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Learning Chinese involves a lot of rote learning and memorisation （at least the writing does). Programming is a flowful activity that I enjoy doing. So I don't
by IsaacL 17y ago
Learning Chinese involves a lot of rote learning and memorisation （at least the writing does). Programming is a flowful activity that I enjoy doing. So I don't really see them as a same.
One similarity: actually using the skills practically is incredibly vital for learning. For Mandarin, this is conversations; for programming, projects. Another: there's a few interesting isomorphisms between linguistics (Chinese is the first foreign language I've seriously tried to learn) and computer science. But overall, learning them has been a very different experience.
- iamwil 17y agoI think maybe you forget a time when programming was hard for you. She's comparing learning Chinese as someone that knows English to learning programing as someone that is non-technical. Both require people to learn fundamentals before they can go on to do "the fun stuff" (for Chinese, ordering food and for Programming, your own twitter client). This is because what you're learning is so alien to what you know, both as an english speaker and as a non-technical person. A lot of people stop learning at this point, at the fundamentals. She's saying don't stop there--power through it. There's light on the other side.
- est 17y ago> For Mandarin, this is conversations; for programming, projects Computer languages are how you translate your project ideas to what a computer/platform can understand, literally it's still a language
- jrockway 17y agoYour computer doesn't subtly dislike you for using the wrong word, however.