MtheGM made me remember that educated and literate young people were once expected to be able to read Latin (and even Greek) and to read and speak French. Not sure to this day quite why we needed it

I was in Italy at the end of December last year. I speak no Italian but was able to get the gist of the written explanations of an exhibition based on half remembered Latin from school. Having my Italian daughter-in-law to hand to confirm my guesses helped, of course. And I've done the same - usually without the assurance of a native speaker, to be honest - in many other countries.

My son speaks fluent Spanish as well as English, but he found the same explanations at the exhibition impenitratible