diff --git a/pygyat/parser.py b/pygyat/parser.py
index 45d3905..3f4a244 100644
--- a/pygyat/parser.py
+++ b/pygyat/parser.py
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ def parse_glazes(filename):
         list of str: All imported modules, suffixed with '.gyat'. Ie, the name
         the imported files must have if they are pygyat files.
     """
-    infile = open(filename, "r")
+    infile = open(filename, "r", encoding="utf-8")
     infile_str = ""
 
     for line in infile:
@@ -119,8 +119,8 @@ def parse_file(filepath, filename_prefix, outputname=None, change_imports=None):
     """
     filename = os.path.basename(filepath)
 
-    infile = open(filepath, "r")
-    outfile = open(filename_prefix + _change_file_name(filename, outputname), "w")
+    infile = open(filepath, "r", encoding="utf-8")
+    outfile = open(filename_prefix + _change_file_name(filename, outputname), "w", encoding="utf-8")
 
     # Read file to string
     infile_str_raw = ""
diff --git a/scripts/py2gyat b/scripts/py2gyat
index f5ada0d..f3145c2 100644
--- a/scripts/py2gyat
+++ b/scripts/py2gyat
@@ -155,7 +155,7 @@ def reverse_parse(filename, outputname):
         outputname (str):   Path of destination file
     """
     # Open a file as bytes
-    infile = open(filename, "r")
+    infile = open(filename, "r", encoding="utf-8")
     inlines = infile.readlines()
 
     # Read file to string
@@ -191,7 +191,7 @@ def reverse_parse(filename, outputname):
         # replace anything in mappings.keys() with its value but opposite
         for value, key in GYAT2PY_MAPPINGS.items():
             if "\\s" in value:
-                value = value.replace("\\s", "s")
+                value = value.replace("\\s+", " ")
             line = safe_substitute(value, key, line)
             line = re.sub(
                 r'(?<!["\'#])\b{}\b(?!["\'])'.format(re.escape(key)), value, line
@@ -200,7 +200,7 @@ def reverse_parse(filename, outputname):
         infile_str_indented += line + add_comment + "\n"
 
     # Save the file
-    outfile = open(outputname, "w")
+    outfile = open(outputname, "w", encoding="utf-8")
     outfile.write(infile_str_indented)
 
 
@@ -239,11 +239,11 @@ def main():
             else change_file_name(cmd_args.input[0], None)
         )
 
-        infile = open(cmd_args.input[0], "r")
+        infile = open(cmd_args.input[0], "r", encoding="utf-8")
         infile_string = "".join(infile.readlines())
 
         # pre_parsed = pre_reverse_parse(infile_string)
-        tempoutfile = open(cmd_args.input[0] + ".py2gyattemp", "w")
+        tempoutfile = open(cmd_args.input[0] + ".py2gyattemp", "w", encoding="utf-8")
         # tempoutfile.write(pre_parsed)
         tempoutfile.write(infile_string)
         tempoutfile.close()