I agree that the error messages are dreadful, but I've found a pretty simple pedagogical approach to make them less terrifying for a new learner. The key is tha

I agree that the error messages are dreadful, but I've found a pretty simple pedagogical approach to make them less terrifying for a new learner. The key is that you reinforce a habit of frequently hitting the "typeset" button that way, when something goes wrong, they know to look at the commands that they just typed. If you combine that habit with an explanation of the more common errors (like forgetting an "end" tag, or using improper nesting), then the error messages become a lot less scary. The learner, at least initially, doesn't have to try to understand what the message means, just how to deal with it.