Americans and foreign nationals. Anecdotal, friend returned from China many years ago after being paid to go teach English and some other minor courses. Got mar

Americans and foreign nationals. Anecdotal, friend returned from China many years ago after being paid to go teach English and some other minor courses. Got married while in China and after his stint there she was granted permission to move to America with him. Long story short, they frequent different ethnic grocery stores and restaurants and some customers will make comment about them, directed at his wife, that they fully don't expect him to understand. Needless to say he does and usually replies kindly with how nice it is today and did the see that great item on a certain aisle. So it works both ways, for many of us the need to learn a second language isn't there and the ambition to do so doesn't work well without the need.