I don't know of any easy way to learn to do this from the outside without coming up through the ranks (as it were). The only thing I can suggest is to get a few examples, and ask some friends, colleagues, or on-line forums what they mean. Pick one or two, and ask in different places. The level of assistance you can get from a well asked question in the right place can be extraordinary.

But be aware that mathematical notation is not, without context, unambiguous. So you might need to provide some context for what you're doing, or where you get the examples from. Some people think this is a weakness of mathematical notation to be solved, but I've found it tremendously powerful. There is no doubt, however, that it is an accidental barrier to entry.

So post a picture of a piece of notation, and maybe someone will either explain it, or point you at a book/website that you can read.