diff --git a/src/Symfony/Component/Translation/Dumper/FileDumper.php b/src/Symfony/Component/Translation/Dumper/FileDumper.php
index 43f4eccababf8..931000be84217 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Component/Translation/Dumper/FileDumper.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Component/Translation/Dumper/FileDumper.php
@@ -114,7 +114,10 @@ protected function formatCatalogue(MessageCatalogue $messages, $domain, array $o
      *
      * @deprecated since version 2.8, to be removed in 3.0. Overwrite formatCatalogue() instead.
      */
-    abstract protected function format(MessageCatalogue $messages, $domain);
+    protected function format(MessageCatalogue $messages, $domain)
+    {
+        throw new \LogicException('The "FileDumper::format" method needs to be overwritten, you should implement either "format" or "formatCatalogue".');
+    }
 
     /**
      * Gets the file extension of the dumper.
diff --git a/src/Symfony/Component/Translation/Tests/Dumper/FileDumperTest.php b/src/Symfony/Component/Translation/Tests/Dumper/FileDumperTest.php
index 33b1b9107fa7b..7bee93f7f8010 100644
--- a/src/Symfony/Component/Translation/Tests/Dumper/FileDumperTest.php
+++ b/src/Symfony/Component/Translation/Tests/Dumper/FileDumperTest.php
@@ -63,11 +63,6 @@ protected function formatCatalogue(MessageCatalogue $messages, $domain, array $o
         return '';
     }
 
-    protected function format(MessageCatalogue $messages, $domain)
-    {
-        return $this->formatCatalogue($messages, $domain);
-    }
-
     protected function getExtension()
     {
         return 'concrete';