How to politely escape from “English practice”?

[Lu]

If it's always the same person/people, it might work to tell them no (in the ways suggested above). If it's always different people, perhaps you need to find a different place to read. In the end, that's the option with the least friction.

 

@Chris, perhaps it was because of the unnecessary double (now triple) post. If you think of something extra to say, you can actually edit your existing posts. Also, your name is always put to the left side of the post automatically. There really is no need to sign every single post you make.

[anonymoose]

@Chris Two Times

 

I downvoted you.

 

I understand that "English vultures" can be irritating, but I don't think being rude, at least before you've even tried being polite, is good advice.

 

There may be some persistent people who try to take advantage of you for English practice, and if they don't get the polite hint, then fair enough, you have to resort to more direct means. But the majority of people will probably be speaking to you incidentally, and you are unlikely to ever meet them again. Indulging them with a few polite sentences in English isn't going to kill you.

[Chris Two Times]

anonymoose,

 

I appreciate your honesty. Cheers.

 

I see your point. I will back down and agree with you: at first politely declining is indeed the way to go. I was thinking too far in advance and addressing Friday's point of people not taking no for an answer and following him...then being very blunt and direct would be my recommendation.

 

Warm regards,

Chris Two Times

[Chris Two Times]

Lu,

 

Your taking the time to pen a response is appreciated, but I do find that your words border on pedantry and patronization. I'm well aware of everything you've noted.

 

Warm regards,

Chris Two Times

[imron]

but I do find that your words border on pedantry and patronization

I don't.  In fact, I think they are very sensible suggestions.  Also, your signature (configured in your profile) is the place to put a message like that rather than manually signing each post.

[Chris Two Times]

Duly noted.

 

Warm regards,

Chris Two Times

[somethingfunny]

Moving swiftly on.

 

A friend and I used to live in a place where we had a mental list of shops to avoid because the staff would try and speak to you in English.  We were pretty immature.  He also had a mental list of public toilets with disabled cubicles and would never feel comfortable straying too far from the ability to not squat.

 

Pretty immature, but we really just wanted to practice our Chinese at every opportunity.  Fortunately I've got the hang of the numbers now so I don't really mind if they say it in English, although it does annoy me when they fumble around below the counter and bring out a calculator to punch it into.

 

It sounds like walking fast without stopping and finding a new reading place will solve your problems.  Also, I don't want to be presumptuous here but in my experience the kind of person that does this is almost always male, usually middle-aged and will probably adopt a "I will now demonstrate my excellent English speaking skills to this 老外 who is in my country but can't speak the language" attitude.  Which always makes it much easier to be rude.  I am referring specifically to the "you will now speak English to me", bombard-you-with-questions type. 

 

Also, you'll see this in a million places but don't get screwed in language exchanges.  Preferably find someone who is a teacher.  When I was just starting out I had a friend who I met once a week and they brought a Chinese textbook and pretty much just taught me Chinese the whole time but would be able to practice their English by providing translations and explaining grammar points.

[Sem]

I kinda feel glad that my native language is not widely spoken outside my own country, now. If that kind of thing ever happens to me, I'll try to throw in some random Portuguese words and watch the look on their faces. Should be fun!

[renzhe]

Ha! Expect a discussion about Cristiano Ronaldo then

[Meng Lelan]

I tell them I am deaf --- in sign language. They really run away like disability is a contagious disease. 

[Demonic_Duck]

I tell them I am deaf --- in sign language. They really run away like disability is a contagious disease.

 

 

[Meng Lelan]

Brilliant, Demonic Duck, absolutely stellar work there. Actually I vividly remember how hearing Chinese would approach us, speaking English to me, and my Chinese deaf friends would intercede for all of us to point to our collective deaf ears and then shake our collective deaf heads "no" and vigorously wave our collective deaf signing hands as if to fend off evil. The general Chinese public would then vigorously run in the opposite direction from us like deafness equals leprosy. Wow those were great days. 

[Lu]

If someone would vigourously wave their hands to fend me off like evil I might vigourously run off too...

 

(Just kidding, it's a good story and clearly a most effective tactic.)

[Niet]

Hey Friday,

 

 If you are in that English practice situation again, just say 很抱歉，我想静静(Excuse me, I want to be alone). You might say it in Chinese. They will get it. 

[Demonic_Duck]

Brilliant, Demonic Duck, absolutely stellar work there. Actually I vividly remember how hearing Chinese would approach us, speaking English to me, and my Chinese deaf friends would intercede for all of us to point to our collective deaf ears and then shake our collective deaf heads "no" and vigorously wave our collective deaf signing hands as if to fend off evil. The general Chinese public would then vigorously run in the opposite direction from us like deafness equals leprosy. Wow those were great days.

 

That's pretty great. 

 

I actually learned a bit of Chinese sign language. More about that here (to avoid thread derailment).

[SuXan]

Lol it happens all the time