diff --git a/app/actions/text-editor-actions.c b/app/actions/text-editor-actions.c
index 6c962d0500..5bc8eba97a 100644
--- a/app/actions/text-editor-actions.c
+++ b/app/actions/text-editor-actions.c
@@ -69,25 +69,25 @@ static const GimpRadioActionEntry text_editor_direction_actions[] =
 
   { "text-editor-direction-ttb-rtl", GIMP_ICON_FORMAT_TEXT_DIRECTION_TTB_RTL,
     NC_("text-editor-action", "TTB-RTL"), NULL,
-    NC_("text-editor-action", "Vertical lines from right to left (mixed orientation)"),
+    NC_("text-editor-action", "Vertical, right to left (mixed orientation)"),
     GIMP_TEXT_DIRECTION_TTB_RTL,
     NULL },
 
   { "text-editor-direction-ttb-rtl-upright", GIMP_ICON_FORMAT_TEXT_DIRECTION_TTB_RTL_UPRIGHT,
     NC_("text-editor-action", "TTB-RTL-UPRIGHT"), NULL,
-    NC_("text-editor-action", "Vertical lines from right to left (upright characters)"),
+    NC_("text-editor-action", "Vertical, right to left (upright orientation)"),
     GIMP_TEXT_DIRECTION_TTB_RTL_UPRIGHT,
     NULL },
 
   { "text-editor-direction-ttb-ltr", GIMP_ICON_FORMAT_TEXT_DIRECTION_TTB_LTR,
     NC_("text-editor-action", "TTB-LTR"), NULL,
-    NC_("text-editor-action", "Vertical lines from left to right (mixed orientation)"),
+    NC_("text-editor-action", "Vertical, left to right (mixed orientation)"),
     GIMP_TEXT_DIRECTION_TTB_LTR,
     NULL },
 
   { "text-editor-direction-ttb-ltr-upright", GIMP_ICON_FORMAT_TEXT_DIRECTION_TTB_LTR_UPRIGHT,
     NC_("text-editor-action", "TTB-LTR-UPRIGHT"), NULL,
-    NC_("text-editor-action", "Vertical lines from left to right (upright characters)"),
+    NC_("text-editor-action", "Vertical, left to right (upright orientation)"),
     GIMP_TEXT_DIRECTION_TTB_LTR_UPRIGHT,
     NULL },
 };
diff --git a/app/actions/text-tool-actions.c b/app/actions/text-tool-actions.c
index 3658c0e5d4..1a73c629e4 100644
--- a/app/actions/text-tool-actions.c
+++ b/app/actions/text-tool-actions.c
@@ -113,22 +113,22 @@ static const GimpRadioActionEntry text_tool_direction_actions[] =
     NULL },
 
   { "text-tool-direction-ttb-rtl", GIMP_ICON_FORMAT_TEXT_DIRECTION_TTB_RTL,
-    NC_("text-tool-action", "Vertical lines from right to left (mixed orientation)"), NULL, NULL,
+    NC_("text-tool-action", "Vertical, right to left (mixed orientation)"), NULL, NULL,
     GIMP_TEXT_DIRECTION_TTB_RTL,
     NULL },
 
   { "text-tool-direction-ttb-rtl-upright", GIMP_ICON_FORMAT_TEXT_DIRECTION_TTB_RTL_UPRIGHT,
-    NC_("text-tool-action", "Vertical lines from right to left (upright characters)"), NULL, NULL,
+    NC_("text-tool-action", "Vertical, right to left (upright orientation)"), NULL, NULL,
     GIMP_TEXT_DIRECTION_TTB_RTL_UPRIGHT,
     NULL },
 
   { "text-tool-direction-ttb-ltr", GIMP_ICON_FORMAT_TEXT_DIRECTION_TTB_LTR,
-    NC_("text-tool-action", "Vertical lines from left to right (mixed orientation)"), NULL, NULL,
+    NC_("text-tool-action", "Vertical, left to right (mixed orientation)"), NULL, NULL,
     GIMP_TEXT_DIRECTION_TTB_LTR,
     NULL },
 
   { "text-tool-direction-ttb-ltr-upright", GIMP_ICON_FORMAT_TEXT_DIRECTION_TTB_LTR_UPRIGHT,
-    NC_("text-tool-action", "Vertical lines from left to right (upright characters)"), NULL, NULL,
+    NC_("text-tool-action", "Vertical, left to right (upright orientation)"), NULL, NULL,
     GIMP_TEXT_DIRECTION_TTB_LTR_UPRIGHT,
     NULL }
 };
diff --git a/libgimpbase/gimpbaseenums.c b/libgimpbase/gimpbaseenums.c
index 9bfd81a189..f4a65c70f6 100644
--- a/libgimpbase/gimpbaseenums.c
+++ b/libgimpbase/gimpbaseenums.c
@@ -1806,10 +1806,10 @@ gimp_text_direction_get_type (void)
   {
     { GIMP_TEXT_DIRECTION_LTR, NC_("text-direction", "From left to right"), NULL },
     { GIMP_TEXT_DIRECTION_RTL, NC_("text-direction", "From right to left"), NULL },
-    { GIMP_TEXT_DIRECTION_TTB_RTL, NC_("text-direction", "Vertical lines from right to left (mixed orientation)"), NULL },
-    { GIMP_TEXT_DIRECTION_TTB_RTL_UPRIGHT, NC_("text-direction", "Vertical lines from right to left (upright characters)"), NULL },
-    { GIMP_TEXT_DIRECTION_TTB_LTR, NC_("text-direction", "Vertical lines from left to right (mixed orientation)"), NULL },
-    { GIMP_TEXT_DIRECTION_TTB_LTR_UPRIGHT, NC_("text-direction", "Vertical lines from left to right (upright characters)"), NULL },
+    { GIMP_TEXT_DIRECTION_TTB_RTL, NC_("text-direction", "Vertical, right to left (mixed orientation)"), NULL },
+    { GIMP_TEXT_DIRECTION_TTB_RTL_UPRIGHT, NC_("text-direction", "Vertical, right to left (upright orientation)"), NULL },
+    { GIMP_TEXT_DIRECTION_TTB_LTR, NC_("text-direction", "Vertical, left to right (mixed orientation)"), NULL },
+    { GIMP_TEXT_DIRECTION_TTB_LTR_UPRIGHT, NC_("text-direction", "Vertical, left to right (upright orientation)"), NULL },
     { 0, NULL, NULL }
   };
 
diff --git a/libgimpbase/gimpbaseenums.h b/libgimpbase/gimpbaseenums.h
index 28e56ce739..4ae8ed6a5c 100644
--- a/libgimpbase/gimpbaseenums.h
+++ b/libgimpbase/gimpbaseenums.h
@@ -1241,10 +1241,10 @@ typedef enum
 {
   GIMP_TEXT_DIRECTION_LTR,              /*< desc="From left to right"                                     >*/
   GIMP_TEXT_DIRECTION_RTL,              /*< desc="From right to left"                                     >*/
-  GIMP_TEXT_DIRECTION_TTB_RTL,          /*< desc="Vertical lines from right to left (mixed orientation)"  >*/
-  GIMP_TEXT_DIRECTION_TTB_RTL_UPRIGHT,  /*< desc="Vertical lines from right to left (upright characters)" >*/
-  GIMP_TEXT_DIRECTION_TTB_LTR,          /*< desc="Vertical lines from left to right (mixed orientation)"  >*/
-  GIMP_TEXT_DIRECTION_TTB_LTR_UPRIGHT   /*< desc="Vertical lines from left to right (upright characters)" >*/
+  GIMP_TEXT_DIRECTION_TTB_RTL,          /*< desc="Vertical, right to left (mixed orientation)"  >*/
+  GIMP_TEXT_DIRECTION_TTB_RTL_UPRIGHT,  /*< desc="Vertical, right to left (upright orientation)" >*/
+  GIMP_TEXT_DIRECTION_TTB_LTR,          /*< desc="Vertical, left to right (mixed orientation)"  >*/
+  GIMP_TEXT_DIRECTION_TTB_LTR_UPRIGHT   /*< desc="Vertical, left to right (upright orientation)" >*/
 } GimpTextDirection;