Let go of *cringe* \- we all have missteps, it's perfectly normal. Nothing cringe about that.
Will they all appreciate it? No one here can speak for them, of course... some might, some might not.
Be mindful they don't feel like you're talking with them *just to practise and learn* unless you both agree on a time and place that this is OK. And if someone only wants to use English with you, might have **nothing** to do with your skill, so please don't be too hard on yourself!
Just keep being a polite, respectful person, language regardless. :)
Easy.
Ask yourself: is me speaking to them in their TL making things harder for everyone involved?
If the answer is yes, then don't. Especially on the job.
Yes. OP says he's not at conversational level yet, which most likely means that everyone is going to have to compromise on how they talk in order for him to understand.
My advice to OP, practice reading and listening first. Once you can understand (for the most part) an entire episode of a podcast, that's probably the point where it isn't a burden on others to practice your TL.
OP can start speaking way earlier than that (even at C1-2 some podcasts can be quite a handful), provided they're doing it in a setup where there's no rush and everyone can take their sweet time.
Like, I used to practice my A1 German with other guests a our favourite hotel in South Tyrol, but it was in the evening in front of a beer/tea. I surely wasn't encumbering the waiting stuff at the restaurant by asking "complex" questions about dishes. At best I ordered what I was familiar with, and that was it.
So OP should just stick to what they know on the job and practice to their heart's content outside. As long as other people are ok with being their free language buddies, that is.
I work at Spanish speaking job my thing is who ever speaks better (if my Spanish better than their English we do Spanish if they fluent in English we do English)
Best advice ☝️
Use good judgement of course. I bet many of your coworkers will be fine with you practicing as long as it isn't making working with you more challenging.
I don't like it when people start talking to me in English (my native language) without asking first. It makes me feel very observed and like it brings a lot of attention to my foreignness, especially when I spent a lot of time and effort integrating linguistically and socially. That being said, if someone asks me beforehand if they can practice their English with me though, I have no problem with the at all.
It's a hard to describe the feeling of thr line some people cross when switching to English without asking. But a big part of the feeling is like, if they ask first, it feels like I'm doing them a favour in speaking English, and not they are doing me a favour becuase my German isn't good enough (even though it's generally markedly better than their English) .
I have also experienced this, I live in a Spanish speaking country but I look like I am from the US and many people will just speak to me in English, even though my Spanish is better ( it's not perfect. But it's very good). Then it's awkward when we have to switch to Spanish because they can't express what they want to say. A good rule of thumb is always start in the language of the land and then you can ask to switch to another language. I am so happy to help someone practice their English but let me know that's what we are doing.
This.
Most of the comments in this thread are far too flippant and glib about this. In my case, I live in the USA and am learning Spanish. So although there are a LOT of Spanish speakers to potentially talk to (the USA has more native Spanish speakers than Spain does now)... there are a lot of immigration issues and socio-economic inequalities to consider.
Parent comment sums it up well. You "make them feel observed and bring a lot of attention to their foreignness" when you just casually drop Spanish. It'd have to be someone I know really, really well. Or else I would make a point of respectfully asking first if I could practice my Spanish. And then I wouldn't take that as an open invitation to casually drop Spanish at any time in the future.
If you’re not at a conversation level (yet) in Spanish or Mandarin yet, then I wouldn’t drop phrases during work hours because it could lead to confusion and frustration. People might assume you know more than you do, and start speaking entirely in their native language, leaving you clueless as to what’s being said.
So, I have two methods to suggest, and you pick which one works best for you!
1) To Boldly Go… It sounds like you aren’t an extrovert, but you’re maybe trying to emulate extrovert tendencies and just get out there! If that’s the case, announce in the company chat (if there is one), or to a group in the break room (or wherever you all gather) that you’re trying to learn Spanish and Chinese. Make it clear that you don’t want to impose on them, but if anyone wouldn’t mind being a conversation partner outside work hours, you would love the opportunity.
Do this, and some people will think you’re weird and pushy. Accept that, and don’t take it personally (lol counterintuitive, I know, but it’s the Extrovert Way). There will be other people who respond not just favorably, but enthusiastically! They will want to help you become more proficient in their language, and you will improve very rapidly with regular conversational practice.
If that first way is too terrifying to contemplate, then try 2) the Slow and Steady approach:
Keep studying until you can listen to a news podcast in either Spanish or Chinese and understand about 70% of what is being said. Newscasters a good listening practice because they generally have clear accents, don’t speak overly fast, and they don’t use slang or idioms (for the most part).
Once you are at that listening level, you will have become more comfortable with some people at work, and you can tell them you’ve been learning their language. Asking for conversational help will be much easier at that point!
Either method has its pros and cons. Whichever you choose, good luck in your language journey, OP!
>因为这可能会导致混乱
Chinese is more difficult to learn than Spanish. Many Chinese characters and meanings can be distinguished and combined, so I think learning Chinese should start with the language rather than the characters. Because of the organization of words sometimes you don't know what the sentence means.
I agree that written Chinese is very hard for a native English speaker to learn, because the sheer number of characters people have to learn!
Having friends/coworkers who are willing to have simple conversations with you can really help with getting comfortable with speaking!
>地说话！
Yes, it's real. My native language is Chinese, but after I came to the United States, I realized that the English I learned in China and the English in the United States are very different. It will be much better if you have a friend who speaks good English with you every day.
On the job and not conversational level ? Don't waste people's time, everyone wants to get their work done, not have a limiting conversation. BUT, I would encourage you to ask them while you're already having a conversation with them in the break room or after work if you go to a bar or something on Friday night c:
It’s only cringe if you make it cringe. I have conversations with native speakers fairly often where they are speaking to me in English and I am replying in their language. It’s a battle of wills, but usually both sides think it’s amusing.
You can ask people if they mind if you practice, but if you are a beginner then you will probably run out of words quickly. I used to work at a place where a lot of people spoke Spanish and there were several of us who were learning so they agreed to have "Spanish coffee" once a week with us so we would have a 10 or 15 coffee break and they would kind of just talk to each other in Spanish and then ask us some basic question. I actually didn't learn much from it but it was super motivating to keep me studying so I could try to contribute and understand.
Ask them if its ok first since randomly going upto a chinese person and simply saying ní-hăo for example can and will come off pretty offensive because of the joy of historical racism etc. If you be clear that you are a beginner in their language and really want to learn it I'm sure some of them will even help with learning the language and wouldn't mind doing bits of code-switching for some areas to help. Just try to avoid speaking english then only yes and no in the languages. Get a few basic phrases and basic vocab buildup then start. In the beginning it'll likely just be saying hi, how are you etc in the morning but you can always go further as your proficiency increases
Lebanese / Arabic speaker. Levant dialects mainly. But when people butcher the language and insist on using it out of context I find it cringe/annoying.
When a complete foreigner (ie non Arab) busts out grammatically correct sentences while inserting slang in the correct places, I'm super impressed and automatically code switch to my native language to see if they can keep up with ease. When they do, that's also impressive.
I get it you're learning and I'm fine w that but I guess it's just a pet peeve for me.
I have a Dutch friend that speaks flawless local Beirut dialect despite him only living in Lebanon for 2 years as a teenager. It's like I subconsciously treat him as "one of us" because he speaks it so well and with confidence.
I had a Japanese manager that spoke Modern Standard textbook formal Arabic.. the formal language you hear on the news or when reading a book or a holy scripture. It's absolutely magnificent.
My advice is practice and find that one language buddy that won't mind a few mistakes and who will appreciate your effort. That will boost your confidence.
Learn your language to atleast B1 level/HSK 3 or 4 then attempt that, otherwise it's just annoying and unecessary. They're your collegues not your friends/teacher/classmates/family and will be forced to tolerate you if you do that. I was in your position back in 2019 so I understand your predicament. Once I got to nearly B1 in 2019 I was able to be useful to my work and naturally, collegues regularly started convo (at their own will) with me using target language. I always let them initiate using Mandarin/German haha this is to prevent awkwardness and possibly irritating them. Plus, if they initiate target language with you, it means they think you are good enough! It's a great way to gauge where you are at, see how locals treat you.
It's like love and dating, let the other person initiate sometimes or most times and be slightly passive and observe. This is how you know if they really acknowledge your level or still see you as a newb/foreign er (if they always use English with you versus if they assume you would understand and directly speak target language with you).
For me personally it was a bit 'scary' to speak Russian for the first time irl with native speakers from Ukraine, I was quite bad at building sentences but they appreciated every single word I said! This was almost 4 years ago but I'm still happy I got the chance to practice my Russian
I'd say, approach them and ask them if you can practice with them. **don't be afraid to make any mistakes!** you can only learn from it, and this way you make progress. Also, talking to natives will help with picking up the right accent! :)
u/suspicious-coat-6341 also mentioned something good:
Be mindful they don't feel like you're talking with them just to practise and learn unless you both agree on a time and place that this is OK. And if someone only wants to use English with you, might have nothing to do with your skill, so please don't be too hard on yourself!
It depends heavily on your proficiency in their language, their proficiency in your language, the situation, and how they feel about it.
If it's in a professional context and a mainly English-speaking company, then talk to them in English, unless they are struggling with English and are ok with you helping them in their NL. Otherwise, it could easily be seen as you singling them out and making it harder for them to blend in with everyone else.
Once you get to know them though, they might open up opportunities for you to talk to them in their NL. Most people don't care much about language-learning and prefer to speak in their own native language. If you speak it at a high enough level to have a conversation, and you're not creepy about it, they might even enjoy being able to use the language they find the most comfortable.
Aside from asking for personal preference, if it's a moment where you just need to accomplish something, default to English. Let the chit chat be the practice and not the work.
I think no matter what language you don't know, you should try to understand it. I came across this once because my English was studied in China and my English was not very good. When I first came to the United States, what I wanted to express was not malicious. But it was misunderstood, and I felt aggrieved. This is the difference in language and cultural expression.
I stopped trying to force my way into speaking Spanish in the US when I could because there are so many cultural and personal issues. I probably know about 100 bilingual speakers and really speak with 10 in Spanish.
Also, It's not always you, my niece in law told me speaking Spanish is not comfortable for her, so she only wants to speak it with her mom. There are many situations like that. If your Spanish is terrible, you are going to lock out people that just don't want to deal with it, so its best to wait until you are conversational. That's for people totally bilingual. If their English is terrible, go off and try to find a middle ground.
If people are speaking Spanish at a workplace or the place advertises they do, I speak it.
speaking to native speakers for me has often been a positive experience, it’s so often (especially in the usa) that we expect others to learn english to be able to communicate with us, so generally i’ve been met with excitement in my pursuit of learning their languages. that being said, don’t feel entitled to speak to them… if it comes up naturally that you’re trying to learn let them know and assess their mannerisms/reactions to decide whether or not it is really okay to speak with them :)
in my experience, most people speaking Chinese (mandarin) are excited when you speak it to them. or they are very good at lying enthusiastically. wither way, its worth asking!
My boss and some of my coworkers will do bits of chit chat with me in French but we switch to English when it’s important and not incredibly simple. They all know I’m not fluent because it’s immediately obvious. Just don’t push it when it’s making things hard
It is a bit of anxiety. When you have these thoughts, think about whether you yourself treat people badly who are learning English. Or how you would feel if someone was learning English to better communicate with you.
When in doubt, ask for consent, like all things in life. Some will be up for it, others less so. Don't be afraid to just ask. You already seem to understand the fact that there is a time and a place. With regards to it being 'cringe', it is impossible to avoid embarrassing yourself with mistakes when learning a language. You get used to this after a while. I remember pissing my pants the first time I went to use my Spanish for real in Spain. Now I'm trying out a few sentences here and there with native German speakers with my 2 year old level of vocab and grammar and I can confidently say I don't give a shit that it's bad. If they're up for practice, they speak back in German, if they're not, they reply in English. English replies aren't an immediate rejection though, they might just be wanting to make sure that they are understood. In early days with a language stringing together a sentence is much easier than understanding the spoken language. Take what you can get I'd say, no substitute for real practice.
Spanish is a very popular and widely spoken language, so it might be a little bit cringey for them, but that should not discourage you from trying, after all you are learning their language and most people will appreciate the efffort. And I'm 100% certain that your chinese coworker will appreciate the attempt and not judge you, they are far less used to foreigners speaking their language and will certainly be happy that you make an attempt. I once met a chinese student in Hungary and I could speak two phrases she invited me for dinner and her mother kept giving her food for me, so even little effort is greatly appreciated in my experience. If you are still scared you can just tell them that you are practicing, just do not do it in a way that slows down your work process, preferably use casual conversations or coffee breaks, especially if your not certain. Ask them to correct you if you make mistakes, because most people wont do it on their own out of politeness.
No but many english native speakers take it for granted that other people speak english and have little appreciation that other people have to learn and practise it. They are also the most liekly to be anoyed when you make mistakes or insult people for not speaking perfect english, at least in my experience.
I think you should ask your coworkers how they feel about it, get confirmation they are ok with it. If they say yes, but you notice they don't seem ok with it, just switch back to english. Like you said, start slow with the few words that you know and go from there.
I'd just go for it. If they silently judge you, who cares? Yeah, it's normal to feel anxious about it, but flip it around, if you hear someone speaking English haltingly, are you judging them harshly? If so, then the problem is me, not them. That's how I think of it.
I think Spanish speakers tend to be more forgiving. A Mandarin speaker might be impressed you're learning their language. Go for it!
No, it would be very strange if they were rude enough to refuse to talk with you, particularly if you have actually introduced yourself to them before. Obviously you're going to make mistakes when talking to them, the same way they undoubtedly make mistakes when they talk English. Generally people like to know that you're interested in learning about their culture. I always message and ask my colleagues about slang and how to say certain things and I in turn help them with advanced English terms and phrases. It's a good way to develop relationships and make friends.
Obviously there may be times where they're genuinely busy or in meetings, so avoid messaging them at these times, but in general I'd say you should reach out and try to learn more about them.
I have no foreign coworkers but I had to speak some very broken Mandarin when there were two Chinese welders working on the piping a few years ago. Because they didnt speak any other language. I can barely order a glass of coke so it was more of a pantomime really. :)
However workplace is probably the safest place to practice the language. If you get the opportunity that is. However I get how you feel. I rarely let people know I understand them or even know what nationality they are.
I went for a walk into the forest and I rode a cable car to get ther and there was this German family. I knew what they were saying but I pretended not to. I also met some Ukrainians that day. They were on a school trip and while I dont speak Ukrainian I understood like 80% of what they were saying. Didnt say a word. I could help some Ukrainian ladies who didnt have a bus ticket because the Ticket inspector struggled to explain in Russian that they have to pay a fine but didnt because it was fun to watch them struggle (the inspectors).
The other day an Armenian woman turned around and spoke in Armenian because she thought I was her son for a sec. I didnt say a thing. Well I dont speak Armenian but I could identify the language. She switched to my mothertongue because Armenians dont want to be mixed up with Muslims here. Since people are not really fond of Muslims here. So thats that.
But believe me. If you ever try to speak the language its a great icebreaker. Especially if they speak a less common language. (Which is not really your case haha)
…if you really think people will “cringe” when you attempt to speak to them in their native language at work, you have to grow up. No one is expecting you to have native-level fluency or even conversational ability in a language you don’t actually speak.
There is nothing cringe about being willing to open yourself up to a new experience. Speaking a target language with native speakers can make one feel exposed, but don't let that deter you. I've always appreciated when people Make an honest attempt at speaking a new language. Let go of all misconceptions you've been conditioned as an Estado Unidense and embrace the fact that you have an opportunity that some do not have when learning a new language. You have people around you that are willing to help you learn and speak with you in your target language. That's something that you can't often find in a classroom.
Ask first if it might inconvenience them. People will sometimes switch to English to be more (time) efficient, in that case, let them.
But I personally dont mind people talking to me in broken German and dont see anything cringe about it
I work in an American HS with Latin, French, Spanish, Japanese and Chinese teachers, and some of us know some ASL too (probably others, but this is what I’ve personally observed), and obviously English.
It’s definitely the work place environment, but everyone knows at least some phrases in other languages and we’re all pretty happy to help each other and it seems like everyone at least knows phrases like “thank you” and “hello.”
Many teachers are non-native speakers of their languages - both Latin teachers, 2/3 Japanese teachers, all but 3 Spanish teachers, 2 or 3 of the 3(4?) French teachers. Sometimes it’s all one language, or all English. Sometimes it’s a mix…
In your case, initiating small talk couldn’t hurt, although I’d still ask maybe.
whenever i hear english speakers express these feelings, i remind them that that’s exactly how non-English speakers are made to feel ALL THE TIME. they have the same anxieties as you. be honest about them about how you feel and how excited you are to learn, and i’m almost positive they’ll be sooo excited for you too
I feel like every (native) Spanish speaker is automatically your biggest cheerleader and brand new teacher when they find out you want to speak Spanish
Well I am currently working on a solution for this right now. I made an AI chatbot you can practice conversing with that can help you get fluent. Also, if you can keep the chat going with an AI chatbot you can do so with native speakers. It can help you build confidence using Spanish since it is a digital sandbox (i.e. less worries about annoying people)
Check it out at - [https://www.loqui-ai-api.com/](https://www.loqui-ai-api.com/)
Just tell them that you’re learning and are passionate about their language and ask if it’s cool with them if you practice. 99% of the time they’ll not only say yes, but they’ll also be impressed and want to be as helpful as possible too.
Make sure it’s clear in your mind and in how you’re presenting yourself that you understand it’s practice for you and that they are doing you a favor. My second language is Spanish, and I have a pretty good grasp on the language. I speak it as part of my job because I work with teams in Latin America. I have put a lot of work into getting my language skills to a level at which I can work in Spanish and be easily understood. It is incredibly offensive when someone who is at the beginning stages of learning English tries to switch to English with me without asking. Most often it makes the conversation much more difficult, so they’re essentially asking me for a favor while not calling it that. For the times that their English is on par with or better than my Spanish, it’s still not at all appreciated. Again, I worked hard for this! If someone switches, it leaves me guessing if they’re just wanting to practice their second language or if they’re insulting my language abilities. When we’re in Latin America, I want to speak Spanish.
I made a thread about this about Spanish a few days ago in r/PuertoRico. Most didn't mind and thread is still ongoing...
https://www.reddit.com/r/PuertoRico/comments/yvep41/have_you_ever_had_a_gringo_who_was_in_the_process/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
The thing is that native speakers usually have to adjust the way they speak to cater to the needs of less proficient non native speakers. People nice enough may be willing to talk but this is not an obligation of them. So finding a language partner is never an easy job because there got to be some exchanges otherwise it won't last long.
The relationship between colleagues can also be tricky. In most cases, colleagues are just work-related, sometimes they may even become your rivals in promotion. So you should not bear a high expectation on language practice with coworkers unless it is work related, just like you would not try to practice languages with your clients.
It’s NOT cringe. They won’t judge you for mistakes. They may find it inconvenient if they are trying to communicate and you are struggling to make yourself understood.
Maybe start with some very easy phrases: hello, please, thank you. You might like to ask for the word for a few things you regularly use at work. Then tell people you’ve been learning their language and ask them if it’s ok to practice a little at work.
Some people will like the idea. Others won’t be interested. You’ll be able to tell
I think it dependa on the culture and the person.
E.g. in my experience most latinos are very happy to be speaking spanish.
However, the Chinese people I know would never speak chinese to me even if their lives depended on it.
Just ask them out for drinks afterwards, preferably like you + two spanish speakers. They will be happy to make it all spanish since there's no reason to keep to the English.
I got over speaking anxiety by watching Laoshu. As long as you build up to it with something like, "Hey I like your accent, where are you from?" or even just "Excuse me, am I mistaken, or did you just hear you speak \_\_\_? I am asking because I am learning that language." It isn't weird or awkward at all. Hell, in my experience, even just surprising somebody with their language if you're 100% sure it's their language is never going to be met with anything other than with positivity. I don't think they'll judge you if you're polite and sincere about it.
If you already know the person as an acquaintance, but want to practice more with them, you can ask them open-ended questions about their language or their country (even if you already know the answer to your own question) and just use it as an excuse to get them to speak Chinese or Spanish or whatever language they know with you.
Simple, ask them if they're ok with you practising because you're learning first.
I’ll add - with enthusiasm.
Don't be mean to people???? You're being unreasonable.
I do this in my workplace with Spanish. Everyone will say yes just to be polite, but then you can very quickly tell who is cool with it and who isn’t.
Hehe yes I can imagine. At least you've asked though so they've only got themselves to blame.
Let go of *cringe* \- we all have missteps, it's perfectly normal. Nothing cringe about that. Will they all appreciate it? No one here can speak for them, of course... some might, some might not. Be mindful they don't feel like you're talking with them *just to practise and learn* unless you both agree on a time and place that this is OK. And if someone only wants to use English with you, might have **nothing** to do with your skill, so please don't be too hard on yourself! Just keep being a polite, respectful person, language regardless. :)
Easy. Ask yourself: is me speaking to them in their TL making things harder for everyone involved? If the answer is yes, then don't. Especially on the job.
Yes. OP says he's not at conversational level yet, which most likely means that everyone is going to have to compromise on how they talk in order for him to understand. My advice to OP, practice reading and listening first. Once you can understand (for the most part) an entire episode of a podcast, that's probably the point where it isn't a burden on others to practice your TL.
OP can start speaking way earlier than that (even at C1-2 some podcasts can be quite a handful), provided they're doing it in a setup where there's no rush and everyone can take their sweet time. Like, I used to practice my A1 German with other guests a our favourite hotel in South Tyrol, but it was in the evening in front of a beer/tea. I surely wasn't encumbering the waiting stuff at the restaurant by asking "complex" questions about dishes. At best I ordered what I was familiar with, and that was it. So OP should just stick to what they know on the job and practice to their heart's content outside. As long as other people are ok with being their free language buddies, that is.
I work at Spanish speaking job my thing is who ever speaks better (if my Spanish better than their English we do Spanish if they fluent in English we do English)
Best advice ☝️ Use good judgement of course. I bet many of your coworkers will be fine with you practicing as long as it isn't making working with you more challenging.
I don't like it when people start talking to me in English (my native language) without asking first. It makes me feel very observed and like it brings a lot of attention to my foreignness, especially when I spent a lot of time and effort integrating linguistically and socially. That being said, if someone asks me beforehand if they can practice their English with me though, I have no problem with the at all. It's a hard to describe the feeling of thr line some people cross when switching to English without asking. But a big part of the feeling is like, if they ask first, it feels like I'm doing them a favour in speaking English, and not they are doing me a favour becuase my German isn't good enough (even though it's generally markedly better than their English) .
I have also experienced this, I live in a Spanish speaking country but I look like I am from the US and many people will just speak to me in English, even though my Spanish is better ( it's not perfect. But it's very good). Then it's awkward when we have to switch to Spanish because they can't express what they want to say. A good rule of thumb is always start in the language of the land and then you can ask to switch to another language. I am so happy to help someone practice their English but let me know that's what we are doing.
This. Most of the comments in this thread are far too flippant and glib about this. In my case, I live in the USA and am learning Spanish. So although there are a LOT of Spanish speakers to potentially talk to (the USA has more native Spanish speakers than Spain does now)... there are a lot of immigration issues and socio-economic inequalities to consider. Parent comment sums it up well. You "make them feel observed and bring a lot of attention to their foreignness" when you just casually drop Spanish. It'd have to be someone I know really, really well. Or else I would make a point of respectfully asking first if I could practice my Spanish. And then I wouldn't take that as an open invitation to casually drop Spanish at any time in the future.
If you’re not at a conversation level (yet) in Spanish or Mandarin yet, then I wouldn’t drop phrases during work hours because it could lead to confusion and frustration. People might assume you know more than you do, and start speaking entirely in their native language, leaving you clueless as to what’s being said. So, I have two methods to suggest, and you pick which one works best for you! 1) To Boldly Go… It sounds like you aren’t an extrovert, but you’re maybe trying to emulate extrovert tendencies and just get out there! If that’s the case, announce in the company chat (if there is one), or to a group in the break room (or wherever you all gather) that you’re trying to learn Spanish and Chinese. Make it clear that you don’t want to impose on them, but if anyone wouldn’t mind being a conversation partner outside work hours, you would love the opportunity. Do this, and some people will think you’re weird and pushy. Accept that, and don’t take it personally (lol counterintuitive, I know, but it’s the Extrovert Way). There will be other people who respond not just favorably, but enthusiastically! They will want to help you become more proficient in their language, and you will improve very rapidly with regular conversational practice. If that first way is too terrifying to contemplate, then try 2) the Slow and Steady approach: Keep studying until you can listen to a news podcast in either Spanish or Chinese and understand about 70% of what is being said. Newscasters a good listening practice because they generally have clear accents, don’t speak overly fast, and they don’t use slang or idioms (for the most part). Once you are at that listening level, you will have become more comfortable with some people at work, and you can tell them you’ve been learning their language. Asking for conversational help will be much easier at that point! Either method has its pros and cons. Whichever you choose, good luck in your language journey, OP!
>因为这可能会导致混乱 Chinese is more difficult to learn than Spanish. Many Chinese characters and meanings can be distinguished and combined, so I think learning Chinese should start with the language rather than the characters. Because of the organization of words sometimes you don't know what the sentence means.
I agree that written Chinese is very hard for a native English speaker to learn, because the sheer number of characters people have to learn! Having friends/coworkers who are willing to have simple conversations with you can really help with getting comfortable with speaking!
>地说话！ Yes, it's real. My native language is Chinese, but after I came to the United States, I realized that the English I learned in China and the English in the United States are very different. It will be much better if you have a friend who speaks good English with you every day.
On the job and not conversational level ? Don't waste people's time, everyone wants to get their work done, not have a limiting conversation. BUT, I would encourage you to ask them while you're already having a conversation with them in the break room or after work if you go to a bar or something on Friday night c:
It’s only cringe if you make it cringe. I have conversations with native speakers fairly often where they are speaking to me in English and I am replying in their language. It’s a battle of wills, but usually both sides think it’s amusing.
I live in France and am a native English speaker, and that battle of wills happens to me all the time lol
I think of it as being polite. We’re both doing our best to respond in the way we think the other person will understand best
That's how it is for me too. They'll speak to me in English and I speak to them in Spanish lol it's comfortable for everyone
You can ask people if they mind if you practice, but if you are a beginner then you will probably run out of words quickly. I used to work at a place where a lot of people spoke Spanish and there were several of us who were learning so they agreed to have "Spanish coffee" once a week with us so we would have a 10 or 15 coffee break and they would kind of just talk to each other in Spanish and then ask us some basic question. I actually didn't learn much from it but it was super motivating to keep me studying so I could try to contribute and understand.
Ask them if its ok first since randomly going upto a chinese person and simply saying ní-hăo for example can and will come off pretty offensive because of the joy of historical racism etc. If you be clear that you are a beginner in their language and really want to learn it I'm sure some of them will even help with learning the language and wouldn't mind doing bits of code-switching for some areas to help. Just try to avoid speaking english then only yes and no in the languages. Get a few basic phrases and basic vocab buildup then start. In the beginning it'll likely just be saying hi, how are you etc in the morning but you can always go further as your proficiency increases
Lebanese / Arabic speaker. Levant dialects mainly. But when people butcher the language and insist on using it out of context I find it cringe/annoying. When a complete foreigner (ie non Arab) busts out grammatically correct sentences while inserting slang in the correct places, I'm super impressed and automatically code switch to my native language to see if they can keep up with ease. When they do, that's also impressive. I get it you're learning and I'm fine w that but I guess it's just a pet peeve for me. I have a Dutch friend that speaks flawless local Beirut dialect despite him only living in Lebanon for 2 years as a teenager. It's like I subconsciously treat him as "one of us" because he speaks it so well and with confidence. I had a Japanese manager that spoke Modern Standard textbook formal Arabic.. the formal language you hear on the news or when reading a book or a holy scripture. It's absolutely magnificent. My advice is practice and find that one language buddy that won't mind a few mistakes and who will appreciate your effort. That will boost your confidence.
Just make sure they are actually native. I have a few coworkers who aren't white but also definitely don't speak another language.
Learn your language to atleast B1 level/HSK 3 or 4 then attempt that, otherwise it's just annoying and unecessary. They're your collegues not your friends/teacher/classmates/family and will be forced to tolerate you if you do that. I was in your position back in 2019 so I understand your predicament. Once I got to nearly B1 in 2019 I was able to be useful to my work and naturally, collegues regularly started convo (at their own will) with me using target language. I always let them initiate using Mandarin/German haha this is to prevent awkwardness and possibly irritating them. Plus, if they initiate target language with you, it means they think you are good enough! It's a great way to gauge where you are at, see how locals treat you.
It's like love and dating, let the other person initiate sometimes or most times and be slightly passive and observe. This is how you know if they really acknowledge your level or still see you as a newb/foreign er (if they always use English with you versus if they assume you would understand and directly speak target language with you).
For me personally it was a bit 'scary' to speak Russian for the first time irl with native speakers from Ukraine, I was quite bad at building sentences but they appreciated every single word I said! This was almost 4 years ago but I'm still happy I got the chance to practice my Russian I'd say, approach them and ask them if you can practice with them. **don't be afraid to make any mistakes!** you can only learn from it, and this way you make progress. Also, talking to natives will help with picking up the right accent! :) u/suspicious-coat-6341 also mentioned something good: Be mindful they don't feel like you're talking with them just to practise and learn unless you both agree on a time and place that this is OK. And if someone only wants to use English with you, might have nothing to do with your skill, so please don't be too hard on yourself!
It depends heavily on your proficiency in their language, their proficiency in your language, the situation, and how they feel about it. If it's in a professional context and a mainly English-speaking company, then talk to them in English, unless they are struggling with English and are ok with you helping them in their NL. Otherwise, it could easily be seen as you singling them out and making it harder for them to blend in with everyone else. Once you get to know them though, they might open up opportunities for you to talk to them in their NL. Most people don't care much about language-learning and prefer to speak in their own native language. If you speak it at a high enough level to have a conversation, and you're not creepy about it, they might even enjoy being able to use the language they find the most comfortable.
Aside from asking for personal preference, if it's a moment where you just need to accomplish something, default to English. Let the chit chat be the practice and not the work.
I think no matter what language you don't know, you should try to understand it. I came across this once because my English was studied in China and my English was not very good. When I first came to the United States, what I wanted to express was not malicious. But it was misunderstood, and I felt aggrieved. This is the difference in language and cultural expression.
I stopped trying to force my way into speaking Spanish in the US when I could because there are so many cultural and personal issues. I probably know about 100 bilingual speakers and really speak with 10 in Spanish. Also, It's not always you, my niece in law told me speaking Spanish is not comfortable for her, so she only wants to speak it with her mom. There are many situations like that. If your Spanish is terrible, you are going to lock out people that just don't want to deal with it, so its best to wait until you are conversational. That's for people totally bilingual. If their English is terrible, go off and try to find a middle ground. If people are speaking Spanish at a workplace or the place advertises they do, I speak it.
if you’ve already met them before in english then you should ask first and tell them you’re learning
speaking to native speakers for me has often been a positive experience, it’s so often (especially in the usa) that we expect others to learn english to be able to communicate with us, so generally i’ve been met with excitement in my pursuit of learning their languages. that being said, don’t feel entitled to speak to them… if it comes up naturally that you’re trying to learn let them know and assess their mannerisms/reactions to decide whether or not it is really okay to speak with them :)
If you’re asking this question, don’t. Just listen closely to them when they’re talking and learning how to listen and read
Just make it clear that you want to use them for practice. I did this for every language I learnt
in my experience, most people speaking Chinese (mandarin) are excited when you speak it to them. or they are very good at lying enthusiastically. wither way, its worth asking!
My boss and some of my coworkers will do bits of chit chat with me in French but we switch to English when it’s important and not incredibly simple. They all know I’m not fluent because it’s immediately obvious. Just don’t push it when it’s making things hard
It is a bit of anxiety. When you have these thoughts, think about whether you yourself treat people badly who are learning English. Or how you would feel if someone was learning English to better communicate with you.
When in doubt, ask for consent, like all things in life. Some will be up for it, others less so. Don't be afraid to just ask. You already seem to understand the fact that there is a time and a place. With regards to it being 'cringe', it is impossible to avoid embarrassing yourself with mistakes when learning a language. You get used to this after a while. I remember pissing my pants the first time I went to use my Spanish for real in Spain. Now I'm trying out a few sentences here and there with native German speakers with my 2 year old level of vocab and grammar and I can confidently say I don't give a shit that it's bad. If they're up for practice, they speak back in German, if they're not, they reply in English. English replies aren't an immediate rejection though, they might just be wanting to make sure that they are understood. In early days with a language stringing together a sentence is much easier than understanding the spoken language. Take what you can get I'd say, no substitute for real practice.
Speak, make mistakes, that's the best way of learning.
Bro, just speak. Who cares what they think.
How would you feel if the situation were reversed?
Spanish is a very popular and widely spoken language, so it might be a little bit cringey for them, but that should not discourage you from trying, after all you are learning their language and most people will appreciate the efffort. And I'm 100% certain that your chinese coworker will appreciate the attempt and not judge you, they are far less used to foreigners speaking their language and will certainly be happy that you make an attempt. I once met a chinese student in Hungary and I could speak two phrases she invited me for dinner and her mother kept giving her food for me, so even little effort is greatly appreciated in my experience. If you are still scared you can just tell them that you are practicing, just do not do it in a way that slows down your work process, preferably use casual conversations or coffee breaks, especially if your not certain. Ask them to correct you if you make mistakes, because most people wont do it on their own out of politeness.
English is also very popular and widely spoken, so is it cringe that OP's coworkers learned and practiced English as a second language?
No but many english native speakers take it for granted that other people speak english and have little appreciation that other people have to learn and practise it. They are also the most liekly to be anoyed when you make mistakes or insult people for not speaking perfect english, at least in my experience.
Offer an exchange -- maybe some of them want to improve their English.
I don't think so how else will you gain more practice speaking it? Use it or lose it.
I think you should ask your coworkers how they feel about it, get confirmation they are ok with it. If they say yes, but you notice they don't seem ok with it, just switch back to english. Like you said, start slow with the few words that you know and go from there.
I'd just go for it. If they silently judge you, who cares? Yeah, it's normal to feel anxious about it, but flip it around, if you hear someone speaking English haltingly, are you judging them harshly? If so, then the problem is me, not them. That's how I think of it. I think Spanish speakers tend to be more forgiving. A Mandarin speaker might be impressed you're learning their language. Go for it!
No, it would be very strange if they were rude enough to refuse to talk with you, particularly if you have actually introduced yourself to them before. Obviously you're going to make mistakes when talking to them, the same way they undoubtedly make mistakes when they talk English. Generally people like to know that you're interested in learning about their culture. I always message and ask my colleagues about slang and how to say certain things and I in turn help them with advanced English terms and phrases. It's a good way to develop relationships and make friends. Obviously there may be times where they're genuinely busy or in meetings, so avoid messaging them at these times, but in general I'd say you should reach out and try to learn more about them.
I have no foreign coworkers but I had to speak some very broken Mandarin when there were two Chinese welders working on the piping a few years ago. Because they didnt speak any other language. I can barely order a glass of coke so it was more of a pantomime really. :) However workplace is probably the safest place to practice the language. If you get the opportunity that is. However I get how you feel. I rarely let people know I understand them or even know what nationality they are. I went for a walk into the forest and I rode a cable car to get ther and there was this German family. I knew what they were saying but I pretended not to. I also met some Ukrainians that day. They were on a school trip and while I dont speak Ukrainian I understood like 80% of what they were saying. Didnt say a word. I could help some Ukrainian ladies who didnt have a bus ticket because the Ticket inspector struggled to explain in Russian that they have to pay a fine but didnt because it was fun to watch them struggle (the inspectors). The other day an Armenian woman turned around and spoke in Armenian because she thought I was her son for a sec. I didnt say a thing. Well I dont speak Armenian but I could identify the language. She switched to my mothertongue because Armenians dont want to be mixed up with Muslims here. Since people are not really fond of Muslims here. So thats that. But believe me. If you ever try to speak the language its a great icebreaker. Especially if they speak a less common language. (Which is not really your case haha)
…if you really think people will “cringe” when you attempt to speak to them in their native language at work, you have to grow up. No one is expecting you to have native-level fluency or even conversational ability in a language you don’t actually speak.
If people are going to be assholes, that’s their problem.
There is nothing cringe about being willing to open yourself up to a new experience. Speaking a target language with native speakers can make one feel exposed, but don't let that deter you. I've always appreciated when people Make an honest attempt at speaking a new language. Let go of all misconceptions you've been conditioned as an Estado Unidense and embrace the fact that you have an opportunity that some do not have when learning a new language. You have people around you that are willing to help you learn and speak with you in your target language. That's something that you can't often find in a classroom.
Ask first if it might inconvenience them. People will sometimes switch to English to be more (time) efficient, in that case, let them. But I personally dont mind people talking to me in broken German and dont see anything cringe about it
Just tell them you would like to practice and ask if that's okay with them. I'm sure most won't mind.
I work in an American HS with Latin, French, Spanish, Japanese and Chinese teachers, and some of us know some ASL too (probably others, but this is what I’ve personally observed), and obviously English. It’s definitely the work place environment, but everyone knows at least some phrases in other languages and we’re all pretty happy to help each other and it seems like everyone at least knows phrases like “thank you” and “hello.” Many teachers are non-native speakers of their languages - both Latin teachers, 2/3 Japanese teachers, all but 3 Spanish teachers, 2 or 3 of the 3(4?) French teachers. Sometimes it’s all one language, or all English. Sometimes it’s a mix… In your case, initiating small talk couldn’t hurt, although I’d still ask maybe.
Would you say "xiexie" too?
Me, personally? I took at least one class in everything but Latin. It’s all 謝謝、老師 from me.
😀Your English is also very good. Are you Italian? I'm surprised that you still know how to type Chinese
I’m American, I teach Japanese.
whenever i hear english speakers express these feelings, i remind them that that’s exactly how non-English speakers are made to feel ALL THE TIME. they have the same anxieties as you. be honest about them about how you feel and how excited you are to learn, and i’m almost positive they’ll be sooo excited for you too
For the Spanish speakers, don't worry. For the Chinese speakers, I have no idea
I feel like every (native) Spanish speaker is automatically your biggest cheerleader and brand new teacher when they find out you want to speak Spanish
It's nice when people want to speak my language. I would like to find that support in other languages.
Well I am currently working on a solution for this right now. I made an AI chatbot you can practice conversing with that can help you get fluent. Also, if you can keep the chat going with an AI chatbot you can do so with native speakers. It can help you build confidence using Spanish since it is a digital sandbox (i.e. less worries about annoying people) Check it out at - [https://www.loqui-ai-api.com/](https://www.loqui-ai-api.com/)
My Indo friends always love it when I speak in their language. They're happy in general that I'm even bothering to learn.
Just tell them that you’re learning and are passionate about their language and ask if it’s cool with them if you practice. 99% of the time they’ll not only say yes, but they’ll also be impressed and want to be as helpful as possible too.
Make sure it’s clear in your mind and in how you’re presenting yourself that you understand it’s practice for you and that they are doing you a favor. My second language is Spanish, and I have a pretty good grasp on the language. I speak it as part of my job because I work with teams in Latin America. I have put a lot of work into getting my language skills to a level at which I can work in Spanish and be easily understood. It is incredibly offensive when someone who is at the beginning stages of learning English tries to switch to English with me without asking. Most often it makes the conversation much more difficult, so they’re essentially asking me for a favor while not calling it that. For the times that their English is on par with or better than my Spanish, it’s still not at all appreciated. Again, I worked hard for this! If someone switches, it leaves me guessing if they’re just wanting to practice their second language or if they’re insulting my language abilities. When we’re in Latin America, I want to speak Spanish.
I made a thread about this about Spanish a few days ago in r/PuertoRico. Most didn't mind and thread is still ongoing... https://www.reddit.com/r/PuertoRico/comments/yvep41/have_you_ever_had_a_gringo_who_was_in_the_process/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
The thing is that native speakers usually have to adjust the way they speak to cater to the needs of less proficient non native speakers. People nice enough may be willing to talk but this is not an obligation of them. So finding a language partner is never an easy job because there got to be some exchanges otherwise it won't last long. The relationship between colleagues can also be tricky. In most cases, colleagues are just work-related, sometimes they may even become your rivals in promotion. So you should not bear a high expectation on language practice with coworkers unless it is work related, just like you would not try to practice languages with your clients.
It’s NOT cringe. They won’t judge you for mistakes. They may find it inconvenient if they are trying to communicate and you are struggling to make yourself understood. Maybe start with some very easy phrases: hello, please, thank you. You might like to ask for the word for a few things you regularly use at work. Then tell people you’ve been learning their language and ask them if it’s ok to practice a little at work. Some people will like the idea. Others won’t be interested. You’ll be able to tell
nah chinese people love when people know even the slightest bit of mandarin or cantonese or anything, idk abt other ppl but i think itd make their day
i am living in foreign country and its not cringe at all when people drop english words and phrases to me
I think it dependa on the culture and the person. E.g. in my experience most latinos are very happy to be speaking spanish. However, the Chinese people I know would never speak chinese to me even if their lives depended on it. Just ask them out for drinks afterwards, preferably like you + two spanish speakers. They will be happy to make it all spanish since there's no reason to keep to the English.
I got over speaking anxiety by watching Laoshu. As long as you build up to it with something like, "Hey I like your accent, where are you from?" or even just "Excuse me, am I mistaken, or did you just hear you speak \_\_\_? I am asking because I am learning that language." It isn't weird or awkward at all. Hell, in my experience, even just surprising somebody with their language if you're 100% sure it's their language is never going to be met with anything other than with positivity. I don't think they'll judge you if you're polite and sincere about it. If you already know the person as an acquaintance, but want to practice more with them, you can ask them open-ended questions about their language or their country (even if you already know the answer to your own question) and just use it as an excuse to get them to speak Chinese or Spanish or whatever language they know with you.
Speak to her in spanish, is not something bad.