diff --git a/libpathod/language.py b/libpathod/language.py
index f3fe4daab..5cce6fdeb 100644
--- a/libpathod/language.py
+++ b/libpathod/language.py
@@ -181,7 +181,7 @@ class RandomGenerator:
 class FileGenerator:
     def __init__(self, path):
         self.path = path
-        self.fp = file(path, "r")
+        self.fp = file(path, "rb")
         self.map = mmap.mmap(self.fp.fileno(), 0, prot=mmap.PROT_READ)
 
     def __len__(self):
@@ -957,7 +957,7 @@ def read_file(settings, s):
         raise FileAccessDenied("File access outside of configured directory")
     if not os.path.isfile(s):
         raise FileAccessDenied("File not readable")
-    return file(s, "r").read()
+    return file(s, "rb").read()
 
 
 def parse_response(settings, s):
diff --git a/test/test_language.py b/test/test_language.py
index 40967935d..18865761c 100644
--- a/test/test_language.py
+++ b/test/test_language.py
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@ class TestValueFile:
         v = language.Value.parseString("<path")[0]
         with tutils.tmpdir() as t:
             p = os.path.join(t, "path")
-            f = open(p, "w")
+            f = open(p, "wb")
             f.write("x"*10000)
             f.close()
 
@@ -143,7 +143,7 @@ class TestMisc:
     def test_filegenerator(self):
         with tutils.tmpdir() as t:
             path = os.path.join(t, "foo")
-            f = open(path, "w")
+            f = open(path, "wb")
             f.write("x"*10000)
             f.close()
             g = language.FileGenerator(path)