If you’re from a non English speaking country, do you first have to learn English if you want to get into programming?

  • Lupec@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    45
    ·
    11 months ago

    Ideally, you need at least some basic understanding to use the vast majority of languages. The problem isn’t even writing the code itself, you can definitely just memorize the keywords and some basic concepts and have at it. If you ask me, the real issue is the availability, amount and overall quality of documentation and learning material if you go about it that way.

    I have a few coworkers who skipped the learning English part and learned most everything from other non native speakers and they tend to be crippled by often not really being able to make use of official documentation or keep up with new things, since the vast majority of content out there is in English. It also has the unfortunate side effect of pushing them to stick with whatever it is they learned way back when and not really looking for better ways of getting things done.

    So basically, you can pull it off without knowing English but it’s going to be suboptimal and/or painful IMO.

    • Potatos_are_not_friends@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      7
      ·
      11 months ago

      Bash commands feel like fake English to me. I know they’re abbreviations, but that’s the closest I felt to simulating that feeling of a non-english speaker memorizing commands to do something.

      • Lupec@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        4
        ·
        11 months ago

        I love that, great analogy! I don’t think I’d ever make that connection since I’m pretty sure they both sounded about equally alien back when I was introduced to them 😅