All part of the pilot mystique - got to impress the punters with our ability to read incomprehensible METARs. It wouldn't be so impressive if they realized that all those letters just say that it's was warm, sunny with a light wind would it? They can tell that by going outside.
It's the same with Q-codes, antique slide-rules (sorry, "flight computers"), mechanical stop-watches and NOTAMS. Nobody would respect lawyers if they talked in English. Nobody would respect pilots if they used a moving map GPS to find their way around. That's why we need proper "pilot interpreted" aids like VOR and ADF, 'cos the punters can't understand them...
(seriously, I like the current system - I find a one-line TAF much easier to scan than three or four lines of 'plain english' giving the same information)