diff --git a/spring-orm/src/main/java/org/springframework/orm/hibernate5/HibernateExceptionTranslator.java b/spring-orm/src/main/java/org/springframework/orm/hibernate5/HibernateExceptionTranslator.java
index 96c0c26e760a..fc247d49f5b7 100644
--- a/spring-orm/src/main/java/org/springframework/orm/hibernate5/HibernateExceptionTranslator.java
+++ b/spring-orm/src/main/java/org/springframework/orm/hibernate5/HibernateExceptionTranslator.java
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ protected DataAccessException convertHibernateAccessException(HibernateException
 			DataAccessException dae = this.jdbcExceptionTranslator.translate(
 					"Hibernate operation: " + jdbcEx.getMessage(), jdbcEx.getSQL(), jdbcEx.getSQLException());
 			if (dae != null) {
-				throw dae;
+				return dae;
 			}
 		}
 		return SessionFactoryUtils.convertHibernateAccessException(ex);
diff --git a/spring-orm/src/main/java/org/springframework/orm/hibernate5/HibernateTransactionManager.java b/spring-orm/src/main/java/org/springframework/orm/hibernate5/HibernateTransactionManager.java
index e4b7f1c83cbd..1cc32b0aeabb 100644
--- a/spring-orm/src/main/java/org/springframework/orm/hibernate5/HibernateTransactionManager.java
+++ b/spring-orm/src/main/java/org/springframework/orm/hibernate5/HibernateTransactionManager.java
@@ -784,8 +784,6 @@ protected void disconnectOnCompletion(Session session) {
 	/**
 	 * Convert the given HibernateException to an appropriate exception
 	 * from the {@code org.springframework.dao} hierarchy.
-	 * <p>Will automatically apply a specified SQLExceptionTranslator to a
-	 * Hibernate JDBCException, else rely on Hibernate's default translation.
 	 * @param ex the HibernateException that occurred
 	 * @return a corresponding DataAccessException
 	 * @see SessionFactoryUtils#convertHibernateAccessException
diff --git a/spring-orm/src/main/java/org/springframework/orm/jpa/vendor/HibernateJpaDialect.java b/spring-orm/src/main/java/org/springframework/orm/jpa/vendor/HibernateJpaDialect.java
index ae1f787509fd..5be0c6c28e74 100644
--- a/spring-orm/src/main/java/org/springframework/orm/jpa/vendor/HibernateJpaDialect.java
+++ b/spring-orm/src/main/java/org/springframework/orm/jpa/vendor/HibernateJpaDialect.java
@@ -124,8 +124,8 @@ public void setPrepareConnection(boolean prepareConnection) {
 	 * @since 5.1
 	 * @see java.sql.SQLException
 	 * @see org.hibernate.JDBCException
+	 * @see org.springframework.jdbc.support.SQLExceptionSubclassTranslator
 	 * @see org.springframework.jdbc.support.SQLErrorCodeSQLExceptionTranslator
-	 * @see org.springframework.jdbc.support.SQLStateSQLExceptionTranslator
 	 */
 	public void setJdbcExceptionTranslator(SQLExceptionTranslator jdbcExceptionTranslator) {
 		this.jdbcExceptionTranslator = jdbcExceptionTranslator;
@@ -245,7 +245,7 @@ protected DataAccessException convertHibernateAccessException(HibernateException
 			DataAccessException dae = this.jdbcExceptionTranslator.translate(
 					"Hibernate operation: " + jdbcEx.getMessage(), jdbcEx.getSQL(), jdbcEx.getSQLException());
 			if (dae != null) {
-				throw dae;
+				return dae;
 			}
 		}