Monolingual learned a non-Indo-European language fluently at 26 | Success stories and anecdotes | Forum

I had never heard of Ladakh before the age of 25, and then came to Ladakh at 26 and started with a good interest in language. I suppose I had a slow start -- I certainly wasn't fluent in 3 months or even 2 years, but I kept using what I knew and expanding on it, and studying the language however I could, though there were no classes. I kept a notebook in my pocket, kept asking how to say this or that, and read the meager and (I later realised) rather incorrect dictionary and grammar study that were available. After a few years I was fluent.

Yes it can be done! Benny is spot on.