Yuan
What advice do you have for those who are afraid to speak English with foreigners? Like dating, I'm afraid of being rejected. I am afraid that others will laugh at my broken English. Although I have few chance to speak English. How can you allow yourself to communicate with foreigners naturally? can you give me some advice? Thank you very much.
Dec 1, 2017 5:21 AM
Answers · 2
Most Chinese I have spoken to have had much better English than they claimed / thought they had. There's a huge difference between being able to be understood, and having perfect diction. Yet in most cases, only the first really matters. Also - however bad your English is, I think that most foreigners' Chinese is much worse! I think that the difference is that unlike people like Europeans that come into contact much more regularly, Chinese are a lot more isolated, and less used to speaking to speakers of other languages, and perhaps also more used to thinking of language as an academic subject, rather than as a means of communication. So, they worry about it, rather than just 'having a go' and just trying to talk.
December 1, 2017
A lot depends on your individual situation and personality, but here's a quick suggestion that might work well in your case: Think about how much better your English is than their Chinese. I'm sure that will make you feel more confident instantly.
December 1, 2017
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