The English level in China

[ZACKY]

Hi, you all.

I'm going to Beijing,China this year, and will live there for 1 year. And now I wonder I can use English there.

Of course I'm learning Chinese to some extent, but it's not perfect yet. So could you tell me

how much the people there in general can speak English.

thanks

[JustinJJ]

People must learn English during their schooling for 10+ years so they know many words, hence you can communicate in English.. Their education system is focused on exams so most have not had so much opportunity to practise spoken English so many will speak slowly..

The question though, is if you are living in China and have the opportunity to learn the language in a native environment, why wouldn't you want to avoid the better English speakers as much as you possibly can?

[ZACKY]

Thank you for your reply.

10 more years' English learning must be very effective, so now I feel a little bit releaved!

Yeah you are right, I should try to be in the world of only native language as possible, when learning language.

English is just a slite help for emergencies.

[liuzhou]

10 more years' English learning must be very effective

Haha!

Why must it be? I have met people with degrees in English who couldn't speak to me in English. I've met university English teachers who couldn't speak to me.

Young people may well have learned English for ten years - but NOT spoken English. With up to a hundred students per class, spoken English is way down the list of priorities. The vast majority can't put a sentence together.

The standard of English in China varies from near perfect to abysmal. Most at are at the lower end of the scale.

[Lu]

There are people who live in Beijing for years without ever learning more than ni hao, so it is possible. But generally, most people you will encounter in daily life, in places like the supermarket, the bank, the taxi, a restaurant, the school administration office etc etc etc, will know very little to no English and you need to take this into account. When doing official or other important stuff, bring a friend who speaks both Chinese and something you speak. Have your address written in Chinese with you in case you're lost and want to take a taxi. Also when taking a taxi bring the address in Chinese and the phone number of the place you want to go. Do not complain about Chinese people not speaking English because it's the international language and Beijing is a big city dammit they should learn it already: this will increase your level of frustration but not their English level. You'll be forced to speak Chinese most all the time and this will be very good for your Chinese, even if sometimes it will be frustrating and you won't get the toothbrush or the haircut you wanted. Be patient, keep communicating, keep studying, and have a great time.

Good luck!

[ZACKY]

Thank you all!

Now I undestand that the standard of English in China varies. I will keep it in my mind, and try to communicate with the people a lot in Chinese. As you all mention, only studying examination English, but not spoken English cannot improve their English standard. I think Chinese is the same and I should learn or enjoy spoken Chinese a lot there.

[guahuzi]

I suggest that you should take a note and a pencil. sometimes when you don't know how to explain in chinese ,you may write down the key words ,chinese people know the meaning .

ask help from Chinese of 20 to 40 years old. most of them have studied english ,although just written english.

call 110 for police help ,call 120 for emergency medical help , 119 for fire disaster.

Chineses seldom use spoken english because they have not good chance to practice it , when you ask help from chinese ,they are glad to practise it .

[ZhangKaiRong]

Those who just sat in the classrooms and "learnt" English there have a useless language proficiency. Sadly, most of the young Chinese think that it's enough to pass the English exam, and no need to actually speak the language. So, start to raise your Chinese proficiency, you will need your skills, even in Beijing.

[skylee]

I think the guy who asked whether he should learn Chinese from his girlfriend said he had studied high school French in France for five years but could not really use the language. So I think Chinese students' relatively low proficiency in English despite years of study is not really that special / damnable.

[Demonic_Duck]

A lot depends on where you choose to live in Beijing, what you'll be doing (study? work? what kind of work?), what kind of social activities you partake in, etc. I've been living in Beijing for over eight months now, but because I work full-time in an English school and my social life mainly consists of colleagues, my English-speaking housemates and my girlfriend (whose English isn't perfect but far more fluent than my Chinese), my everyday social interactions are mostly carried out in English. Outside of my daily Chinese classes, I mainly only use Chinese for interacting with strangers - people on the street I'm asking for directions, taxi drivers, shop salespeople, servers in restaurants, etc. Personally, I see this as a negative, and wish I had more social interaction with people who couldn't or didn't want to speak English.

As for the spoken English level of the "(wo)man on the street", I'd say it's generally pretty low. People will often say "excuse me" instead of 不好意思 if they bump into you, or "thankyou" instead of 谢谢 if you hold a door for them (assuming you're white), but that doesn't mean you can expect them to understand if you ask them the way to the subway station in English.

[luo.yi.zju@gmail.com]

You can certainly speak to most youngsters in Beijing and Shanghai as at least they know written English very well.

The important is to speak slowly and pronounciate clearly, because the spoken English we learnt in book is totally different from what westerners actually speak.

[frankwall]

The young people will certainly be well versed in English. And older people in more tourist orientated districts of Beijing.

[smurese]

You can take a look for yourself on this

. It's a four minute extract of an interview team going around Beijing for the day, asking people on the street if they can speak English. I think the longest reply was one sentence read from a sign, and the second longest sentence was: "I don't know"!

[Joseph Kimbrell]

I talk to a few people in English on Sina Weibo, but even if I post in English the majority respond in Mandarin

[tysond]

After 9 months in Beijing I feel that you can use English in places where foreigners go (eg sanlitun) and for certain services (banking and phone cards at large branch stores or on phone) to a limited degree. Medical services are available in English at certain hospitals and clinics. The first few weeks of setting up are where you will need to use English. After that bad chinese will rapidly be more useful than good English.

Taxis are the most challenging with practically zero English. 1 in 50 will use phrases and knows some countries, animals, basic nouns and verbs. Maybe more know some words but lack confidence to use. Chinese written address, online maps on your phone, and learning how to navigate in Chinese are critical tools at first. Calling a friend or your destination for directions and hand the phone to the driver works if you are struggling hopelessly. Or use public transport/bike.

I met one taxi driver with good English. After praising his English, and helping him with some more subtle phrases, he thanked me for being "so encouraging". He said had never learned at school but picked it up from passengers. I think his great attitude and confidence helped him. He is quite inspiring.

Around Beijing a lot (not a high percentage but a large number nonetheless) of young people can speak good English but they are more likely to be found in a bar or an art gallery than at the bank helping you with paperwork. Often they will find jobs or hobbies that give them further exposure to english and foriegners so they can continue to improve. However, they will often step in to help if they can, and in most situations someone can be found who speaks English enough for you to get by. Just be careful they don't take you for some tea without telling you the prices....

[Koonder]

I am also wondering about the command of English of Chinese university students.

 

Do most Chinese students speak like this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2jsSlfWGs8#

[Koxinga]

The most of them wouldn't be able to debate at this level.

They don't speak as fluently as those in the video. And not nearly as fast. And they don't go as crazy with their gestures when they talk.

[tysond]

Based on the interns I've interviewed and hired -- not very often, unless they have studied overseas.   Less than 1% at that level.

 

But it depends - I interview and hire interns, and I mostly interview English majors.  

They are pretty good, some accent, some sentences are a bit formal or slightly wrong, but they are overall quite fluent.

They have no trouble having an hour long meeting only in English, taking notes in English, writing business emails in English, etc.

 

When I interviewed some IT majors the level of English dropped enormously.  Some were unable to speak a single sentence.

Some could introduce themselves but couldn't explain why they wanted the job.  They had limited vocab and limited ability to use grammar to form sentences.

But most of all, lack of practice.   Most Chinese folk just don't get enough exposure and practice, and the skill that is often the worst is speaking.

Reading and vocabulary is usually stronger.

[Lu]

Do most Chinese students speak like this?

No. Most Chinese students speak only a little English, or are very shy to use the English they know.