Ask HN: Learn a programming language in a foreign language

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=821432

by blintson • 17 years ago

2 2 17 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

I've been looking around for a Japanese version of SICP to improve my Japanese and learn Scheme at the same time. Has anybody else here tried this? Tried to improve your ability in a foreign language by studying a subject in that language? How successful were you? Do you think it's a bad idea?

P.S. If you know of where I could find the full text of SICP in Japanese it'd be great if you could post it.

RiderOfGiraffes• 17 years ago

I've done this a lot, but specifically with novels, and more specifically, with action novels aimed at 14 year old boys.

There's a reason for this. The hardest vocabulary to memorise are the small words. The longer words are less common, and often share a root with the English (this is less true for Japanese, Thai, etc) Small words turn up more frequently in prose, so when reading a novel you get drilled on them more often.

Studying a technical work in a foreign language is something I've not tried - it's an interesting idea - but I personally would have trouble dealing with both issues at once - the language and the material.

Will you blog to let us know your progress?

idlewords• 17 years ago

I don't think this works well with technical topics, unless you are a very advanced speaker looking to expand your vocabulary into a technical field. Technical instructional material uses a very narrow slice of a language's vocabulary and grammar.

I worked in China for six months with an office full of guys who could discuss complicated security architecture, race conditions, closures and all kinds of advanced technical topic in English, but couldn't have a social conversation above the third-grade level. It made for a lot of silent lunches. You can see a similar phenomenon at international specialist conferences.

I think the suggestion to read young adult fiction is excellent. Just be prepared to feel humble.

Ask HN: Learn a programming language in a foreign language

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