Why you should (not) learn Hungarian or Romanian

Hungarians and Romanians tend to hate each other. This confuses us Americans because they all just seem the same to us - White people that have a funny accent. But these two nations have a bitter dispute concerning which country has the rights to Transylvania. This is still such a serious matter that I have been warned that I shouldn't discuss this topic in polite company.

This feud is sad to me as I love both countries. I have lived briefly in Budapest and Bucharest. And I have made an effort to learn both languages (more so Hungarian.)

Unless you plan to live permanently in these countries, I would not recommend trying to learn these languages. As a tourist, you will find English is universally spoken at all the places you will visit. All young people in both countries speak English as it is a required language in their schools. And the old people who don't speak English rarely have jobs that interact with tourists.

I also believe that if you are serious about a language you need to live with a native speaker, or know a native speaker who is willing to spend time teaching you. Self-study is good, but it will only take you so far.

I spent many hours trying to learn Hungarian. But I hit a wall and became discouraged. I switched to Romanian as it is an easier language to learn (it is similar to Spanish). But that didn't help much as I ended up being a failure with two languages. Maybe I will add Klingon.