Is it possible to be dyslexic in a learned language, but not (or perhaps not noticeably so) in your native language?

Westerner here, non-Chinese. I don’t have dyslexia as far as I know.

100% of a prior job was in Mandarin for several years... all colleague interactions, emails, reports, training.

But I kept reversing characters for many words that I would say, even words I would have encountered many times. Example, I’d repeatedly say something like 决裁 instead of 裁决 (rule/adjudicate according to law). Someone would then correct me, I’d take note, but then I’d say 决裁 again the next time, and again the time after that, etc.

I found many words were like this for me, and some words I’d never get the order right, even after repeating them for years (at which point it should’ve sunk in).

After many years of not using my Mandarin, I’m now looking at going into a career position which will again will require me to use Mandarin on a regular basis for work (To brush up I’ve hit the books, am reading daily news, even undertaking to translate a 400 page technical book from mandarin to English to get back in it and to have on my resumé).

And so I‘d like to nip this in the bud if I can. However if I cannot, conversely I’d like to know if the possibility exists that a person could be dyslexic in a learned language but perhaps not in their native language (Mandarin in my third language, and I haven’t had this problem before in my first or second languages - both of which are European-derived languages).

Based on the experiences of others, can a person be dyslexic in a learned language but not your native language?

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