worldly languages

Think of it as relative insularity. The English don't think anyone can speak English, and they're usually right, particularly about themselves. "Pardon my English would be pretty appropriate in most cases, globally, whoever's speaking. French used to be the sexy language of literature, blue movies, and dirty postcards, at the start of the 20th Century. The French don't condescend to admit the existence of other languages, and they were the first international language in modern times. As far as anyone knows, they're trying to keep it that way, and French is still an official language of the UN. It doesn't seem to have occurred to anyone that "Pardon me" would be quite enough.