diff --git a/beat/web/plotters/serializers.py b/beat/web/plotters/serializers.py
index 5f79e3ca8bb61c0295752f94690a90c8cc0f0267..11f14e3ff6b8005fc1fd89012396822eafb8c295 100644
--- a/beat/web/plotters/serializers.py
+++ b/beat/web/plotters/serializers.py
@@ -33,7 +33,8 @@ from ..code.serializers import CodeSerializer, CodeCreationSerializer
 from ..libraries.serializers import LibraryReferenceSerializer
 from ..dataformats.serializers import ReferencedDataFormatSerializer
 
-from django.utils.encoding import smart_unicode, smart_str
+from django.utils.encoding import smart_str
+from django.utils.encoding import smart_text
 
 import beat.core.plotter
 import simplejson as json
@@ -205,10 +206,10 @@ class FullPlotterParameterSerializer(PlotterParameterAllSerializer):
         default_fields = ['id', 'accessibility', 'modifiable', 'deletable', 'is_owner', 'name', 'fork_of', 'last_version', 'previous_version', 'short_description', 'description', 'version', 'creation_date', 'data', 'plotter', 'plotters']
 
     def get_description(self, obj):
-        return smart_unicode(obj.description, encoding='utf-8', strings_only=False, errors='strict')
+        return smart_text(obj.description, encoding='utf-8', strings_only=False, errors='strict')
 
     def get_short_description(self, obj):
-        return smart_unicode(obj.short_description, encoding='utf-8', strings_only=False, errors='strict')
+        return smart_text(obj.short_description, encoding='utf-8', strings_only=False, errors='strict')
 
     def get_data(self, obj):
         return json.loads(obj.data)