diff --git a/swh/search/tests/test_translator.py b/swh/search/tests/test_translator.py
--- a/swh/search/tests/test_translator.py
+++ b/swh/search/tests/test_translator.py
@@ -330,7 +330,7 @@
     _test_results(query, expected)
 
 
-def test_escaped_punctutation_parsing():
+def test_escaped_punctuation_parsing():
     query = r"""keyword in ["foo \'\" bar"]"""
     expected = {
         "filters": {
@@ -349,3 +349,52 @@
         }
     }
     _test_results(query, expected)
+
+
+def test_nonascii():
+    query = r"""keyword in ["café"]"""
+    expected = {
+        "filters": {
+            "nested": {
+                "path": "intrinsic_metadata",
+                "query": {
+                    "multi_match": {
+                        "query": r"""café""",
+                        "fields": [
+                            get_expansion("keywords", ".") + "^2",
+                            get_expansion("descriptions", "."),
+                        ],
+                    }
+                },
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    _test_results(query, expected)
+
+
+def test_nonascii_before_operator():
+    query = r"""keyword in ["🐍"] and visited = true"""
+    expected = {
+        "filters": {
+            "bool": {
+                "must": [
+                    {
+                        "nested": {
+                            "path": "intrinsic_metadata",
+                            "query": {
+                                "multi_match": {
+                                    "query": r"""🐍""",
+                                    "fields": [
+                                        get_expansion("keywords", ".") + "^2",
+                                        get_expansion("descriptions", "."),
+                                    ],
+                                }
+                            },
+                        },
+                    },
+                    {"term": {"has_visits": True,},},
+                ],
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    _test_results(query, expected)
diff --git a/swh/search/translator.py b/swh/search/translator.py
--- a/swh/search/translator.py
+++ b/swh/search/translator.py
@@ -40,8 +40,8 @@
         self.query = ""
 
     def parse_query(self, query):
-        self.query = query
-        tree = self.parser.parse(query.encode("utf8"))
+        self.query = query.encode()
+        tree = self.parser.parse(self.query)
         self.query_node = tree.root_node
 
         if self.query_node.has_error:
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@
         start = node.start_point[1]
         end = node.end_point[1]
 
-        value = self.query[start:end]
+        value = self.query[start:end].decode()
 
         if len(value) > 1 and (
             (value[0] == "'" and value[-1] == "'") or (value[0] and value[-1] == '"')