diff --git a/Octokit.Tests/Clients/SearchClientTests.cs b/Octokit.Tests/Clients/SearchClientTests.cs
index 4260a8b0e6..93da7a4ded 100644
--- a/Octokit.Tests/Clients/SearchClientTests.cs
+++ b/Octokit.Tests/Clients/SearchClientTests.cs
@@ -463,7 +463,7 @@ public void TestingTheLangaugeQualifier()
                 request.Language = Language.Ruby;
                 client.SearchRepo(request);
                 connection.Received().Get<SearchRepositoryResult>(Arg.Is<Uri>(u => u.ToString() == "search/repositories"),
-                    Arg.Is<Dictionary<string, string>>(d => d["q"] == "github+language:Ruby"));
+                    Arg.Is<Dictionary<string, string>>(d => d["q"] == "github+language:ruby"));
             }
 
             [Fact]
diff --git a/Octokit.Tests/Models/SearchRepositoryRequestTests.cs b/Octokit.Tests/Models/SearchRepositoryRequestTests.cs
index e49d9d151b..c01c7288a0 100644
--- a/Octokit.Tests/Models/SearchRepositoryRequestTests.cs
+++ b/Octokit.Tests/Models/SearchRepositoryRequestTests.cs
@@ -25,5 +25,13 @@ public void SortNotSpecifiedByDefault()
             Assert.True(string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(request.Sort));
             Assert.False(request.Parameters.ContainsKey("sort"));
         }
+
+        [Fact]
+        public void LanguageUsesParameterTranslation()
+        {
+            var request = new SearchRepositoriesRequest() { Language = Language.CPlusPlus };
+            var result = request.MergedQualifiers();
+            Assert.Contains(result, x => string.Equals(x, "language:cpp"));
+        }
     }
 }
diff --git a/Octokit/Models/Request/SearchRepositoriesRequest.cs b/Octokit/Models/Request/SearchRepositoriesRequest.cs
index 78c7d889c2..d9fe40e69d 100644
--- a/Octokit/Models/Request/SearchRepositoriesRequest.cs
+++ b/Octokit/Models/Request/SearchRepositoriesRequest.cs
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ public override IReadOnlyList<string> MergedQualifiers()
 
             if (Language != null)
             {
-                parameters.Add(string.Format(CultureInfo.InvariantCulture, "language:{0}", Language));
+                parameters.Add(string.Format(CultureInfo.InvariantCulture, "language:{0}", Language.ToParameter()));
             }
 
             if (User.IsNotBlank())
@@ -557,7 +557,7 @@ public enum Language
         ColdFusion,
         CommonLisp,
         Coq,
-        [Parameter(Value = "C++")]
+        [Parameter(Value = "cpp")]
         CPlusPlus,
         [Parameter(Value = "CSharp")]
         CSharp,