This strange phenomenon first appeared when Stephen was 19 years old, living in Utah. After knee surgery, as the anesthesia wore off, he began conversing animatedly with nurses in an unfamiliar language. At that time, his Spanish vocabulary was limited to counting lessons from high school.

"I don't remember what I said, only that everyone looked at me confused and kept asking me to speak English", Stephen recalled.

This puzzling phenomenon has recurred consistently for over a decade. Following numerous sports injury surgeries and most recently a nasal septum operation, Stephen invariably switches to foreign language mode upon regaining consciousness.

Stephen Chase, in Utah, US, can speak fluent Spanish after each surgery. Photo: Kennedy News and Media

Currently a lawyer, Stephen states this state typically lasts about 60 minutes. During that time, he feels communicating in Spanish is most natural and wonders why medical staff do not understand him. To avoid complications, he now always pre-warns the surgical team about this unique "side effect".

Explaining this ability, Stephen believes growing up in an environment with many Latin Americans helped his brain passively record sounds and language structures from an early age, even if he did not consciously understand the meaning.

The shock from his first surgery motivated him to volunteer in Chile for two years. Today, Stephen genuinely uses Spanish as a second language. However, he asserts that only immediately after leaving the operating table, in a semi-conscious state, does his fluency reach an absolute level in intonation and reflexes.

According to the US National Library of Medicine, this could be a manifestation of foreign accent syndrome (FAS) or foreign language syndrome. This rare neurological disorder often appears after head trauma, stroke, or the effects of anesthesia, causing the brain to "unlock" language memory areas or alter control of jaw and tongue muscles, creating an unusual accent.

Experts suggest Stephen's case demonstrates the incredible potential for latent information storage within the human brain, which science has yet to fully decipher.

Minh Phuong (According to Ladbible)