diff --git a/edxval/api.py b/edxval/api.py
index 2306d18f..02044d21 100644
--- a/edxval/api.py
+++ b/edxval/api.py
@@ -1194,7 +1194,7 @@ def import_transcript_from_fs(edx_video_id, language_code, file_name, provider,
             video_id=edx_video_id,
             language_code=language_code,
             file_format=file_format,
-            content=ContentFile(file_content),
+            content=ContentFile(file_content.encode('utf-8')),
             provider=provider
         )
 
diff --git a/edxval/tests/test_api.py b/edxval/tests/test_api.py
index 5dc19b6c..729821a8 100644
--- a/edxval/tests/test_api.py
+++ b/edxval/tests/test_api.py
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
 from io import open
 from tempfile import mkdtemp
 
+import chardet
 import mock
 from ddt import data, ddt, unpack
 from django.conf import settings
@@ -24,7 +25,7 @@
 from fs.osfs import OSFS
 from fs.path import combine
 from lxml import etree
-from mock import patch
+from mock import Mock, patch
 from rest_framework import status
 
 from edxval import api, utils
@@ -1895,6 +1896,45 @@ def test_import_transcript_from_fs_resource_not_found(self, mock_logger):
             edx_video_id
         )
 
+    @patch('edxval.api.create_video_transcript')
+    @patch('edxval.api.get_transcript_format', Mock())
+    def test_import_transcript_from_fs_created_transcript_content_encoding(self, mock_create_video_transcript):
+        """
+        Test that `import_transcript_from_fs` correctly calls `create_video_transcript` with `utf-8` file content.
+        """
+        language_code = 'en'
+        edx_video_id = constants.VIDEO_DICT_FISH['edx_video_id']
+
+        # First create utf-8 encoded transcript file in the file system.
+        # Make sure to include utf-8 characters to chardet recognizes it is utf-8 and not ascii
+        transcript_file_name = 'transcript.txt'
+        video_transcript = dict(
+            constants.VIDEO_TRANSCRIPT_CUSTOM_SJSON,
+            video_id=edx_video_id,
+            file_data='Hello, edX greets you. random utf-8 characters: éâô'
+        )
+
+        utils.create_file_in_fs(
+            video_transcript['file_data'],
+            transcript_file_name,
+            self.file_system,
+            constants.EXPORT_IMPORT_STATIC_DIR
+        )
+
+        api.import_transcript_from_fs(
+            edx_video_id=edx_video_id,
+            language_code=language_code,
+            file_name=transcript_file_name,
+            provider=TranscriptProviderType.CUSTOM,
+            resource_fs=self.file_system,
+            static_dir=constants.EXPORT_IMPORT_STATIC_DIR
+        )
+
+        transcript_content = mock_create_video_transcript.call_args.kwargs['content']
+        content_encoding = chardet.detect(transcript_content.read())['encoding']
+
+        self.assertEqual(content_encoding, 'utf-8')
+
     @patch('edxval.api.logger')
     def test_import_transcript_from_fs_invalid_format(self, mock_logger):
         """
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index baba3806..c883f14c 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ def load_requirements(*requirements_paths):
     return list(requirements)
 
 
-VERSION = '1.4.2'
+VERSION = '1.4.3'
 
 if sys.argv[-1] == 'tag':
     print("Tagging the version on github:")