Student now able to speak four languages after accident

Noraini Ismail is now considering
enrolling in a Chinese school.

MOST road accident victims would be marked with scars, but Noraini Ismail, 17, of Kampung Seri Medang here acquired the uncanny ability to speak in foreign languages following a road accident last month.

The SM Nasiruddin Shah student is now considering enrolling in a Chinese school as she can speak in Mandarin, Japanese, Korean and Bahasa Indonesia without ever learning any of the languages.

Her mother Mansena Daud, 48, said she was initially baffled when Noraini started speaking in Mandarin when she was warded at Universiti Sains Malaysia Hospital (HUSM) in Kubang Kerian last month.

"She received treatment in HUSM after being involved in an accident while on her way to school on Jan 13.

"She was riding pillion on a motorcycle, ridden by her elder brother, when a lorry crashed into them at a traffic light in Alur Lintang."

"I was worried at first, but now I am considering her request to enrol in a Chinese school to enable her to take full advantage of her newfound ability," she said at the family home yesterday.

However, Mansena said Noraini, the sixth of seven siblings, could only speak in the foreign languages from dawn to 6pm.

"The language changes every day and we will only know what language she will speak for the rest of the day after she has performed her subuh prayer in the morning," she said, adding that she would have to communicate with gestures and sign language when Noraini spoke in a foreign language.

She said her daughter's eating habit had also changed, preferring soya drinks and fish instead of her favourite food before the accident.

"Doctors in HUSM said it would take a long time for Noraini to recover from the effects of the accident and we had cut her hair short to make her feel more comfortable as she suffers from frequent headaches."

Noraini spoke a mixture of Chinese and Bahasa Indonesia when she was interviewed yesterday.

"I am baffled by my sudden ability to speak these languages, but I hope I can retain the ability and develop my language skills," she said, adding that she was on medical leave until Feb 12.

Noraini said she liked to watch Korean and Chinese drama on television before the accident.

"It never crossed my mind that I would be able to speak in the languages spoken by the actors in the drama."