diff --git a/rdflib/graph.py b/rdflib/graph.py
index 8f5b05442..0eb5d7596 100644
--- a/rdflib/graph.py
+++ b/rdflib/graph.py
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@
 import tempfile
 import pathlib
 
-from io import BytesIO
+from io import StringIO
 from urllib.parse import urlparse
 from urllib.request import url2pathname
 
@@ -1111,13 +1111,9 @@ def serialize(
         serializer = plugin.get(format, Serializer)(self)
         stream: IO[bytes]
         if destination is None:
-            stream = BytesIO()
-            if encoding is None:
-                serializer.serialize(stream, base=base, encoding="utf-8", **args)
-                return stream.getvalue().decode("utf-8")
-            else:
-                serializer.serialize(stream, base=base, encoding=encoding, **args)
-                return stream.getvalue()
+            stream = StringIO()
+            serializer.serialize(stream, base=base, encoding="utf-8", **args)
+            return stream.getvalue()
         if hasattr(destination, "write"):
             stream = cast(IO[bytes], destination)
             serializer.serialize(stream, base=base, encoding=encoding, **args)
@@ -1145,7 +1141,7 @@ def serialize(
 
     def print(self, format="turtle", encoding="utf-8", out=None):
         print(
-            self.serialize(None, format=format, encoding=encoding).decode(encoding),
+            self.serialize(None, format=format, encoding=encoding),
             file=out,
             flush=True,
         )
diff --git a/rdflib/plugins/serializers/nquads.py b/rdflib/plugins/serializers/nquads.py
index 42cddf4e9..03d6f63b7 100644
--- a/rdflib/plugins/serializers/nquads.py
+++ b/rdflib/plugins/serializers/nquads.py
@@ -38,9 +38,9 @@ def serialize(
         for context in self.store.contexts():
             for triple in context:
                 stream.write(
-                    _nq_row(triple, context.identifier).encode(encoding, "replace")
+                    _nq_row(triple, context.identifier)
                 )
-        stream.write("\n".encode("latin-1"))
+        stream.write("\n")
 
 
 def _nq_row(triple, context):
diff --git a/rdflib/plugins/serializers/nt.py b/rdflib/plugins/serializers/nt.py
index 188db78fc..3667dfef6 100644
--- a/rdflib/plugins/serializers/nt.py
+++ b/rdflib/plugins/serializers/nt.py
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ def serialize(
     ):
         if base is not None:
             warnings.warn("NTSerializer does not support base.")
+
         if encoding != "utf-8":
             warnings.warn(
                 "NTSerializer always uses UTF-8 encoding. "
diff --git a/rdflib/plugins/serializers/rdfxml.py b/rdflib/plugins/serializers/rdfxml.py
index 790c23939..d010bb258 100644
--- a/rdflib/plugins/serializers/rdfxml.py
+++ b/rdflib/plugins/serializers/rdfxml.py
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ def serialize(
         self.__stream = stream
         self.__serialized: Dict[Identifier, int] = {}
         encoding = self.encoding
-        self.write = write = lambda uni: stream.write(uni.encode(encoding, "replace"))
+        self.write = write = lambda uni: stream.write(uni)
 
         # startDocument
         write('<?xml version="1.0" encoding="%s"?>\n' % self.encoding)
diff --git a/rdflib/plugins/serializers/trig.py b/rdflib/plugins/serializers/trig.py
index 3aa9ca689..1c65faa9d 100644
--- a/rdflib/plugins/serializers/trig.py
+++ b/rdflib/plugins/serializers/trig.py
@@ -110,4 +110,4 @@ def serialize(
             self.write("}\n")
 
         self.endDocument()
-        stream.write("\n".encode("latin-1"))
+        stream.write("\n")
diff --git a/rdflib/plugins/serializers/trix.py b/rdflib/plugins/serializers/trix.py
index 63d58c44d..eb6ebef29 100644
--- a/rdflib/plugins/serializers/trix.py
+++ b/rdflib/plugins/serializers/trix.py
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ def serialize(
             raise Exception("Unknown graph type: " + type(self.store))
 
         self.writer.pop()
-        stream.write("\n".encode("latin-1"))
+        stream.write("\n")
 
     def _writeGraph(self, graph):
         self.writer.push(TRIXNS["graph"])
diff --git a/rdflib/plugins/serializers/turtle.py b/rdflib/plugins/serializers/turtle.py
index a62c05c42..e1569f954 100644
--- a/rdflib/plugins/serializers/turtle.py
+++ b/rdflib/plugins/serializers/turtle.py
@@ -168,7 +168,7 @@ def indent(self, modifier=0):
 
     def write(self, text):
         """Write text in given encoding."""
-        self.stream.write(text.encode(self.encoding, "replace"))
+        self.stream.write(text)
 
 
 SUBJECT = 0
@@ -250,7 +250,7 @@ def serialize(self, stream, base=None, encoding=None, spacious=None, **args):
                 self.write("\n")
 
         self.endDocument()
-        stream.write("\n".encode("latin-1"))
+        stream.write("\n")
 
         self.base = None