Re:Show HN: Programming in non-English languages
by timonoko on Monday June 08, 2015 @03:36AM
(#9677666)
It is really horrible when local civil servants start to invent translations for English words, which did not mean anything computer-related to begin with. Like Spool and Cache and Cookie. Why cant browser's Cookie be just Cookie, it is easy to vocalize in any languiage. Why they want to translate Cookie into local bakery term? It does not raise level of comprehension any.
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Re:Show HN: Programming in non-English languages
by blowski on Monday June 08, 2015 @05:23AM
(#9677992)
Partly because 'cookie' requires the latin alphabet, and the ability to pronounce those sounds (it's not as easy as you think). If you're trying to avoid dilution of your language, you may want to come up with your own localised words.
Re:Show HN: Programming in non-English languages
by j-pb on Monday June 08, 2015 @06:03AM
(#9678093)
> dilution of your language
Let me guess, you're french?
Re:Show HN: Programming in non-English languages
by blowski on Monday June 08, 2015 @06:42AM
(#9678180)
Nope, British. But I'm interested in linguistics, and how English affects other languages and the communities that speak those languages.
Re:Show HN: Programming in non-English languages
by j-pb on Monday June 08, 2015 @07:42AM
(#9678328)
I don't see how this is a bad thing though.
The more cultural and linguistic bonds there are between nations, the happier everybody gets. More empathy, less war, easier trade, more friends and more options for living and working wherever you like.
Re:Show HN: Programming in non-English languages
by blowski on Monday June 08, 2015 @07:54AM
(#9678364)
Personally, I think there are advantages and disadvantages. The big disadvantage is that small communities which have high social cohesion get squashed by the larger community, which leads to resentment and bitterness. In the UK, we see this with Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, Scouse, Geordie, the Black Country, etc. They have all been squashed by 'Estuary English' (although some are making a resurgence).
Online communities (including StackOverflow and Hacker News) do much the same thing by putting rules in place about how people talk with each other. When people break those rules, we get upset, because we see those breaking the rules as 'outsiders' and a threat to the community.
I believe that language can have much the same effect. When English comes in, it often results in people forgetting local mythology, songs, rituals, etc, as a result of forces like Hollywood and Simon Cowell. The community withers and is replaced by the great 'meh'.