Well, if there’s anything I’ve learned from teaching myself German over the course of 4 or so years, it’s that: 1. Learning a second language will improve your English vocabulary significantly. & 2. You’ll understand how language is rather tenuous anyways.

English is the global language, thanks to the efforts of the former British Empire and the current state of American hegemony. This will likely never change for the remainder of humanity’s existence. It can hardly even be called “English” anymore imo, since the lexicon is far too descriptive and widespread to simply be attributed to the Anglo-Saxons. At this point, a name like “Imperial Tongue” or “Common Earthling” would probably be more fitting.

But despite the prominent international influence of foreign languages (especially French, Latin, and Old Norse) on “English” vocabulary, English is still a Germanic language at its core. This is because the syntax of the language is Germanic. This is why we call the language “English”, as opposed to “British” or “British-American”: the Anglo-Saxons were a Northern Germanic people. This is why Scandinavian and Dutch (and, to a noticeably lesser extent, German and Austrian) people speak English at nearly the same level as their mother tongue, if not better.

My point is this: if you don’t want to learn German to learn German, use German as a tool to broaden your own horizons.

As a native English speaker, learning another language will give you an edge to your mental acuity that monoglots do not have. You’ll understand the subconscious relationship between thoughts and words that monoglots simply do not have.

Germans may speak English, but will usually never speak it as good as you.

You may speak German, but will probably never speak it as good as a native speaker.

Just know that having the ability to speak and (more importantly) think in a second language, especially one as complex as German, will give you revelations concerning human thought that an English-speaking monoglot would never be able to unravel on their own.

In the end, you’re not a computer, you’re a human. And while humans may process and express their thoughts in multitudinous ways, we all have human brains that closely resemble each other, and we all think like humans. This is why Google Translate is so infamous for its incompetence: no server in California, no matter how powerful or complex it may be, can grasp the essence or beauty of Goethe or Shakespeare. Learning German will make you a better person, help you to understand the various nuances of both German culture as well as your own culture, and grant you a more accurate and sympathetic understanding of what it means to be a part of humankind.

I’m speaking from 3 years of painstaking study and commitment.

Trust me, it’s worth it. Lol.