Character encoding, or text encoding, is a system of representing Unicode characters as a sequence of binary values. It is used to convert a character into a format that can be stored or transmitted, and then to convert it back into its original character when needed. Text file encoding specifies the character encoding used for a particular text file.
Checking the text file encoding is important because it ensures that the characters in the file are displayed and interpreted correctly. If the encoding is not correct, the characters may appear garbled or corrupted.