If you are the average American you only take one foreign language in school. I know that in California about 90% of the population takes Spanish. If you want to later visit Germany you think you're stuck. I don't know German! Never fear! Unlike the American system students actually learn foreign languages and lots of them. Most students start English while still in elementary school! Unless you ask elderly east Germans it's almost guarenteed that any one you ask can speak English. So before you dispare, remember that the European school system is much better then the American one when it comes to languages.