I really feel sad when I read all this. I know that the world has changed a lot and that I am old, so I hope you guys will understand where I'm coming from. What on earth would you gain from a date with someone you couldn't really communicate with? Yeah, I know that there is an obvious answer!
Actually, as a freshly single person with only an elementary level of chinese, I find dating to be the best way to practice my chinese.
A person has to be slightly patient to be willing to spend a couple hours talking chinese to me, and local people, like shop clerks and restaurant owners, don't have much time. But a date is the perfect opportunity because, yeah, there is a little more incentive to be attentive to each other right?!
And its nice to know you can't fall back on english (which is what happens if you try speaking chinese to your students, or other chinese teachers) if you go out with a local person.
And if its a really good date,
then you yearn to improve your language skills even more. Dating is way better motivation than say, a final exam or classwork.
Plus, it sounds like the OP can speak chinese, he was translating for a friend and talked to her on the phone.