so, if you go to the opera, do you go because you understand the italian (or whatever language)? or is the point to go and experience it, understanding nothing?
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Sometimes, depending upon the venue, there may be supertitles ( <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surtitles> ).
I like supertitles. They give a performance that "Logan's Run" quality opera usually lacks and, in my martini'ed opinion of the moment, sorely needs.
Most of the time the program contains helpful notes. And of course, the stories of money making opera company favorites, such as Mozart's Cosi fan tutte, are well known or easily researched if a patron is unfamiliar.
Usually, I pretend to understand Italian or German because it's fun to pretend. I imagine I'm Umberto Eco, but beardless, not Italian, permanently tanned and wearing more fashionable glasses.
Actually, the stories are often straightforward enough -- in a timeless, these are the kinds of tales humans have always told sort of way -- that even without language facility an alert person can get quite a bit.
.d.