRING uses signed 32-bit length
+            len, = pickle.struct.unpack('<i', self.read(4))
+            if len < 0:
+                raise pickle.UnpicklingError("BINSTRING pickle has negative byte count")
+            data = self.read(len)
+            self.append(self._decode_string(data))
+        dispatch[pickle.BINSTRING[0]] = load_binstring
+
+        def load_short_binstring(self):
+            len = self.read(1)[0]
+            data = self.read(len)
+            self.append(self._decode_string(data))
+        dispatch[pickle.SHORT_BINSTRING[0]] = load_short_binstring
+
+    def load(file, fix_imports=True, encoding="ASCII", errors="strict"):
+        return NewUnpickler(file, fix_imports=fix_imports,
+                            encoding=encoding, errors=errors).load()
+
+    def loads(s, fix_imports=True, encoding="ASCII", errors="strict"):
+        if isinstance(s, str):
+            raise TypeError("Can't load pickle from unicode string")
+        file = pickle.io.BytesIO(s)
+        return NewUnpickler(file, fix_imports=fix_imports,
+                            encoding=encoding, errors=errors).load()
+
+    pickle.Unpickler = NewUnpickler
+    pickle.load = load
+    pickle.loads = loads