Latin or lingua latina was the language of ancient Rome. It was the ancestor of the modern Romance lanuages: Portuguese, French, Italian, Spanish, Romanian, Catalan, etc.  Many words based on Latin are found in other modern languages, such as English. The Latin alphabet, derived from the Greek, remains the most widely-used alphabet in the world. It is said that 80 percent of scholarly English words are derived from Latin (in a large number of cases by way of French).

Moreover, in the Western world, Latin language was a lingua franca, the learned language for scientific and political affairs, for more than a thousand years, being eventually replaced by French in the 18th century and English in the late 19th. Ecclesiastical Latin remains the formal language of the Roman Catholic Church up to this day, and thus the official national language of the Vatican. The Church used Latin language  as its primary liturgical language until the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s. Latin is also still used (drawing heavily on Greek roots) to furnish the names used in the scientific classification of living things. The modern study of Latin language, along with Greek, is known as Classics.

The linguistic element of Latin courses offered in high schools or secondary schools, and in universities, is primarily geared toward an ability to translate Latin texts into modern languages, so to understnd Latin rather than using it in oral communication. As such, the skill of reading is heavily emphasized.

However, there is a growing movement, sometimes known as the Living Latin movement, whose supporters believe that Latin can, or should be taught in the same way that modern "living" languages are taught, that is, as the means of both spoken and written communication.

Institutions, offering Living Latin language instruction, include the Vatican and the University of Kentucky. In Britain the Classical Association encourages this approach, and there has been something of a vogue for books, describing the adventures of a mouse called Minimus. In the United States there is a thriving competitive organization for high school Latin students, the National Junior Classical League, backed up by the Senior Classical League for college students. Many would-be international auxiliary languages have been heavily influenced by Latin, and the moderately successful Interlingua considers itself to be the modernized and simplified version of the language (le latino moderne international e simplificate).

Wouldn't it be great to just plunge into the Latin language and have the all the Latin grammar explanations sitting off to the side, waiting to be read whenever you need them? That was what we thought, too, which is why Latin software programs like LatinNow by Tanspaent Language are elaborated  to be an effective, fun way to learn Latin.

Regular practice is necessary to learn to understand Latin well. That's why good Latin software programs and other Latin products can be so useful. So, best wishes as you learn Latin language!