Japanese is considered one of the most difficult languages in the world to learn, but not if you¡¯re dyslexic.

I had been studying Japanese for eight years when I was diagnosed with dyslexia at the age of 25. This was during my master¡¯s degree in translation. A dyslexic translator, who would have thought! My case, however, is not as rare as you might think.

There are many myths surrounding dyslexia in Japan and the West: dyslexic people don¡¯t read and can¡¯t write, only children can be dyslexic, smart people can¡¯t be dyslexic, etc. None of this is true, of course, and many successful people have been diagnosed with the condition including Tom Cruise, Steven Spielberg and author Max Brooks.