I agree that for a native English/American speaker to learn other languages is mostly a waste of time (if you are not a spy; or businessman having to deal with constipated French etc). Only if you permanently move to another country the situation gradually becomes different. Americans who move to Sweden (we had a lot of Vietnam war 'deserters' coming way back) can keep on speaking American for a year or so without anyone taking notice (actually if the American tries to speek Swedish the Swedes may deny him to do so, they love to train themselves in speaking English), but then when years pass bye and the American still loves the special attention he receives as an American-speaker and refuses to learn Swedish, the situation will become awkward. I studied German, French, Italian and Russian and am still moderately fluent in German, but I care less and less to keep these languages up since English is more and more becoming the World Language. Asgaard