I don't think you need to dismiss it as a factor. I think there are quite a lot of people who can get into a new language in a matter of weeks. That's really no

I don't think you need to dismiss it as a factor. I think there are quite a lot of people who can get into a new language in a matter of weeks. That's really not the issue, you just have to find out if he's motivated to get into it. Because motivation is key. If your PHP developer is excited about becoming a Java developer he'll do fine. If he wants to stay in his comfort zone it's not.