diff --git a/.changeset/famous-flies-kick.md b/.changeset/famous-flies-kick.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..abbd18f9c3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/famous-flies-kick.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'@backstage/core-plugin-api': patch
+---
+
+The `createTranslationRef` function from the `/alpha` subpath can now also accept a nested object structure of default translation messages, which will be flatted using `.` separators.
diff --git a/packages/core-plugin-api/alpha-api-report.md b/packages/core-plugin-api/alpha-api-report.md
index ba3583142f..c0f0d02535 100644
--- a/packages/core-plugin-api/alpha-api-report.md
+++ b/packages/core-plugin-api/alpha-api-report.md
@@ -39,19 +39,17 @@ export function createTranslationMessages<
 // @alpha (undocumented)
 export function createTranslationRef<
   TId extends string,
-  const TMessages extends {
-    [key in string]: string;
-  },
+  const TNestedMessages extends AnyNestedMessages,
   TTranslations extends {
     [language in string]: () => Promise<{
       default: {
-        [key in keyof TMessages]: string | null;
+        [key in keyof FlattenedMessages<TNestedMessages>]: string | null;
       };
     }>;
   },
 >(
-  config: TranslationRefOptions<TId, TMessages, TTranslations>,
-): TranslationRef<TId, TMessages>;
+  config: TranslationRefOptions<TId, TNestedMessages, TTranslations>,
+): TranslationRef<TId, FlattenedMessages<TNestedMessages>>;
 
 // @alpha (undocumented)
 export function createTranslationResource<
@@ -169,13 +167,11 @@ export interface TranslationRef<
 // @alpha (undocumented)
 export interface TranslationRefOptions<
   TId extends string,
-  TMessages extends {
-    [key in string]: string;
-  },
+  TNestedMessages extends AnyNestedMessages,
   TTranslations extends {
     [language in string]: () => Promise<{
       default: {
-        [key in keyof TMessages]: string | null;
+        [key in keyof FlattenedMessages<TNestedMessages>]: string | null;
       };
     }>;
   },
@@ -183,7 +179,7 @@ export interface TranslationRefOptions<
   // (undocumented)
   id: TId;
   // (undocumented)
-  messages: TMessages;
+  messages: TNestedMessages;
   // (undocumented)
   translations?: TTranslations;
 }
diff --git a/packages/core-plugin-api/src/translation/TranslationRef.test.ts b/packages/core-plugin-api/src/translation/TranslationRef.test.ts
index b73b521774..d1fde0810f 100644
--- a/packages/core-plugin-api/src/translation/TranslationRef.test.ts
+++ b/packages/core-plugin-api/src/translation/TranslationRef.test.ts
@@ -34,6 +34,40 @@ describe('TranslationRefImpl', () => {
     expect(internalRef.getDefaultMessages()).toEqual({ key: 'value' });
   });
 
+  it('should create a TranslationRef instance with nested messages', () => {
+    const ref = createTranslationRef({
+      id: 'test',
+      messages: {
+        key: 'value',
+        'nested.conflict1': 'outer conflict1',
+        nested: {
+          key: 'nested value',
+          key2: 'nested value2',
+          conflict1: 'inner conflict1',
+          conflict2: 'inner conflict2',
+          inner: {
+            key: 'inner value',
+          },
+        },
+        'nested.conflict2': 'outer conflict2',
+      },
+    });
+
+    const internalRef = toInternalTranslationRef(ref);
+
+    expect(internalRef.$$type).toBe('@backstage/TranslationRef');
+    expect(internalRef.version).toBe('v1');
+    expect(internalRef.id).toBe('test');
+    expect(internalRef.getDefaultMessages()).toEqual({
+      key: 'value',
+      'nested.key': 'nested value',
+      'nested.key2': 'nested value2',
+      'nested.conflict1': 'inner conflict1',
+      'nested.inner.key': 'inner value',
+      'nested.conflict2': 'outer conflict2',
+    });
+  });
+
   it('should be created with lazy translations', async () => {
     const ref = createTranslationRef({
       id: 'test',
diff --git a/packages/core-plugin-api/src/translation/TranslationRef.ts b/packages/core-plugin-api/src/translation/TranslationRef.ts
index 345a9c3f65..5711273915 100644
--- a/packages/core-plugin-api/src/translation/TranslationRef.ts
+++ b/packages/core-plugin-api/src/translation/TranslationRef.ts
@@ -34,6 +34,30 @@ export interface TranslationRef<
 /** @internal */
 type AnyMessages = { [key in string]: string };
 
+/** @ignore */
+type AnyNestedMessages = { [key in string]: AnyNestedMessages | string };
+
+/**
+ * Flattens a nested message declaration into a flat object with dot-separated keys.
+ *
+ * @ignore
+ */
+type FlattenedMessages<T extends AnyNestedMessages> = {
+  [K in keyof T]: (
+    x: T[K] extends infer V
+      ? V extends AnyNestedMessages
+        ? FlattenedMessages<V> extends infer FV
+          ? {
+              [P in keyof FV as `${K & string}.${P & string}`]: FV[P];
+            }
+          : never
+        : Pick<T, K>
+      : never,
+  ) => void;
+} extends Record<keyof T, (y: infer O) => void>
+  ? { [K in keyof O]: O[K] }
+  : never;
+
 /** @internal */
 export interface InternalTranslationRef<
   TId extends string = string,
@@ -49,31 +73,53 @@ export interface InternalTranslationRef<
 /** @alpha */
 export interface TranslationRefOptions<
   TId extends string,
-  TMessages extends { [key in string]: string },
+  TNestedMessages extends AnyNestedMessages,
   TTranslations extends {
     [language in string]: () => Promise<{
-      default: { [key in keyof TMessages]: string | null };
+      default: {
+        [key in keyof FlattenedMessages<TNestedMessages>]: string | null;
+      };
     }>;
   },
 > {
   id: TId;
-  messages: TMessages;
+  messages: TNestedMessages;
   translations?: TTranslations;
 }
 
+function flattenMessages(nested: AnyNestedMessages): AnyMessages {
+  const entries = new Array<[string, string]>();
+
+  function visit(obj: AnyNestedMessages, prefix: string): void {
+    for (const [key, value] of Object.entries(obj)) {
+      if (typeof value === 'string') {
+        entries.push([prefix + key, value]);
+      } else {
+        visit(value, `${prefix}${key}.`);
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+  visit(nested, '');
+
+  return Object.fromEntries(entries);
+}
+
 /** @internal */
 class TranslationRefImpl<
   TId extends string,
-  TMessages extends { [key in string]: string },
-> implements InternalTranslationRef<TId, TMessages>
+  TNestedMessages extends AnyNestedMessages,
+> implements InternalTranslationRef<TId, FlattenedMessages<TNestedMessages>>
 {
   #id: TId;
-  #messages: TMessages;
+  #messages: FlattenedMessages<TNestedMessages>;
   #resources: TranslationResource | undefined;
 
-  constructor(options: TranslationRefOptions<TId, TMessages, any>) {
+  constructor(options: TranslationRefOptions<TId, TNestedMessages, any>) {
     this.#id = options.id;
-    this.#messages = options.messages;
+    this.#messages = flattenMessages(
+      options.messages,
+    ) as FlattenedMessages<TNestedMessages>;
   }
 
   $$type = '@backstage/TranslationRef' as const;
@@ -108,15 +154,17 @@ class TranslationRefImpl<
 /** @alpha */
 export function createTranslationRef<
   TId extends string,
-  const TMessages extends { [key in string]: string },
+  const TNestedMessages extends AnyNestedMessages,
   TTranslations extends {
     [language in string]: () => Promise<{
-      default: { [key in keyof TMessages]: string | null };
+      default: {
+        [key in keyof FlattenedMessages<TNestedMessages>]: string | null;
+      };
     }>;
   },
 >(
-  config: TranslationRefOptions<TId, TMessages, TTranslations>,
-): TranslationRef<TId, TMessages> {
+  config: TranslationRefOptions<TId, TNestedMessages, TTranslations>,
+): TranslationRef<TId, FlattenedMessages<TNestedMessages>> {
   const ref = new TranslationRefImpl(config);
   if (config.translations) {
     ref.setDefaultResource(
@@ -132,7 +180,7 @@ export function createTranslationRef<
 /** @internal */
 export function toInternalTranslationRef<
   TId extends string,
-  TMessages extends { [key in string]: string },
+  TMessages extends AnyMessages,
 >(ref: TranslationRef<TId, TMessages>): InternalTranslationRef<TId, TMessages> {
   const r = ref as InternalTranslationRef<TId, TMessages>;
   if (r.$$type !== '@backstage/TranslationRef') {