diff --git a/src/main/webapp/resources/js/viewer/controller.js b/src/main/webapp/resources/js/viewer/controller.js
index 7606c815..cf530198 100644
--- a/src/main/webapp/resources/js/viewer/controller.js
+++ b/src/main/webapp/resources/js/viewer/controller.js
@@ -1835,7 +1835,7 @@ function Controller(bookID, accessible_modes, canvasID, regionColors, colors, gl
 			if(selected && this.getIDType(selected[0]) === ElementType.TEXTLINE){
 				const id = selected[0];
 				const parentID = this.textlineRegister[id];
-				_gui.openTextLineContent(_segmentation[_currentPage].segments[parentID].textlines[id]);
+				_gui.openTextLineContent(_segmentation[_currentPage].segments[parentID].textlines[id], _segmentation[_currentPage].segments[parentID].readingDirection);
 			}
 			_gui.updateZoom();
 		}
@@ -2039,10 +2039,10 @@ function Controller(bookID, accessible_modes, canvasID, regionColors, colors, gl
 			if(!textline.minArea){
 				_communicator.minAreaRect(textline).done((minArea) => {
 					textline.minArea = minArea;
-					_gui.openTextLineContent(textline);
+					_gui.openTextLineContent(textline, _segmentation[_currentPage].segments[this.textlineRegister[id]].readingDirection);
 				});
 			} else {
-				_gui.openTextLineContent(textline);
+				_gui.openTextLineContent(textline, _segmentation[_currentPage].segments[this.textlineRegister[id]].readingDirection);
 			}
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/src/main/webapp/resources/js/viewer/gui.js b/src/main/webapp/resources/js/viewer/gui.js
index 66770edd..7c6ab46f 100644
--- a/src/main/webapp/resources/js/viewer/gui.js
+++ b/src/main/webapp/resources/js/viewer/gui.js
@@ -306,11 +306,24 @@ function GUI(canvas, viewer, colors, accessible_modes) {
 	/**
 	 * Open the textline content, ready to edit
 	 */
-	this.openTextLineContent = function (textline) {
+	this.openTextLineContent = function (textline, readingDirection) {
+		console.log(readingDirection)
 		this.hideTextline(false);
 		const $textlinecontent = $("#textline-content");
 		$textlinecontent.removeClass("hide");
 
+		switch(readingDirection){
+			case "right-to-left":
+				$textlinecontent.attr("dir", "rtl");
+				break;
+			case "left-to-right":
+				$textlinecontent.attr("dir", "ltr");
+				break;
+			default:
+				$textlinecontent.removeAttr("dir")
+				break;
+		}
+
 		if(!this.tempTextline || this.tempTextline.id !== textline.id){
 			this.tempTextline = textline ? textline : this.tempTextline;
 			this.updateTextLine(textline.id);