It's true that learning one Latin language (like French) makes it easier to understand another latin language (like Spanish), and the same is true of learning s

It's true that learning one Latin language (like French) makes it easier to understand another latin language (like Spanish), and the same is true of learning similar programming languages. But the point isn't that it's easy to approximate what is being said, it's that when you are speaking, all your prior knowledge confuses you. For example, if you start speaking (not listening to) Frisian and Limburgs, you might find yourself throwing a few Swedish or German words in the mix.