Learning other languages with dyslexia
I’m dyslexic. Most people can’t tell because I had (accidental) brilliant intervention as a child, but when it comes to learning written languages, the cracks start to appear—being dyslexic doesn’t go away; it’s how my brain is wired. The 30-second version is that dyslexia results from the brain repurposing suboptimal systems to read. This creates a longer-than-usual delay between hearing a word and recognising those sounds on the page.
A page with pink highlighter and two brain icons. One is confused and messy. An arrow connects the chaotic brain to the detailed brain next to a smiley face.
My research requires me to interact with texts in several (dead) languages. That’s a bit nuts, but if you’re willing to be as dogged as I am about it, here are some golden nuggets for getting your brain going in the right direction.
New vocabulary: I handwrite every word 10 times and force myself to say it aloud so I can both hear and see it.
The way to reduce that dyslexic delay is to reinforce the connection between the sound (phoneme) and the symbol (grapheme) through repetition. Handwriting it also means my body has embodied the word/sound connection.
Read a passage out loud with a recording to increase fluency.
Practice trying the sounds out loud first. Read along with a recording of the same passage a few times. Read it again out loud. You don’t even have to know what it says; just concentrate on making the right sounds and slowly increasing speed. Do the same exercise for a few days!
Double the time I will need to translate an exercise.
Working on dial-up speed means I need lead-in time for activities that take less time for everyone else. (I would ask lecturers for passages requiring translation at the end of the semester before taking their class and use the holidays to prepare my first draft.)
Use colour!
I have a sophisticated coloured visual approach to help keep up with my peers. My next post will be all about how I use colour and taking what I do into the classroom. =)
Happy language learning! ~Rosey
