So, how much time do you need to invest to become fluent in a different language? According to the U.S. Department of State, the short answer is, well, it depends on the language.

And learning German could be the gateway to a period of cultural immersion. Learning a language has many professional, cultural and intellectual benefits.

At Vermont's famed Middlebury Language School, opera singers perfect their German — right down to mastering the elusive umlaut.