# PHP
$dbh = dbh(); # PDO Objekt
$c = pack("CC", 195, 164); # ä
$sql = "insert into test (txt)values('$c')";
$sth = $dbh->query($sql);

# Perl
my $c = pack("CC", 195, 164);
$dbh->do("insert into test (txt)values('$c')");