I'm training part time (when I'm not working) in China and I completely understand what you're going through, I'm very much a beginner in Mandarin, so it's very hard to understand everything my instructor is saying. That being said, try and follow the movements as best you can, and see if you can find anybody to translate for you to let your sempai know the situation better. Also, do your best to learn enough of his language that you can understand some of the basics of what he's saying. If he's teaching you its smart and respectful to try and pick up enough to understand what he's saying. Not to mention that language skills are never ever a bad thing to have. Lastly, like RH said, see if your instructors can physically help you and show you/move you into the position you need to be in.

Nice answer by Aon - very well said.

You need to be honest: speak up. Assert yourself: you can do with with respect.

If you are clear that you cannot understand, then you both can work out a means for communication that you can both agree on. Don't ignore him, and don't be rude when you cannot understand. Work with him beforehand, explain that you have a hard time understanding, and see if you can both agree to a system of conveying your misunderstanding. Keep in mind, if he doesn't know you don't understand, it is probably infuriating to him to see your behavior/reactions. So it's in both of your interests to work it out.

Such a dialog is but a small part of the bigger picture of your martial arts training: many times a bad self-defense situation can easily be diffused by simple dialog that can clear misunderstanding.

I have trained in Japan and did not speak the language and was still able to get great training. What they did was that instead of giving me verbal instructions, they first showed me and if I still did not get it, they would physically move me to how they wanted me to move. You might want to start by telling him that you admire his techniques and if he could do the same with you as my teachers did with me.

Being honest is not rude. Staying quiet and not explaining why things are not working out is in the end disrespectful. He's there to teach. You are there to learn. If you are not learning, then you are both wasting your time.

Hey guys,

So Im a brown belt and I am currently practising Goju ryu in my dojo. One of my Senpais is from Brazil and I often have a hard time understanding him. His techniques are clear and I can follow his movements, but when it comes to verbal instructions I struggle to understand him. Sometimes I have no idea what hes asking me to do and it makes me look like im somewhere else and have no idea what im doing but thats not the case. I get the impression that he thinks im completely useless. Any tips on overcoming this? I dont really know how to bring it up without sounding rude.