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My talk shows how to write Ruby in a non-English language and the benefits of doing so. This will certainly be a great help for people who don’t speak English. It also helps get a better programming perspective for seasoned developers who don’t have English as their first language. I will also demo the tooling that I have developed, using which one can quickly create a new spoken language variant of Ruby and start programming in Spanish, Portuguese etc.
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In his talk "Writing Ruby, just not in English!" at RubyConf 2022, Ratnadeep Deshmane explores the concept of writing Ruby in non-English languages, addressing the barriers faced by non-English speakers in programming. He highlights how the English language can be a significant obstacle to understanding programming concepts, especially for those whose first language isn't English. By introducing the Ruby vernacular initiative, Ratnadeep presents an innovative solution to make programming more accessible. Key points discussed in the talk include: - **The Initial Inspiration**: Ratnadeep's journey began while teaching Ruby to his younger brother, who faced challenges related more to English terminology than the programming logic itself. - **Importance of Meaningful Keywords**: He emphasizes how programming keywords can have different meanings in various languages, affecting comprehension. For instance, the word 'class' may relate to school classrooms in some cultures, leading to confusion. - **Communication Lessons from Aviation**: Ratnadeep shares the story of the Gimli Glider incident to illustrate the significance of clear communication and teamwork, paralleling it with challenges in the Ruby community regarding clarity in code. - **Real-world Examples**: He showcases translated Ruby code examples in Spanish, demonstrating how Ruby's flexibility allows for aliasing standard keywords for better understanding. He notes the success of creating a 'Ruby Spanish' variant that is still executable. - **Translation Challenges**: The translation process involves ensuring contextual understanding; Ratnadeep mentions his collaboration with developers to refine terminologies, leading to potential new keyword definitions like translating 'class' to a term meaning 'mold' or 'die cast'. - **Utilizing Technology**: The Ruby vernac parser gem is introduced, which facilitates the translation and execution of Ruby code in different languages, using tools like Google Translate as a basis for initial translations. - **Cultural Relevance**: Ratnadeep stresses the educational benefits of coding in native languages, including engagement and relatability, leading to enriched learning experiences. - **Innovative Tools**: The speaker concludes with a humorous take on coding, creating an emoji-based Ruby vernacular, which still complies with Ruby syntax, showcasing the playful side of programming. In conclusion, the talk advocates for a more inclusive approach to programming through the Ruby vernacular, enabling non-native speakers to learn programming effectively while minimizing the language barrier. It highlights the essence of communication, clarity in coding terminology, and the adaptation of programming languages to fit cultural contexts, ultimately aiming to democratize the learning experience for aspiring developers worldwide.
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