Question

What does sedaris mean when he writes that "understanding" another language is "a small step, nothing more, yet its rewards are intoxicating and deceptive" (?

Answer 1

From that quote , he stated that understanding a language eliminate the first barrier that people have understanding another culture.

But often time, people misinterpreted understanding a language as understanding the culture itself, which is why it is deceptive. There is no way for us to truly understand other culture unless we actually live among it.