Re East Germans. I met an east German couple biking the same route as I in northern California, only a few years after the wall came down. The guy could speak English not too badly but the girl only spoke French and i don't speak German so I would just switch around all the time. once again it made me feel lucky to have had the opportunity to learn other languages.

One thing I've learned traveling is that some people just don't have the ability to think beyond their view and listening view of the world. And its not always a question of education, I've known and met people who lives fairly closed lives in terms of education and not being ever far from their area, but were very observant and could think of different ways to try explain things to a struggling person. Yet so many times I've had encounters with people that just leave you shaking your head, heck I've had it with fellow English speakers while traveling.

As to the specific topic, it would be hard having no common language at all when traveling, I've only experienced it a bit in Germany a few times, and can't imagine being in a place with a whole different alphabet.

Even with some common language, I've had people give me totally wrong direction advice, either they were bored and real buggers, getting a laugh out of it, or wouldn't admit to not knowing and make stuff up, or probably sometimes they were unfortunately just thick as a brick.
Always comes back to the ask twice rule, if not same answer from two different separate people, ask a third and fourth if necessary.
After going out of your way on a loaded bike a few times due to wrong directions, you learn to be very distrustful, of at least selective of who you believe. (Plus always having a general layout in your head of your general direction, good map sense)