Sorry, I don't speak English very well

I often hear this phrase, "sorry, I don't speak English very well", especially from ESL students.

I like to ask, is there a legit meaning or a reason behind this phrase? What are they trying to say? Do they feel that by saying this, it is an ok sign to speak bad English? So, if I don't say that phrase, I have no right to make mistakes? And, do they expect to make improvements by having people go easy on them all the time?

Whenever I hear this phrase, it bugs me. It's not acceptable; especially from ESL students. It's not a right attitude towards learning a language; or learning anything for that matter. It's a sign of shying away from challenges. By saying "sorry, I don't speak English very well", they are basically backing off from opportunities that will improve their language skills. I mean, students' jobs is learning, and making mistakes is a way of learning. Say if people do slow down their talking speed and simplify their use of words, is that what they want to learn ultimately? A slow and easy English? I highly doubt it.

Go ahead and throw what you've got. So what, if you speak broken English out there? Language is just a tool anyway. As long as communication is working, there's no good or bad, right or wrong.

Interestingly, human communication has only 5% to do with words. The rest are body postures, facial expressions, and tonalities.

So, why even bother saying "sorry, I don't speak English very well"? Stop that nonsense right now.