Smart talk

Thanks to both Susan Spano and Elliott Hester for extolling the joy and hard work of learning languages [“How Do You Say, ‘I’m Lost?,’ ” Jan. 6]. The older I get, the more I appreciate having learned some languages besides English.

I’ve found that even a 100-word vocabulary goes a long way for any traveler. My wife gets by pretty well in Mexico on the Spanish she learned in school.

I hope your articles inspire lots of your readers to give languages their attention. The benefits certainly justify the hard work of learning.

Andrew Young

San Diego