title: Python - Way to encode foreign characters in format Python can work with?
body: <p>I'm working with large files in French and German. Basically, writing strings of characters from one file to another, collecting data from them, and so forth. Unfortunately, I have no idea what to import in order to let Python handle these characters.</p>
  
  <p>Even when collecting data from files that Python has already converted (in french you get weird things like Ã©couteur Ã§a), I get key errors when checking dicts for things that I <em>know</em> have already been placed in that dict, but only when the items have special characters in them like in the example of Ã©couteur Ã§a.</p>
  
  <p>For example, when the tuple ('Ã©couteur', 'Ã§a') has been added to a dict which collects the frequency that any given pair of words occur together, you get a key error when probing that dict for the tuple ('Ã©couteur', 'Ã§a'), but not when probing the dict for other tuples that don't contain the wacky characters.</p>
  
  <p>Does anyone know a quick way to get around this issue at every level?</p>
  
  <p>Best,
  Georgina</p>