Careful!
我弄错了吗？
Excuse me, do you speak English?
Many people in China presume that everybody from outside Asia speaks English. Although English is a widely spoken language, not every foreigner speaks it (or likes to speak it!). Granted, most Europeans who travel to China will have English (many of them will be fluent); it is still polite to ask first.
许多中国人都想当然地认为，亚洲以外的人都讲英语。虽然英语是一门使用广泛的语言，但并非每一名外国人都讲（或喜欢讲）英语。确实，大多数到中国旅游的欧洲人会英语（他们中的许多人都能讲一口流利的英语）；但出于礼貌，还是应该先询问一下。
When travelling in non-English speaking countries it is even more important not to assume that everyone you meet can understand English. It's best to begin a conversation with, "excuse me, do you speak English?" In many cases the listener will be able to speak some English and will be happy you didn't just presume they could. If you can learn a few simple phrases in the local language it would be even more impressive.
当你在非英语国家旅行的时候，这一点甚至变得更加重要，那就是不要想当然地认为你遇到的每个人都懂英语。在与人交谈时，最好是以一句“对不起，你会讲英语吗？”来切入正题。在许多情况下，与你交谈的人是懂一些英语的，而且会因为你不是想当然地认为他们就说英语而感到惬意。如果你能学会一些当地语言中的简短语句，那就会给对方留下更加深刻的印象。
Similarly, the word "foreigner" is commonly misused. A foreigner is someone that comes from a different country to your own. When you say "foreigner" you could be referring to a person from one of over 200 different countries. However, many students use this word to refer to Europeans and North Americans. A typical example would be, "foreigners don't use chopsticks". Japanese and Koreans use chopsticks and they are also foreigners.
同样地，“外国人”这个词一般都被曲解了。外国人是指来自你所在国家以外任意一个国家的人。当你说到“外国人”时，你可能是指200多个国家中任何一个国家的人。然而，许多学生却用这个词来指代欧洲人和北美国家的人。典型的例子就是，“外国人不用筷子”。日本人和韩国人就用筷子，可他们也是外国人。
If you want to speak generally about Americans, Europeans, Australians etc., you can use the term "westerners". But don't forget that this is a very wide group of people and it is often better to be more specific. If the person you are talking with is from Canada, use the word "Canadian", if they are from Greece, say "Greek" etc.
如果你想泛指美国、欧洲、澳大利亚等国家和地区的人，你可以使用这个词语——“西方人”。但不要忘记，这是一个非常宽泛的群体，通常情况下，最好是具体说明你的所指。如果与你交谈的人来自加拿大，你就用“加拿大人”这个词，如果他们来自希腊，就用“希腊人”，以此类推。
These mistakes are by no means serious. Nonetheless, there is no harm in trying to express your meaning more clearly.
这些错误绝不是什么严重的问题。不过，争取使自己的表述更清晰却不是什么有害的事情。
Small talk和老外怎么说
第1句
The gloomy weather and exhausting work is killing me!
阴天和令人筋疲力尽的工作快让我受不了了。
【换句话说】
This miserable weather coupled with my heavy workload is killing me!
第2句
I am getting dark circles around my eyes, not to mention these disgusting zits!
我开始有黑眼圈，更别提这些恶心的痘痘了。
第3句
The only cure is to get away to an island resort.
唯一的解决方法就是躲到一座风光宜人的小岛去。
【换句话说】
The only thing to do is escape to an island.
第4句
Sipping cocktails on a sun-drenched beach.
在阳光普照的海滩上享用鸡尾酒。
【换句话说】
Sipping tropical cocktails in the sunshine by the sea.
第5句
Better yet, to have some romantic flings!
最好再来段浪漫的艳遇吧。
