A chum of mine today found herself sub-editing a taxation-related column for the first time (for a non-taxation-related magazine). In spite of being an experienced and thoroughly capable journalist, she was a little perplexed by the article. The phraseology and seemingly endless references to sub-paragraphs within paragraphs within sections of tax legislation were alien to her. 'Oh', I declared lightly, 'that's what all taxation language is like' - and then I changed the subject. How uncaring of me! Only seven months ago, I too was baffled; in my case, by the Martian runes that seemed to fill the pages of Taxation's magazine and website. Now I can speak the cosmic tongue of tax in much the same way I speak Spanish: slowly, simply and carefully, with a great deal of umming and arring - though with fewer requests for tapas and beer. Luckily for me, I have in my editorial colleagues three expert translators whom I trust to always steer me right. To continue the Spanish simile, I'll never - I hope! - find myself committing the tax-equivalent faux pas of, say, asking a butcher for two pechos(boobs) instead for two pechuga (chicken breasts).