teach English

[Scoobyqueen]

at least aren't pestering you to teach them English

This is someone's quote from another thread regar

[adrianlondon]

Don't think it happens much in big cities - it didn't happen to me in Beijing apart from a couple of girls in the BNU cafeteria - but then I was after someone to chat with so I deliberately went on my own and shared tables with people. When I went there with other "foreigner friends" we were left alone ;)

Only time I got hassled was at the Summer Palace on National day - loads of out of towners there, and I got stared at, people standing to the side of me while their friends took photos, lots more stares, and mothers asking me for my mobile number so they could call me and I could teach their kid English. I said I had no phone. Luckily, no one called me at the same time.

[muyongshi]

Just so everyone isn't wondering...the quote is mine and Scoobyqueen was amazingly polite in thoughtful in not only not saying it was me but also writing me a message to the same effect. However, I know people will try and figure out who, so now you know.

For me, I was just persistent in not speaking english when I first met people to the point they all gave up and just switched to chinese because it was "easier" at that point. In those instances where someone just came/comes up and asked/ask, I usually laugh and say, I'm sorry, I'm pretty busy, then make them do all the small talk, I only respond when absolutely necessary and by the end of it, with both of these methods, I've never had to teach anyone.

Now parents asking on behalf of their children are usually the pushiest and worst "offenders". And it's more difficult to refuse but it still works out.

[roddy]

People actually looking for an English teacher I find not too hard to deal with - a 'No, I'm not an English teacher and I don't have time to be one, thanks. Good luck. Look, I'm putting my earphones back in.' usually suffices. It's the English practicers that can be irritating, especially the ones without the sense to notice when they're being given the brush-off. This is a genuine conversation, and for reference I had earphones in and was working on my laptop. I was not sending out 'talk to me' signals.

Hi, can I speak English with you?

Sorry, I'm busy.

Do you like China?

Sometimes you do actually get a decent conversation from someone who just wants to give their English a bit of a work-out, and that's fair enough. But more often it's just a sequence of inane questions, none of which bears any relation to either the previous question or my answer. A friend from the UK who visited and took a hard-sleeper ride characterized it as "Do you know Beckham? Why do you bomb Iraq? What's your favourite colour?"

I try to be less inclined to give people an immediate brush-off now, and if I'm speaking to someone who I know speaks some English and likes to practice it, then hey, why not. Talking English can be nice, it's my comfy pair of slippers of a language, as opposed to the pinchy high heels of Chinese.* But if you ask me three questions in a row that start with 'Do you like . . ' or 'How do you think about . . . ' or my pet favourite, appear to be trying to impress the other people on the bus, you're on your own.

Sometimes I make people practice their English. The woman in the convenience store I pop into once or twice a day has her kid in there sometimes when he's not at school, I'm training him up to run a 7-11 overseas.

*This is not a weight-bearing analogy

[aristotle1990]

A Chinese "sorry, I'm from Estonia and don't speak English" should work pretty quickly.

[anonymoose]

I agree with muyongshi - just speak in Chinese (even if they reply in English) and if you can speak well enough, usually they will just give in and switch to Chinese, or go away.

But I'm not anal about it. After all, I'm always praciticing my Chinese with Chinese people, so on the occasion, I do indulge them and speak English a bit. In fact it is fun sometimes to chat with strangers in English for a few minutes before cracking open the Chinese and then watching their reactions.

[muyongshi]

And of course their's my personal favorite: 不好意思,我来自加拿大,不会英语!

[imron]

In fact it is fun sometimes to chat with strangers in English for a few minutes before cracking open the Chinese and then watching their reactions.

That's my favourite trick with the art students and tea drinkers in Wangfujing

[aristotle1990]

And of course their's my personal favorite: 不好意思,我来自加拿大,不会英语!

You know, I thought about trying that one out -- does it work, or just leave them with a confused stare? Dashan's from Canada, no?

[Hero Doug]

Sometimes you do actually get a decent conversation from someone who just wants to give their English a bit of a work-out, and that's fair enough. But more often it's just a sequence of inane questions, none of which bears any relation to either the previous question or my answer.

This is the absolute difference right here. Having a conversation and practicing English. I now sadly now even get annoyed with almost anyone who says "Hi" because the first thing that pop's into my mind is "another interviewer". And it's really a shame because I'm one of the nicest people I know (I'm working on changing that).

As for the pestering, I usually just speak in Chinese.

If anyone says that I "should" speak in English I reply "Sorry, I don't use English since I'm here to learn Chinese. You should visit polyglot-learn-language.com; you can practise speaking with foreigners there for free"

That line also works perfectly for people who want English lessons.

If anyone wants your phone number just tell them you don't give it out. Maybe it's a bit direct for Chinese culture, but it's better than getting caught in a lie; and you won't get any late night phone calls.

[Hero Doug]

A Chinese "sorry, I'm from Estonia and don't speak English" should work pretty quickly.

I tried to have some fun like that once, but I got caught and was asked how to say something in French (I'm from Canada).

[liuzhou]

I once took a train from Hunan to Yunnan after a gruelling time, having been hospitalised in a rural dump with pnuemonia. I just wanted to rest and recuperate.

Unfortunately, the train was the Beijing to Kunming route at the end of University term. The train was full of students going home and of course, they found me. I pretended not to know English and they went away. Then the French majors descended. I pretended not to know that either.

In the end I claimed to be Icelandic. Let's face it. There are only 21 people in the world who speak that - only one of them Chinese and he lives in Mexico.

Sorted.

Edited July 15, 2009 at 12:47 PM by liuzhou

[kdavid]

A fool-proof method of avoiding this situation while leaving a scarring impression on the accosting, hopefully sparing future victims of having to be accosted:

Accosting Chinese: Hello. Where are you from?

Foreigner: *strange face*

Accosting Chinese: *now embarrassed that perhaps his/her pronunciation was not correct* Where are you from?

Foreigner: 对不起，我不会说俄语。

Accosting Chinese: 我说的不是俄语，是英语

Foreigner: 英语也不会。

Gets them off my back every time.

[muyongshi]

Accosting Chinese: Hello. Where are you from?

Foreigner: *strange face*

Accosting Chinese: *now embarrassed that perhaps his/her pronunciation was not correct* Where are you from?

Foreigner: 对不起，我不会说俄语。

Accosting Chinese: 我说的不是俄语，是英语

Foreigner: 英语也不会。

I did that once to an English Teacher at the gym. Oh my goodness his reactions were hilarious!!!!!!! But I actually said I spoke 俄语 and didn't understand english. All my chinese friends were dying of laughter.

Also, I like what Imron does and do that myself. It's great for working with the cute girls. or not.

Not quite the same but I also like to listen to people discuss me on the bus or in elevators and then randomly turn to them and say "well, actually...." or "yeah you're right I am an american, your friend is wrong"

[imron]

Also, I like what Imron does and do that myself. It's great for working with the cute girls. or not.

Art students and tea drinkers is code for scammers. I just like wasting their time

[leeyah]

The easiest way is to pretend you don't speak English, then switch to Chinese. They either go away or stay for a friendly chat, in Chinese.

But even those who insist that you teach them will actually give up sooner than later. Most people I met were too shy to really make a conversation in English. So I get to practice Chinese all the time.

There are funny situations, too. Once I went to 7-11 to get a bottle of soy milk and the guy at the counter said two fifty or something but he pronounced it so that I wasn't sure what he was saying. So I asked 多少？He looked very embarrassed and he just said: 对不起，我以为你会英语...

[anonymoose]

Not quite the same but I also like to listen to people discuss me on the bus or in elevators and then randomly turn to them and say "well, actually...." or "yeah you're right I am an american, your friend is wrong"

Yes, the funny thing is, you'd have thought they'd then be embarrassed, but from my experience, they then start chatting with you as though they hadn't been talking about you before.

[Guest realmayo]

I don't really blame someone trying their luck if they, say, bump into me in the street -- if I was really keen to practise a language then I might do the same. But plenty of times when I've declined -- ie, have made it clear I've got somewhere to be, or that I'm too busy to meet up and practise English in the future -- they don't let up, they keep talking, keep asking. I think it's acceptable to be blunt in these cirumstances.

[Meng Lelan]

A Chinese "sorry, I'm from Estonia and don't speak English" should work pretty quickly.

This won't work for any of you, but I tell them I'm deaf and can't hear. Then I shut off my hearing aids.

[Erbse]

If she is a hot looking woman, I make it an instant-date and ask her to go with me to the tea house. After that I go the "Let's go to my place and watch a DVD" route. Worked out a few times.

Otherwise I just say "no!" and put on a very big smile.