If you’re a dyslexic in English, you can’t be dyslexic in Chinese

Dyslexia (reading disorder) is characterized by hard time in spelling words, writing words, “sounding out” words in the head, difficulty with directions, delayed onset of speech and so on. In most cases such difficulties are noticed at school (early childhood).

Actors, comedians, poets, writers and musicians from all over the world have been diagnosed with dyslexia ever since their early childhood. Some of the most famous dyslexics are Beatrice of York, Orlando Bloom, Leonardo da Vinci, Cher, Tom Cruise, Lewis Carroll, Albert Einstein and many more.

But the fact that they are dyslexic doesn’t mean they can’t write and read in all languages known to mankind. For example, a person, who is diagnosed as a dyslexic in English, can’t really have a problem with reading and writing in Chinese. How can this be? Chinese readers use the middle frontal gyrus located in the left part of their brain. It serves as memory storage for visual patterns, or in this case – Chinese logograms. On the other hand, English readers use different parts of the brain known as left temporoparietal regions.

In conclusion, you can basically be a dyslexic in one language, but that doesn’t mean you’ll have this problem with another one.