Re: shortcuts, see esc-> shortcut configuration.
Many people use the whole alphanumeric part of their keyboard as hotkeys for skills and items (switching gear is a big deal in end-game).
Stat points can be reset for a fee (Magic Stones - obtainable in-game or from cash shop) at any time. When a character reaches level 99/50, they go through what is known as Rebirth, becoming a level 1/1 high novice. At this point, stats are also reset to 1.
This does mean that you need to allocate stats at least mostly correctly. RO is a lot more forgiving than it used to be in this regard; a few points in the "wrong" stats don't destroy a character anymore.
What class are you going to be? If you share that, we can get you some stat advice.
Skills, on the other hand, can be reset for free up until I think level 99 now (it used to be 40, then they realized that was absurdly low and increased it). Skills never reset on their own, though.
Yeah - some of the NPC dialog is pretty engrishy, but most of the important dialog isn't that bad.
There's a lot of great information on the game on the wiki - irowiki.org