Saturday Morning With Jack Tame

As someone who considers themself at least semi-literate, with the benefit of a reasonable education and at least a passing interest in the world, I can confirm there is nothing quite so humbling in middle-age as learning a new language.    At short notice, I’m hoping to briefly visit a Latin American country for my work in a few weeks’ time, and in preparation this week I downloaded a few apps and subscribed to podcasts to try and re-up my Spanish.   My history with Spanish is one of big surges and even bigger retreats.    I studied it until seventh form at high school. I wasn’t very good but at least I learnt a few nouns and could ask some basic questions.    But when I moved to New York as a 24-year-old I decided to learn Spanish in a way I never had when I was a teenager. I moved to a Latin neighbourhood. I did thrice-weekly lessons on Skype, just speaking with a tutor friend in Mexico’s south.    After a few months of studying, I decided to visit her.   &