English or German
Here's a tip for those who are wavering between learning another foreign language and not. A Japanese man who was planning to stay in Germany for a certain period of time once came to Rom and asked for advice.
'The other day I watched a YouTube video where Hiroyuki (an influencer now resident in Paris, France) says something to the effect that German people in general are so good at English that we wouldn't need to be able to speak German while in Germany. What's your opinion?'
'Before expressing my opinion on this matter,' said Rom, 'I must first ask you if you found his opinion reliable enough.'
'Well, I don't know for sure,' said the man, 'but at least I can tell you that had I found it reliable enough, then I'd have never come here to ask you for advice.
'Well said, my friend,' said the advisor. 'If I were in your place, then I'd consider four points, which are:1. Whether I want to learn the language or not;
2. Whether I need to do so or not;
3. The advantage of doing so;
4. The disadvantage - or risk - caused by not doing so.
If you really want to learn German, then why should you hesitate to do so? Remember that you have the freedom to do whatever you want to do as long as it is legal. If you don't want to learn it in the first place, what's the point of doing so? If you need to learn it, just do so. If you need not learn it, what's the use of doing so? If learning it gives you any advantage at all, it would be wise of you to do so. If you don't see any advantage in doing so, not doing so will be an option. If you want to avoid any disadvantage or any risk caused by not doing so, then why not try every means possible to avoid it? Now it's all up to you to decide whether or not to learn the language. Don't ever allow yourself to be misled by any of the so-called influencers who aren't responsible at all for the outcome of your decision. Count on yourself.
As far as I'm concerned, I stayed in Germany for a fortnight from 1 to 14 July 2025 and I'm currently planning to travel there again in the near future for the purpose of introducing my vignettes to the German people. With the help of Google Translate, I've already translated one of my funniest vignettes into German, for why should I not entertain them in their great language, in which Goethe and Schiller wrote? Yes, the conclusion is that it's always best to speak German in Germany (Germanosphere). Deutsch macht frei (German makes one free.).
