How do non-english speaking people code?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2585026

by rounak • 15 years ago

2 8 15 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

For ex. how does a chinese person who doesn't know english write javascript?

BruceForth• 15 years ago

I would presume they use a keyboard.

On a more serious note, as a native Finnish-speaker, I've always written all of my code and comments in English. It's just so much simpler than any other alternative I can think of.

sebkomianos2• 15 years ago

But you DO speak english.

mg1313• 15 years ago

If you don't know any English then you don't code. How could you?? Every programmer I know does know some English and can write/speak well enough to be understood.

stonemetal• 15 years ago

How does a Spaniard who doesn't know English write French?

About as well as he knows French.

mikeleeorg• 15 years ago

All the Chinese programmers I know can understand some English - especially enough to write code, though many have taken English classes as well. It's possible my selection sample is biased, since the Chinese programmers I know are somehow related to this industry.

FYI: they use keyboards that have both Chinese and English characters on them, like: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keyboard_layout#Chinese

bartonfink• 15 years ago

I doubt it would be that hard. You'd just have to memorize the keywords in the programming language. You don't need to speak English to write code, although it does help.

sebkomianos2• 15 years ago

Memorizing keywords in a language you know/understand is really much different to just memorizing.

r3demon• 15 years ago

They would know the meanings for most of the names (classes, functions, operators) even if they don't know English at all.

How do non-english speaking people code?

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