A British woman gets a Chinese accent

One of the hardest things about learning a language is trying to use the right accent when you speak. But what if you suddenly got an accent that you didn't want? This is what happened to British woman Sarah Colwell, whose accent changed from British to Chinese as a result of a really bad headache. Doctors say Sarah is one of about 60 people in the world who has Foreign Accent Syndrome. This syndrome causes people’s accents to change suddenly, often as a result of a stroke or head injury.

Sarah, 35, from Plymouth in England had such a bad headache in March that she called an ambulance. While going to the hospital, the paramedics told her that she sounded Chinese. She told reporters, “'I spoke to my stepdaughter on the phone from the hospital and she didn't recognize who I was. I have never been to China. I just want my own voice back but I don't know if I ever will." Sarah is now getting speech therapy to try to sound British again. You can watch a news report that CNN did about Sarah and Foreign Accent Syndrome here.