How to translate theme without WPML plugin?

Hello everybody,

I need to create a website for a friend (not a client!) and I found a theme that fits my needs as a good base for customisation. But! It’s not compatible with WPML plugin! Grrr… It says that it’s “ready for translation with .po and .mo files ready”. Can I make it translated smoothly without WPML plugin? How to translate within .po and .mo files?
I’m talking about this theme: Verona http://themeforest.net/item/verona-restaurant-cafe-responsive-wordpress-theme/5161698
I’d appreciate your help!

WordPress uses gettext http://codex.wordpress.org/Translating_WordPress

If the theme comes with a “.pot” file, likely in the theme’s “languages” folder you can get an idea by looking at it.