To know how to communicate with foreigners, watch how they speak
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How to communicate with foreigners? Let’s take a look at what foreigners have to say. Just the other day, I was in a bookstore and came across a book titled *How to Make Friends with Foreigners* by Li Yang, the famous author behind Crazy English. Naturally, as a foreigner who has been living in China for a year, I was curious to see what kind of advice a Chinese writer had to offer on this topic.One piece of advice really caught my attention—and, I must say, it annoyed me quite a bit. According to Li, foreigners represent an “opportunity” to improve one’s spoken English; whenever you see a foreigner, you should practice speaking English with them. The author goes on to say that if a foreigner refuses to answer your questions, then they are rude people with whom you certainly wouldn’t want to spend time. I think this advice is not only incorrect but also potentially harmful to the relationships between Chinese people and foreigners in China.
Like most other foreigners living in China, I understand how isolating it can be to live in a culture that’s so different from our own. But most of the time, I simply accept this cultural isolation as part of living here. After all, I’m here to get to know the people and the language of China. If I really hated this place, I would have gone back home! So far, my time in China has been very rewarding. I’ve improved my Chinese skills, learned about one of the most fascinating and rapidly developing countries in the world today, and made some very close Chinese friends.
Unfortunately, I’ve also encountered many Chinese people who see me merely as an “opportunity” to improve their spoken English under the guise of making friends. I’ve had people follow me from the city to my college apartment, then harass me to teach them English or practice with them. Strangers have pushed articles, manuals, and speeches at me, insisting that I help them with translations. Some have even asked me to assist them with immigration applications to other countries. All of these people claimed that their main goal was to become friends with me. There was even one person at the weekly English corner I run at college who, after asking me endless questions for half an hour, became furious when I politely asked him to give others a chance to speak. He acted like a peacock and told me that he was just trying to be my friend.
He might have thought he was trying to be my friend, but where I come from, friendships aren’t built by pestering and harassing others. For many Westerners, friendship means spending time with someone whose company you truly enjoy—it’s not about using others as opportunities or for personal gain. The Chinese friends I’ve made here have been genuine friends; we enjoy each other’s company for its own sake. In this way, we’ve not only learned more about each other’s cultures but also about each other as individuals.
I’m not saying that you shouldn’t approach foreigners at all. But I do think it’s important to question your own motives. If you truly want to make friends with someone from another country, who could possibly object? On the other hand, if your only motive is to “use” that foreigner to improve your English, then it’s likely they’ll see through you and definitely won’t want to spend time with you.
So, if there’s any advice on making and maintaining friendships with foreigners, it would be this: Treat foreigners as people, not as opportunities. Expect friendships to develop gradually over time, not instantly. And don’t bombard them with lots of questions. Sometimes, such behavior comes across as confusing and unnatural.
Finally, I’d suggest that if you really want to make friends with a foreigner, it’s because you’re genuinely interested in that person. We all know that true friendships endure over time. If your only reason for making friends with a foreigner is to improve your English, then you probably won’t keep that friend for long!
I think it’s still necessary to understand foreigners’ pronunciation habits and master key words
The key is to use and practice more – practice makes perfect.
Practice, practice, and practice, so we can make progress.
I never spoke to a foreigner just because I wanted to practice my spoken English
Watch you communicate with foreigners at that level. But overall, language communication is a two-way process: back and forth, one sentence at a time.
In one of my English classes at Talking Street, my Australian teacher showed us that Chinese people are often shy when it comes to communicating. He gave us an example from his own experience: He got lost in the downtown area and wanted to ask some Chinese people for help. He said, “Excuse me, is your English good?” But he was disappointed because no one helped him; they either said, “No, I’m poor,” or simply walked away without saying anything. Frankly, I don’t think his conclusion is correct – he just used the wrong words.
Accent is important for understanding each other in communication with foreigners from areas where English is not a mother tongue.
It is a long sentence.
I think it mainly depends on courage; as long as you’re willing to speak English to foreigners, it’s not difficult at all. Sometimes there’s even no need to consider grammar; when beginners first come into contact with foreigners, just a few simple words are enough for them to understand each other. Once you’re familiar with it, there will be time to consider grammar, tenses, and so on. The most important thing is to dare to speak. it is very important.
I think my English is pretty good, but when I talk face to face with foreigners, whatever they say or ask leaves me in a daze; I don’t hear anything at all. Sometimes I have to keep saying “pardon,” which is quite embarrassing. So, in my opinion, when communicating with foreigners, the key is to understand what they are saying or asking. As for what you say, it’s enough to be concise – foreigners generally can understand that. For listening, ah, plus the local dialects of foreigners, it’s really difficult to communicate:L
Upstairs, they were probably nervous, hehe. Actually, when communicating with foreigners, there’s no need to be nervous – everyone has one head, two nostrils, and one mouth. It’s just that the dialects are different.
In fact, most of us are already able to have fluent conversations with foreigners; it’s just that the right atmosphere is lacking, which has led to situations where people end up using broken English
If your only motive is to “use” the foreigner as a means to improve your English, then it’s very likely that the foreigner will see through you – and certainly won’t want to spend time with you
We are strangers to our foreign friends. Above all, we are not anxious or fearful. If we practice more, we can make progress.
My English isn’t very good~ Once I met a foreigner at the train station and we communicated by gestures~ It was so embarrassing; I need to work harder~~ to learn it*~~