When I’m teaching, I’ll sometimes hear a cacophonous wail coming from a nearby hallway. It sounds like a cry for help, but it’s actually Chinese students practicing their English.

Small groups take turns trying to pronounce English words by shouting at the top of their lungs. They seem to think that louder means clearer, though the decibel level makes it virtually impossible to understand what they’re saying.

The first time I heard the sounds, I thought someone was being attacked. I ran into the hallway and found three smiling students reciting words from their English textbooks.

This method of practicing oral English is one of the reasons most of my students can’t speak the language even though they’ve been studying it as a required course since grade school. Another problem is that they’re usually taught by Chinese teachers who can barely speak English themselves.

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English courses in China emphasize grammar and writing instead of speaking and listening, which are far more important. Students memorize facts and rules so they can pass standardized tests, rather than learning how to communicate.

My students often joke about their “Chinglish,’’ slang for the awkward hybrid of English and Chinese that they use. Poor translations and misunderstood colloquialisms can lead to unintentionally hilarious signs and labels such as “Gelatinous Mutant Coconut,’’ “Soup for Sluts,’’ “Racist Park,’’ “Fresh Crap’’ and “Carefully Bang Head.’’

The state of English education in China is no laughing matter, though. Students spend years taking English classes without learning anything practical or useful. By the time they get to college and have a chance to learn English from a native speaker, it’s almost too late.