Back when I was a kid (mid-1980s), I found this book on FORTRAN and graphics (published in the 1970s, IIRC). I loved the graphics, but I didn't have FORTRAN. I did have BASIC, though (specifically, Extended Color BASIC on my TRS-80 Color Computer). So - I set about converting some of those programs from FORTRAN to BASIC. Turned out to work fairly well; I didn't find FORTRAN to be that cryptic (at least what was published in that book). It started me down a path of learning how to translate code from one language to another; just another minor skill in my toolbag, I guess!