Perhaps. But, as evidence, I have a Chinese friend who bootstrapped his way to learn German when he became an exchange student in Germany, then, when he was doi

Perhaps. But, as evidence, I have a Chinese friend who bootstrapped his way to learn German when he became an exchange student in Germany, then, when he was doing his residency after graduating med school, he did the same with Spanish so he could treat his Hispanic patients in their language. He used children's books to kickstart, then graduated to advanced books, always with a dictionary at hand.