As an American, I'd say we are the leaders of the mono-lingual pack. Don't know about those from Oz and NZ. During my own Peace Corps experience I learned a first foreign language and I also learned that it is possible, with just a bit of effort and the use of a phrasebook, to learn a small amount of almost any "easy" foreign language and that it frequently breaks the ice during my travels in Western Europe. "Easy" foreign languages for a native English speaker include the Romance languages - French, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese.
Though very functional, pulling out a smart phone and using it as a translator depersonalizes our human to human contacts, imo. Better to start with a "pidgin" effort and then ask whether the other party happens to speak English. Again, my opinion.
Back to the subject of the op - Herzog the filmaker is a force to be reckoned with. Thanks for the link
@Prentiss Riddle. I think I'll try to find (and watch) some of his less well-known works after the last beautiful days of autumn have run their course.