EHS

It of course depends, but most of European and westerners are expats who only plan to stay for several years. I do not see the point of learning a whole language if you are going to work there for maximum 5-6 years and then leave forever. I am quite sure that they work for a company or an embassy where their work language is English. I am pretty confident that they are not planning to retire in China. It is common that expats do not really socialize with locals. I do not see a problem with that if they are not planning to stay permanently and pay for their taxes. The situation would be odd if they would have permanently immigrated to China, but I am quite confident that they are there just for a work assignment.

However, you do not really have to translate for them at least for free. I think, mastering Chinese takes much longer than 6 months if you actually want to learn how to read and write the signs. One of my family members speaks Chinese and has been studying it, but it is not like he can really actually read it or write it yet properly. His chances are much better than average to learn since he is basically around the Chinese all the time.

I generally expect a person who immigrates into my country PERMANENTLY to be willing to learn the local language. These people generally cannot integrate without knowing the local language as migrants have a tendency to have a poor education and they usually “come for life”. Nobody cares whether the top educated foreign expats will learn our local language or not since they are not moving in permanently and they have English speaking jobs on arrival. Nobody even expects them to learn since they have a job on arrival and they work in specialist positions where English is the working language. They also will stay only for several years (maximum 10 years) and pay taxes to government all the time. When their time is up, they will leave.

NTA- They seriously can’t think they’ll just live their whole lives scraping along by imposing on people constantly? They’ve lived there for 3 whole years and they haven’t learned anything? That’s insane. I don’t know why they refuse to learn but the fact that two adults are dependent upon other people for communication is ridiculous all on its own.

Edit- I’m sure this post is already steeped in xenophobia but y’all gotta stop making broad generalizations about groups of people. This is one of those times when things should be reviewed on a case by case basis and all circumstances of the situation should be taken into account. If I hear one more “the (insert ethnic group here) do that where I live” I’ll flip a table and put mayo in the pillowcases of every person who has commented on this post.

Edit 2- and I’m sick of reading y’alls comments that are all about how if the roles were reversed racially speaking it would be different. You don’t know that because every situation is different and with something like this they all need to be reviewed separately. This is an assumption, but honestly? I can bet most of the people writing these comments aren’t immigrants and aren’t people of color.

NTA

The UK can generally have a really shitty attitude towards learning other languages. There’s this idea that we shouldn’t need to bother learning other languages because: *’everyone speaks English anyway’*, yet there are people that hear immigrants speaking their native language together and will shout at them to ‘speak English’.

I’m not saying that your neighbours *are* this kind of xenophobe with a double-standard, but it seems like common sense to just learn the language if you’re going to live there. You shouldn’t have to act as their personal translator because they’re too lazy to learn something so important.

Edit: not responding to all the thinly veiled racism and whataboutism. Woken up to fuckloads of notifications and many of them are a total clusterfuck.

ESH. This is the first time on reddit ive seen people collectively agree that “those people needa learn the language of the country theyre in.” I wonder how many people also would say the same thing if that was an immigrant to America asking an english speaker to constantly translate because they only knew spanish. Then, if the American told them to fuck off and learn english, he is a racist and everyone would say YTA, guarenteed.

They suck for not learning chinese while in china or making an effort. You suck for being a dick to your neighbor because they occasionally ask you to translate one of the hardest modern languages in the world by far.

My judgement is NAH, but I find it absolutely hilarious that I saw a very similar post yesterday about a foreign person living in the US, where OP said that they should know how to speak basic English, and everyone jumped down their throat and called them racist. But now that the roles are reversed and it is a white person who doesn’t speak the local language, nobody is calling anyone racist for saying they should speak the local language. I know the circumstances are slightly different because you are not Chinese, but it does feel hypocritical of this sub.

Big NTA, I’m British in Japan and it pisses me off when people don’t make any kind of effort to learn.

I know a woman who’s been here 20 damned years and she barely speaks a word outside of the basics, and she’s super fucking scornful that I’m actually making an effort to learn and avoid the foreigner bubble so many foreigners here fall into.

It’s a big problem with English speakers, particularly British and Australian, that we don’t make an effort to learn because “everyone speaks English”.

NTA obviously. Someone just made a post where he told his MIL who lived in the US for 20 years to learn English. 20 YEARS! Kind of crazy how everyone’s saying it’s ok to tell people in china they should speak Chinese but a hate crime to tell people in America to speak English https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/comments/d5wn0g/aita_for_telling_my_mil_to_learn_english/

NTA. We’re notoriously terrible for expecting everyone else to learn English and it seems they’re no exception.

They’ve been there long enough to broaden their skills and you were nice enough to help for a while, but you shouldn’t be their crutch. Hopefully they will take on learning the language and you will have helped them even more in the long run.

NTA However, you mentioned they work for the British gov, I’m guessing these are embassy people. From what I understand embassy workers are placed every four years. They are around other Brits all day and may not be invested in the Chinese culture like you are. You’re free to stop helping, but you’re being kind of judgy.

NTA.

Also : https://old.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/comments/bwjk8z/aita_for_telling_my_wifes_mother_to_learn_how_to/

Quite funny to see the old switcheroo when it’s about an english not knowing the language where they live.

NTA

>they lost their shit saying I’m an asshole and I’m making their lives difficult.

They’re making their own lives difficult by refusing to learn more than two words of the native tongue where they currently live.

YTA. It is extremely racist to ask immigrants to adapt to the host culture. Don’t believe me? Come to America and tell someone who speaks Spanish to learn English and get crucified

I bookmarked this post to use as an example when people immigrate to the US and refuse to learn English. It’s inconsiderate to the country and it’s people that you’re moving into.

Nta. I hate those so-called ex-pats that live in another country for economic reasons and make no effort at all to integrate. Some British people are so entitled.

NTA – If you move permanently to any other country in where they speak a language that is not your mother tongue, then you learn that language! Period.

NTA.

Clearly they really don’t want to be bothered with the difficulty of learning a new tongue, and hate you for telling a simple truth.