diff --git a/src/core/keybindings.c b/src/core/keybindings.c
index c98d49af1..9963d1d85 100644
--- a/src/core/keybindings.c
+++ b/src/core/keybindings.c
@@ -2111,7 +2111,7 @@ handle_activate_window_menu (MetaDisplay           *display,
       meta_window_get_client_area_rect (display->focus_window, &child_rect);
 
       x = frame_rect.x + child_rect.x;
-      if (meta_get_locale_direction () == META_LOCALE_DIRECTION_RTL)
+      if (clutter_get_text_direction () == CLUTTER_TEXT_DIRECTION_RTL)
         x += child_rect.width;
 
       y = frame_rect.y + child_rect.y;
diff --git a/src/core/place.c b/src/core/place.c
index 01b0bd34d..d420479b5 100644
--- a/src/core/place.c
+++ b/src/core/place.c
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ find_next_cascade (MetaWindow *window,
   int cascade_stage;
   MtkRectangle work_area;
   MetaLogicalMonitor *current;
-  gboolean ltr = meta_get_locale_direction () == META_LOCALE_DIRECTION_LTR;
+  gboolean ltr = clutter_get_text_direction () == CLUTTER_TEXT_DIRECTION_LTR;
 
   /* This is a "fuzzy" cascade algorithm.
    * For each window in the list, we find where we'd cascade a
@@ -541,7 +541,7 @@ center_tile_rect_in_area (MtkRectangle *rect,
    */
 
   fluff = (work_area->width % (rect->width + 1)) / 2;
-  if (meta_get_locale_direction () == META_LOCALE_DIRECTION_LTR)
+  if (clutter_get_text_direction () == CLUTTER_TEXT_DIRECTION_LTR)
     rect->x = work_area->x + fluff;
   else
     rect->x = work_area->x + work_area->width - rect->width - fluff;
@@ -580,7 +580,7 @@ find_first_fit (MetaWindow         *window,
   GList *tmp;
   MtkRectangle rect;
   MtkRectangle work_area;
-  gboolean ltr = meta_get_locale_direction () == META_LOCALE_DIRECTION_LTR;
+  gboolean ltr = clutter_get_text_direction () == CLUTTER_TEXT_DIRECTION_LTR;
 
   retval = FALSE;
 
diff --git a/src/core/prefs.c b/src/core/prefs.c
index dbbe72b29..fc4d4c10f 100644
--- a/src/core/prefs.c
+++ b/src/core/prefs.c
@@ -1420,7 +1420,7 @@ button_layout_handler (GVariant *value,
   g_strfreev (sides);
 
   /* Invert the button layout for RTL languages */
-  if (meta_get_locale_direction() == META_LOCALE_DIRECTION_RTL)
+  if (clutter_get_text_direction() == CLUTTER_TEXT_DIRECTION_RTL)
     {
       MetaButtonLayout rtl_layout;
       int j;
diff --git a/src/core/util.c b/src/core/util.c
index f8a08c747..343668a39 100644
--- a/src/core/util.c
+++ b/src/core/util.c
@@ -512,21 +512,6 @@ meta_external_binding_name_for_action (guint keybinding_action)
   return g_strdup_printf ("external-grab-%u", keybinding_action);
 }
 
-MetaLocaleDirection
-meta_get_locale_direction (void)
-{
-  switch (clutter_get_text_direction ())
-    {
-    case CLUTTER_TEXT_DIRECTION_LTR:
-      return META_LOCALE_DIRECTION_LTR;
-    case CLUTTER_TEXT_DIRECTION_RTL:
-      return META_LOCALE_DIRECTION_RTL;
-    default:
-      g_assert_not_reached ();
-      return 0;
-    }
-}
-
 char *
 meta_generate_random_id (GRand *rand,
                          int    length)
diff --git a/src/core/workspace.c b/src/core/workspace.c
index 8a8c7b6fa..1e2717221 100644
--- a/src/core/workspace.c
+++ b/src/core/workspace.c
@@ -625,7 +625,7 @@ meta_workspace_activate_with_focus (MetaWorkspace *workspace,
    meta_workspace_manager_calc_workspace_layout (workspace->manager, num_workspaces,
                                                  new_space, &layout2);
 
-   if (meta_get_locale_direction () == META_LOCALE_DIRECTION_RTL)
+   if (clutter_get_text_direction () == CLUTTER_TEXT_DIRECTION_RTL)
      {
        if (layout1.current_col > layout2.current_col)
          direction = META_MOTION_RIGHT;
@@ -1264,7 +1264,7 @@ meta_workspace_get_neighbor (MetaWorkspace      *workspace,
   meta_verbose ("Getting neighbor of %d in direction %s",
                 current_space, meta_motion_direction_to_string (direction));
 
-  ltr = (meta_get_locale_direction () == META_LOCALE_DIRECTION_LTR);
+  ltr = (clutter_get_text_direction () == CLUTTER_TEXT_DIRECTION_LTR);
 
   switch (direction)
     {
diff --git a/src/meta/util.h b/src/meta/util.h
index a502b6a9a..f3b053161 100644
--- a/src/meta/util.h
+++ b/src/meta/util.h
@@ -93,15 +93,6 @@ char* meta_external_binding_name_for_action (guint keybinding_action);
 META_EXPORT
 char* meta_g_utf8_strndup (const gchar *src, gsize n);
 
-typedef enum
-{
-  META_LOCALE_DIRECTION_LTR,
-  META_LOCALE_DIRECTION_RTL,
-} MetaLocaleDirection;
-
-META_EXPORT
-MetaLocaleDirection meta_get_locale_direction (void);
-
 META_EXPORT
 void meta_add_clutter_debug_flags (ClutterDebugFlag     debug_flags,
                                    ClutterDrawDebugFlag draw_flags,