Would you be ok having those same standards applied to brits who choose to travel abroad?
Absolutely. I think that would be a fantastic idea. It would certainly help to improve the reputation of Brits overseas. (I'm Australian, by the way).
When my wife and I went to Turkey a few years ago, we took care to learn a few words as best we could. When we arrived, we found that everyone insisted on speaking to us in English anyway, but we still used what we'd learned whenever the opportunity arose.
People always appreciate it when they can see that you've made an effort to pick up some of their language; I think you'll find that most cultures consider it a mark of respect.
Do you have any idea how many brits are currently traveling and teaching english in asia right now?
Oooh, thousands, probably.
Do you know how many of them bother to even learn the most BASIC level of their hosts language?
No, but I can guess that it's not many. My little sister spent a few years in Japan as an ESL teacher, and she worked hard to learn Japanese. She became quite fluent in it, too. Her colleagues and students were absolutely delighted. That's the way to do it. You don't just rock up to another country and start barking at them in your native tongue.
Brits abroad almost never bother to learn the languages and yet foreigners all over the world bend over backwards to accommodate us...They try to help us with their few words of english.
Yes, because they've sensibly learned that English is now an international language, and you'll need to know it if you have any hope of dealing with the rest of the English speaking world, which is where most of the money can be found.
Just as French was once the language of diplomacy, so English has become the
lingua franca of commerce, industry, science, diplomacy and technology. This has been tremendously beneficial to countries in which English is not the native language, because it enables them to communicate with each other in a common tongue. That is precisely why so many nations now teach English as a compulsory language in their primary and secondary schools.
God forbid someone take a few extra minutes in the post office...
It's not merely about taking a few extra minutes in the post office. It's about making some sort of effort to integrate with the country which you are seeking to make your new home.
If you think it's rude that Brits don't bother to learn the native language when they go abroad for their holidays, how can you not consider it rude when foreigners come here to live and don't bother to speak English?