[LeanderK]

what i never understood is why learning the language and culture is not the immediate #1 priority, i think its the only way to really integrate and prosper in an foreign country. Of course there are more pressing issues (getting a place to sleep, get to know you working environment and responsibilities), but i would dedicate every second i can to practice the language and understand the culture (not in the academic sense).

[wsy]

It seems so, but in Germany it is not #1 priority. In my research lab in Germany, we were PhD students from about 15 countries, and the work language was English. This is very common for science and engineering research. So a student from China can either spend time learning German to improve his/her social life, or spend time reading and writing in English to achieve better academic results. Usually it is difficult enough for them to become fluent in English, which is necessary to publish papers. Guess what happens.