You’re visiting the country at last. Your long-awaited chance to practise “in the field” has arrived. You start to speak….stumbling utterances and then….. You are answered in English. It’s happened to me often enough and it’s left me feeling a failure, humiliated or just disappointed. What’s this all about and how can get people to stop speaking English?
I’m coming at this from the perspective a native speaker of English, but even second language speakers may be able to relate. Let’s first look at why “the natives” rebuff your advances. Then some tips on how to counter them. To close: what about the language of encounters with native speakers of your target language when you’re in your home country?
Part 1: Why it happens
Yes, when you’re answered in English, it’s easy to take it personally. Yet you could be hearing the language for reasons that have nothing to do with you. Let’s take a step back for a moment and get objective.
English is the only option between strangers
I’ve just come back from Vienna. In a supermarket there, I heard other visitors asking in their accented, second language English where the milk shelf was.
It sounded like the assistant could barely speak any English. Communication succeeded, though. He was able to point the customers in the right direction.
In turn, when people speak to you in English, don’t forget that it may not be a comment about you. It may just be because English is so often the default lingua franca among non-native speakers who both have different mother tongues, such as those Vienna tourists and the German-speaking shop assistant.
Once you get beyond the tourist locations or international business contexts, you may find that knowledge of English is not widespread at all. Especially in a “big” country such as Spain, France or Italy, people may just expect – without comment – that you’ll to speak their language rather, erm, as we do with foreigners in the UK or the US. Germany if often an exception here, where basic English is much more widespread.
English expected in an international service context
At a hotel or airport check-in desk or other such situation, the official may feel that they should use their English.
They’ve probably worked hard at their English over the years and chosen a job which will enable them to use the language. Unlike you, they weren’t doing a second language as a hobby, a “nice to have” add-on, but because they knew that without English, it’d be much harder for them to get on.
Maybe they feel the need to show that they can speak English.
Perhaps they got the job partly because they claimed proficiency in English but aren’t actually so good at it. They want to get better through practice.
Plus, in countries such as Scandinavia, the Netherlands or German, it’s taken for granted that an educated person speaks serviceable English. If you address someone in the local language, they might think that you think that they’re stupid.
Whether in an informal or more formal one-off exchange, it may be frustrating for you to get an answer in English.
Let’s face it, though, for all these reasons, speaking to you in English is a reasonable gambit in so many situations.
Advert for rapid English lessons in Bratislava. In many countries, there’s a strong economic imperative to show that you can get by in English
People are not used to dealing with people speaking their language
There are big countries, such as Japan, and small ones, such as Lithuania, where the locals aren’t expecting you to be able to speak their language. When you do, they may respond in English because they are not used to hearing their language spoken (perhaps not very well) by a non-native.
That may be more than just a panicked response to the unexpected.
In English-speaking countries, we’re very used to foreigners speaking our language. We know to “make allowances”. We can focus on the overall message, despite the mistakes. If parts of what’s said is incomprehensible, we guess what people are trying to say. We may not realise it, but these are skills we’ve developed. These skills may not be so honed in other countries.
There’s an added dimension if the language is a lesser-used one that’s been marginalised by English or another “big” language. Here, it may not be just that the locals aren’t used to hearing outsiders use it. They could feel uneasy using the language with any stranger in the public domain or in some context such as discussing a sale where the norm is not to use their language (in which case they themselves may lack the appropriate vocabulary or register).
People are just trying to help
You feel railroaded into English but your conversation partner may not really be thinking from your perspective (or listening to your actually not half bad attempt to use their lingo). They’re just trying to help.
Most people abroad are grateful and happy to be able to use English whether in a casual supermarket-style encounter or when performing a more formal operation, such as registering at a hotel.
And remember you benefit from the international role of English in all the countries where you aren’t learning the language (i.e. most of the countries you’re likely to visit). All in all, then, you shouldn’t necessarily be discouraged that the answer comes back in English, however broken. But remember…
Do you sound like you really need help?
So many of the people we encounter out in the field have English as their first foreign language. They’ve been learning it for years. When you’re starting to learn their language, the odds are therefore firmly “on” that they’ll be quite a bit better at English than you are in the early stages of learning their language. For them, it may just seem easier to use English.
There may be no getting round a hard truth. There a lot of people out there with serviceable second langauge English. They have with all these reasons to use the world’s top tongue. If your don’t quite cut the mustard yet in your target language, your fate may be sealed.
The “English-free Zone” at last year’s Polyglot Conference in Reykjavík. Could it do to be widened by a continent or three?
Part 2: What to do?
What, then, can you do to make sure that when you get hit in the face by that barrage of Anglo you weren’t, really, “asking for it”?
The answer depends on the context….and on your level in the target language.
Brief encounters at elementary level
If you’re in a brief conversation, such as a simple shopping transaction, and still at an elementary level, how about you tell them how you’d like it?
Thank them for speaking in English but explain (in the target lingo) that you’re trying to learn their language and so would really appreciate the chance to use it. This has the advantage of playing on the desire most people have to help others.…especially when you’re also showing their culture a bit of respect.
In countries whose language are not “popular” ones to learn, people may be delighted, if a little perplexed, to discover that you’re showing an interest. When I lived in Finland, people seemed surprised but flattered that I was trying to learn Finnish. Jack Fordon found the same encouragement from Russians when I recently spoke to him about his adventures learning that language (plus Czech and Serbo-Croat).
If your level is low, there are some situations during which you’ll just have to swallow your pride and suck up that English. At a busy airport check-in desk or some other situation where people are having to work under pressure, it may not be feel appropriate to ask for the chance to practise.
That said, there are speaking skills you can develop to increase your chances of keeping it native.
You could rehearse the scenario. If you’re going to hire a car in the language, make sure you’ve already prepared the key phases that you think you’ll need.
When you’re starting a language, don’t neglect what I call “toolbox” phrases: key expressions in the language that can help you keep going: “Please speak more slowly”, “Could you repeat that, please?” “How do you say x in Ruritanain”.
Conversation “fillers” can really help to maintain the confidence of your conversation partner while they sound off in your target language (“yes, yes”….. “right”….. “got it”….. “of course”….).
Needless to say, the better your pronunciation and the more in tune with the langauge’s intonation and rhythm, the better your chances of avoiding English.
Don’t forget that it’s not just about speaking.
Listening skills are often overlooked when we talk non-written language.
It doesn’t matter how good you are at speaking if you really can’t understand the answers.
Sometimes, it may make sense to “fake it till you make it”. Pretend you understand and guess meaning intelligently.
You can then use repetition or a question for a subtle check that you’ve understood: “So, you’re saying I have to return the car I two years’ time with a full tank with fresh coconut juice?”….. “Was that two days or two years?”, “Did you say coconut juice or diesel?”.
If you need them to repeat something, learn how to say you didn’t hear in an idiomatic way. The idiomatic equivalent in the langauge of something like “I didn’t quite catch that” is better than the plain truth: “I don’t understand”).
If you still can’t catch a word or phrase, tackle this head on in an idiomatic way. In English, I might say “Eh? That’s a new one on me”.
Don’t forget that it’s just even about language, either.
Body langauge such a posture, distance from the other person and gestures differ between cultures. The more you can get this right, the better.
Even looking the part can play a role in making you credible. If you’re dressed like an obvious foreign tourist, it may influence the responses you get (though in some contexts, that might get you more respect and better service – as when I found myself in hotel shops intended just for foreigners during the last year of the Soviet Union).
Brief encounters at the higher attainment levels
In my advanced-level languages, I rarely find people switching to English with me when I’ve started the exchange. A lot of this is still about our objective level.
I do still find in some situations in Germany (such as airport check-ins) that people start speaking with me in English).
If you are somewhere between elementary and advanced, you already command the langauge at a level sufficient to cope in the situation. Just like a beginner, you should explain politely (in the target language, bien sûr). If this doesn’t work, you’re already equipped to power ahead regardless.
That’s even if they keep answering in English. Ready, steady…..bulldoze!
Three weeks ago, I arrived in Berlin to check into an Airbnb. I’d booked it on the German version of the site and communicated in advance with the owner in German. Then, once I arrived, the owner’s friend (who was managing the property) started sending me WhatsApp messages and instructions in….erm….English.
It was a bit discouraging but I told myself that these were probably generic cut and paste messages that were sent to every guest. I simply replied in German. Sure enough, the “live” replies then came back in German. 
Not that things always run so smoothly.
When I lived in Moscow, I lost count of the number of times in shops, when the assistant would tot up the total on the till screen or thrust the calculator in my face for me to see the amount due. This would be after we’d had quite complex conversations In my head I was like “Ok, I’ve just discussed replacement battery options for my DSLR and you think I can’t do the numbers?”.
If the person is really persistent, I felt like trying sarcasm: “Don’t you speak Russian?” (surprised voice) or, maybe, “I’m blind, I can’t see that calculator you’ve just pointed at me” (patient, explanatory voice).
But no, try to cool down, Gareth. Sarcasm often goes wrong between cultures. It’s not about you. It’s just a habit That bored shop assistant’s thoughts are probably far away.
One final trick. If English is not your native language, you could just pretend not to know English. Maybe a native speaker with better acting skills than me could pull that off too.
If all else fails with these frustrating casual encounters, then, as a last resort, try violence* 😉
[*J O K E ]
Ongoing relations
If you’re in foreign parts for a longer period, an early, proactive approach to shaping your linguistic landscape will pay you interest.
For routine encounters such as going shopping, strike up conversations in the local lingo with staff you expect to see regularly. This may work better if you choose to patronise a local corner shop or fruit and veg stall rather than a more impersonal supermarket.
Beyond life’s essential encounters, choose your surroundings, so far as you can.
It may be all too easy to fall in with other foreigners early during your stay.
If you’re an exchange student, for example, you may get put in a hall of residence with other foreign students. Harry Ness and I discussed the dangers when he spoke to me about his undergraduate langauge major “year abroad” in Germany.
If you are an employer with an international company, you may find yourself living in a foreigners’ compound.
If you’re stayging longer and you have a choice with accommodation, exercise it.
When I was a postgrad in Heidelberg, over there for an indefinite period, I made sure to get into a shared apartment with three Germans asap.
As for social life: if your grasp of the language is still not so good, you may be drawn to ex-pat bars. But that’s the danger. Once your circles are formed, change becomes more difficult.
At least some of your regular haunts should be locals’ places: cafés, bars, the local dog racing circuit or whatever’s your thing. You can even create some of this during a two-week vacation.
Friends and colleagues in your target country
If you’re a student, at least your studies will probably be in the target language.
If you’re working in an international environment with English as the main language, you’ll have to make an extra effort.
When I was based in the Moscow office of an international law firm, all my legal work was in English (Russian wasn’t required and mine wouldn’t have been good enough). Still, I established a pattern of using Russian with the secretaries and with Russian colleagues in a “social context” very early on (and my Russian was already good enough to do this).
It didn’t always work. The main problems tended to be with young male colleagues (often junior to me in the hierarchy). I think some of them suffered from overconfidence. Maybe there was sometimes something of a power play in imposing their better English on me. Then again, it was important for them to show confidence in English in that prestigious, international work environment.
I was working long hours and my free time was limited. Many of my ex-pat colleagues were great people and there was a wide scene of colourful expats in town. I certainly wanted some of that. Still, I often prioritised my existing Russian friends and worked to build up a Russian social network unconnected with the office. After all, I had come to Russia to live as far as possible through the medium of Russian.
When you’re getting to know the locals, avoid people who just want to practise their English. Language exchanges may not be the place to be.
If your new acquaintances insist on speaking to you in English, refuse to play along. If they see early on that you’re not going to be a source of free language lessons, they’ll either move on (or settle for savouring the many other qualities with which you are doubtless endowed).
One way to avoid the English wannabes is to get involved in socialising around a hobby, cultural interest, religion, politics or sport. A common interest or shared passion is a great basis for good companionship. It gives a focus and the activities will all be in the local language.
Back at home: do as you would be done by
When I was in living Germany, I used to joke that speaking English with me cost DM20 an hour. That was my rate for English tuition at the time.
I was d*mned if I was going to speak English.
After all, It had taken me considerable effort and (from one perspective) inconvenience to rearrange my life to get set up in Germany.
If people wanted to speak English, they should do the same: up sticks to an English-speaking country.
With foreigners I know in London I apply the same respect and empathy towards their decision to move to my country. Even though I’m often dying to use the language, I don’t assume I have a right to regale them with my mistake-strewn German or Russian.
Just because you have a Spanish colleague or a French flatmate does not mean that you can practise Spanish or French with them.
Be sensitive to the person and the situation. If you’re not sure, you can always ask. If their level is good or they’re here long-term, they may feel they have more than enough other opportunities to practise English and be happy to help you. They may even enjoy the chance to use their own language.
Sometimes I can be overly shy with such requests. I had a French-speaking housemate here at Howtogetfluent Towers and it was only in the last few weeks before she moved out that we spoke some French together.
If the person’s English is not very good, they may be only to happy to switch languages. That’s how I ended up mainly using Russian with a Russian photographer friend of mine here in London. When he arrived in town, he could hardly speak a work of English.
Again, there may be milieux in your locality where your target langauge is the norm. If you’re admitted to such spaces (where people have come together because of the language and culture) it’s more than appropriate to use your target language. I get good practice by patronising Portuguese cafés. I speak Welsh at the London Welsh centre and Basque at London Basque Society events. When I went to Russian Orthodox church for the Easter food blessing, people naturally spoke to me in Russian.
At the Russian Orthodox Church in London on Easter Day
Be prepared to compromise
So far, so zero sum.
Yes, it’s important to set the ground rules at the beginning because the language you set out in is often the one that sticks. Yes you should be assertive and stubborn when you’re level makes this reasonable.
Yet when it comes to longer-term relationships, there’s also a place for a fair compromise: half the time in English, half the time in your target language.
Sometimes there may be space for linguistic evolution. When a first got to know that Russian photographer friend of mine he was only to happy to speak Russian. The subject has never actually been discussed. Now he’s been here (and I’ve know him) for about six years, his English is getting much better. I’m more than happy to speak some English when he wants to….. Friendships are about more than language.
What’s your experience?
How is it for you out in the field? Have you experienced the same discouraging English responses as me? Have you found other strategies to keep it foreign? Have you just pretended you can’t speak English? Let me know in the comments below.
Good article. People on a job where they speak English most of the time, doing the same task all day long, are usually running on autopilot. For them it’s a matter of efficiency. Sometimes (if I’m able) I will start by saying in their language, “I’m sure that your English is better than my [German, Spanish, French, etc.] They will laugh and act modest, and then continue in English.
As you say, it comes down to whether others are willing to cooperate in acting as your language tutor/partner. Often, they are really proud that they have mastered English and do not see the point in shifting into a less advantageous dialog, particularly if you haven’t mastered their language at an idiomatic level.
Your comment on Russian professionals is interesting to me, because I speak with Russians I have met through conversation exchange. The Russian professionals (lawyers, businessmen) seem REALLY motivated to learn English. I get the feeling that they believe that their career options depend in some significant manner on their mastery of English.
Thanks for the comment, Brad. “On autopilot” is a good way of putting it. A friend commented on Facebook that I also underplay in the article that many people just want to practise their English regardless.
Thanks for this! This is something I have really struggled with for years, mostly from a confidence point of view. I always thought it was a reflection on me and my language skills that despite speaking Italian pretty fluently, some people would insist in speaking back in English, but then others would treat me like a native speaker. It’s taken me a while but I now realise it is more about the person you are speaking with – either they want to practice, show off, or they are used to tourists only having a few phrases. And it’s so true that you can have long and detailed conversations with someone only for them to then write down the price or translate simple words into English as though you can’t understand! Again, I don’t think they are really saying anything particular about you when that happens, just working on autopilot.
These days my tactic is to just carry on in Italian regardless, and not worry if they are talking back in English – that way they can archive too if they want. And generally being really complimentary about the language and culture helps too, I’ll ususlly say I’m an italophile.
Glad I’m not the only one at the receiving end of that “writing donw the price” thing, Fuschia! Thanks for sharing your experience.
I have the opposite experience. I speak Spanish very well, have taught it for years, can function in a Spanish-speaking environment with nary a hitch, and can have almost any conversation in almost any situation—except with numbers. Once I was interviewing someone about complex things and had no troubles until they needed to give me some numbers. I asked for clarification so many times that eventually she took my clipboard and wrote the numbers herself. In my defense, it was a set of long ID numbers—but I was shocked at how hard it was for me to understand a list of single digits.
If many others are like me, they may have reason for doing this!
Thank you Gareth for sharing your stories. Many francophones in Quebec live the reverse situation. French is the official language of the Province, but we sometimes have difficulty receiving French services, particularly in cosmopolitan Montreal. The province is surrounded by an overwhelming anglophone Canadian and American population. We are in a majority-minority situation which puts the French language in a vulnerable situation. We have a specific law (Law 101) protecting the use of French in public spaces and places. But what sometimes happens is that francophones public services in English by a person who barely speaks if not even a single word of French. You can guess how some francophones feel in these situations where we sometimes dont even hear a bonjour (hello) or merci (thank you). You can also guess that these hurt francophone clients leave without saying au revoir (see you again)…
The most absurde and alienating situation I experienced was while working, in French of course, in a restaurant and being spoken to in English, in an insistent manner by French visitors. I’m still wondering what was going on in their minds.
Best, Maya (:
Du hast aber schon gemerkt, dass der deutsche WhatsApp-Dialog in Deinem Bild voller Fehler ist (in den weißen Sprechblasen!)? Wahrscheinlich war Dein Gesprächspartner auch kein Muttersprachler.
Nice and complete article. It reminded me of an experience I love sharing (if only tangentially related to the article):
After a week in Austria, we went to Bratislava to visit an old friend of mine. Before going futher with the anecdote,, I’m a polyglote Spanish native speaker and my level of Slovak (or any other slavic language) is constrained to a few words. So, we arrive at the hotel and I’m walking through the lobby and wondering in which language to talk to the young lady at the reception desk, already smiling at us from afar. “After all,she may speak German, but neither German nor English are our native languages….” I thought to myself and then shared with my wife my hesitation in regards to the language I was going to use. And told her, “I”m going to try something”.
“Ahoj” -bigger smile – ¿Habla español? I asked the receptionist.
Her “sí” was full of the I’m-so-happy-I-can-practise-my-Spanish feeling it felt the biggest win-win situation in the whole history of hotêllerie.
As a native speaker of German I have experienced both sides of this problem. So let me share two stories:
A couple of months ago I met an American au-pair who lived in my home town for a year. As she was still struggling with the German language, I quickly switched to English, as it made the conversation much easier for both of us. It was only after a while that she asked me to talk to her in German, so that she could practice the language. So we continued in German for most of the time, but I constantly had to remind myself to stick to German, as the conversation was not going as smoothly as it would have been in English.
And recently I travelled to Estonia after having studied the local language for a while. I still was a bit shy when it came to speaking Estonian, but I basically knew how to place an order in a restaurant. The problem was that most waiters immediately addressed me in English, so that my spontaneous reaction was to reply in English. Sometimes I managed to mumble something in Estonian, but even then, the replies were mostly in English. And when I got a reply in Estonian, it took me a second or two to understand it. And by that time, the waiter had repeated the sentence in English… Only once, the first question I got was: “Eesti või inglise keel?“ (Estonian or English?). I was happy to reply „eesti“, but I was there with two friends who didn’t speak Estonian, so we ended up ordering in English. Ironically, that place was not a traditional Estonian restaurant, but an Irish pub 😉
PS: Warum schreibe ich das hier eigentlich auf Englisch…?
I’m an English native speaker who has been living in Taiwan for two years and don’t plan on leaving. A lot of “foreigners” come here and don’t learn Chinese beyond some basic phrases. Some seriously learn and study and make it a part of their lives. A lot of Taiwanese people are taught at pretty much at birth to speak English to non-Asians (a warning to those I f you who can’t speak English). Your article really helped me. Not because I don’t know what to do, but because it reminds me that I’m not alone or crazy. Some people make it seem like I have a problem from wanting to speak mandarin like everyone else here, some locals have even gotten angry as if it’s my job as an English speaker living in a Chinese speaking country to speak English everywhere and have to struggle my way through life and have to constantly ask for help or go to English-speaking establishments (which are not as common as some like to believe). But I’ve been persistent, and even though in the beginning of a conversation someone might try to switch to English, but these days it rarely exceeds the first sentence. Some people can be stubborn but having to essentially fight off impromptu, unsolicited language exchanges has made me more stubborn than most.
If anyone out there is dealing with this, you’re not alone. I know how lonely it can make you feel, but don’t ever give up!
Thanks for sharing your experience, Matt. Situations like this can be so frustrating but it sounds like you’ve pushed through thanks to real determination. As your experience seems to suggest, once we get to a certain level, it becomes easier to carry off. Good luck as you take your Mandarin to the next stage!
I live in China. Often, I will say something in Chinese, and then the person I’m talking to (or an eavesdropper) will laugh loudly and say, “I don’t understand your English!” They do not have the confidence in their English that you find in many other countries, so you won’t generally have the problem of them trying to switch to English, but there is also an assumption here that people who are not Chinese cannot speak Chinese, so, the combination of these two things leads them to aggressively not listen. One time, I opened the door for a Chinese woman I had never met before. I opened my mouth and, before I could say anything in any language, she said, “I don’t understand!” That woman is now my mother-in-law.
On the other hand, if someone hears me successfully talking in Chinese with a local first, and then I talk to that person, they will magically not only be able to tell which language I am speaking but they will be able to understand what I am saying.
So, carry around a local. That might help.
I’ve heard similar things said by foreigners trying to speak Japanese in Japan, Michael. I guess one of the variables is how normal it is in a country for foreigners to speak the language.
I know what you mean about sarcasm perhaps not always being best, but sometimes it does work. In France when sometimes faced with someone saying ‘but I speak English’, I have on occasion resorted to saying ‘are you saying because I’m Scottish I need to practice my English?! That’s really offensive. I’ll have you know my English is excellent and I don’t need to practice it!’
It usually confuses and panics as they don’t want to offend . So French conversation then ensues.
Ha, ha… Sounds like a strategy, Michael! 🙂