An Australian man who was in coma for a week due to a car crash back in 2012, discovered upon waking up that he had forgotten how to speak English and was instead fluent in Mandarin, reports state.

According to Ben McMahon, he recalled coming out of his coma and spotting an Asian-looking nurse. Due to this, his natural reaction was to speak in Mandarin saying "Excuse me nurse, I feel really sore here."

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The young man then asked for a pen and paper and wrote "I love my mum, I love my dad, I will recover" in Chinese before going back to sleep.

Ben's parents were equally astonished at the turn of events after they got a call from the hospital informing them that their son had come out of his coma and was speaking in Mandarin.

According to reports, it took Ben another two to three days to fully recover and eventually he was able to speak in English again, while maintaining his Mandarin fluency.

Ben had studied both Mandarin and French in high-school but did not attain fluency at the time. He had also visited Beijing prior to the accident. 

Reportedly, Ben now resides in Shanghai and, according to locals, speaks better Mandarin than even the native speakers.

After coming out of his coma, the young Australian man decided to take advantage of his new ability by enrolling in Mandarin classes, working as a tour guide in Shanghai, entering an international Chinese language competition, and hosting a Chinese T.V. show. He is also now studying commerce and his colleagues admire his fluency.

Neuroscientist Pankaj Sah of 'The Old Brain Institute' offered an explanation regarding Ben's sudden ability to speak fluently. He explained that the brain is made up of different circuits including language, speaking, thinking, and breathing.

Professor Sah added that the crash might have damaged the language circuit that processes the English language, hence activating the Mandarin circuits.

Ben still knows how to speak in English but since he is now residing in Shanghai, he uses Mandarin most of the time. 

Another case similar to that of Ben was a Croatian teen waking up from a coma speaking German in 2010. Last year an American vet woke up speaking Swedish. 

TagsMandarin, Fluent, Woke up from Coma, Ben McMahon, car crash, australian speaks fluent mandarin