I see sounds as shapes. Synaesthesia has given me an extraordinary ability for languages
Kim Elms, a speech pathologist, shares her experience as an auditory-visual synaesthete
TL;DR
- Auditory-visual synaesthesia causes the author to see shapes and flashes of light when hearing sounds.
- This condition gave her an extraordinary ability for linguistics, excelling in languages without effort.
- She discovered her synaesthesia later in life and realized it explained her linguistic aptitude.
- Her career path included roles in speech pathology and speech-to-text projects for companies like Apple and Tom Tom.
- She believes AI cannot yet replicate the nuances of human language and accents.
- While synaesthesia presents challenges, she wouldn't trade it and finds fulfillment in her work with words and sounds.