diff --git a/poi/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/poifs/filesystem/Ole10Native.java b/poi/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/poifs/filesystem/Ole10Native.java
index 681f4bd8ff..0a8d8e9548 100644
--- a/poi/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/poifs/filesystem/Ole10Native.java
+++ b/poi/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/poifs/filesystem/Ole10Native.java
@@ -276,7 +276,7 @@ public class Ole10Native {
         byte[] buf = new byte[MAX_STRING_LENGTH];
         for (int i=0; i<buf.length; i++) {
             if ((buf[i] = is.readByte()) == 0) {
-                return StringUtil.getFromCompressedUnicode(buf, 0, i);
+                return StringUtil.getFromCompressedUTF8(buf, 0, i);
             }
         }
         throw new Ole10NativeException("AsciiZ string was not null terminated after " + MAX_STRING_LENGTH + " bytes - Exiting.");
diff --git a/poi/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/ss/formula/ptg/StringPtg.java b/poi/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/ss/formula/ptg/StringPtg.java
index 1439cd8c45..bb58685759 100644
--- a/poi/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/ss/formula/ptg/StringPtg.java
+++ b/poi/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/ss/formula/ptg/StringPtg.java
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ public final class StringPtg extends ScalarConstantPtg {
         if (_is16bitUnicode) {
             field_3_string = StringUtil.readUnicodeLE(in, nChars);
         } else {
-            field_3_string = StringUtil.readCompressedLatinA(in, nChars);
+            field_3_string = StringUtil.readCompressedUnicode(in, nChars);
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/poi/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/util/StringUtil.java b/poi/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/util/StringUtil.java
index 8cb1d516d9..c1bb521543 100644
--- a/poi/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/util/StringUtil.java
+++ b/poi/src/main/java/org/apache/poi/util/StringUtil.java
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 package org.apache.poi.util;
 
 import static java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets.ISO_8859_1;
+import static java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets.UTF_8;
 
 import java.nio.charset.Charset;
 import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets;
@@ -128,33 +129,40 @@ public final class StringUtil {
      * @param string byte array to read
      * @param offset offset to read byte array
      * @param len    length to read byte array
-     * @return String generated String instance by reading byte array
+     * @return String generated String instance by reading byte array (ISO-8859-1)
      */
     public static String getFromCompressedUnicode(
             final byte[] string,
             final int offset,
             final int len) {
         int len_to_use = Math.min(len, string.length - offset);
-        return new String(string, offset, len_to_use, UTF8);
+        return new String(string, offset, len_to_use, ISO_8859_1);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Read 8 bit data (in UTF-8 codepage) into a (unicode) Java
+     * String and return.
+     * (In Excel terms, read compressed 8 bit unicode as a string)
+     *
+     * @param string byte array to read
+     * @param offset offset to read byte array
+     * @param len    length to read byte array
+     * @return String generated String instance by reading byte array (UTF-8)
+     */
+    public static String getFromCompressedUTF8(
+            final byte[] string,
+            final int offset,
+            final int len) {
+        int len_to_use = Math.min(len, string.length - offset);
+        return new String(string, offset, len_to_use, UTF_8);
     }
 
     /**
      * @param in stream,
      * @param nChars number pf chars
-     * @return UTF-8 encoded result
+     * @return ISO_8859_1 encoded result
      */
     public static String readCompressedUnicode(LittleEndianInput in, int nChars) {
-        byte[] buf = IOUtils.safelyAllocate(nChars, MAX_RECORD_LENGTH);
-        in.readFully(buf);
-        return new String(buf, UTF8);
-    }
-
-    /**
-     * @param in stream,
-     * @param nChars number pf chars
-     * @return LATIN-A (ISO-8859-1) encoded result
-     */
-    public static String readCompressedLatinA(LittleEndianInput in, int nChars) {
         byte[] buf = IOUtils.safelyAllocate(nChars, MAX_RECORD_LENGTH);
         in.readFully(buf);
         return new String(buf, ISO_8859_1);