upvote
Whether you like it or not you will look stupid to native speakers. It's a subconscious bias
reply
Idk if that's universal, when I run into people who struggle with English or just don't know it my first thought has never been this is a stupid person.
reply
"Looking stupid" and "being a stupid person", or even "coming off as a stupid person" are not the same things.
reply
No, it does. Even if the audience knows that your English or other languages is perfectly professional, speaking Chinese at a lower level does leave a certain negative impression.
reply
I think the phrasing is fine. It's self-aware. It acknowledges that stupidity, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.

"Looking stupid" is not the same as "being stupid." It could be very smart indeed, depending on your circumstances, to learn an additional language, and the point being made is that when going out in public and speaking it in front of native speakers, ridicule is not unexpected, and should be embraced.

reply