So I've studied German a little. I have no conversational skills and little facility reading it. But I really enjoy German poetry in the original language. My theory is that it's like the Guitar Hero version of speaking the language - it lets me play along with an expert, even though I am a rank neophyte. I would love to see this in German.

One thing that bothers me is that the cultural context is lost. I am completely oblivious to things that would be obvious to a native speaker. For instance, I like some poems by Christian Morgenstern, but is that like saying I like a Hallmark card or a Thomas Kincaid painting? I suspect it's a little bit like the latter, which is fine. The Germans I have spoken with had no interest in poetry, good or bad, so they couldn't offer any feedback.