Liebestod

With regard to the foreign language requirement for Ph.D. programs in English: I wouldn't worry too much about it. I remember how nervous I was when I took my translation exam...then I passed at the level of "Fluency," fulfilling the requirement. Of course, I had studied French at the advanced undergraduate level...but then, my peers took the exam and passed at "Fluency" as well, having only studied elementary French the summer before! And this was at a top-10 English program.