Computer programming (using alphabets other than the English alphabet)...?

[Stacia]

So, over dinner tonight, ds & I somehow moved to the topic of computer programming & we ended up in a debate. Maybe someone here can help answer?

 

The computer languages we're familiar with are coded using the English alphabet & symbols found on keyboards that use English alpha-numeric letters/numbers/symbols. So, basically, we're talking about a programming language like C (or other 'big name' programming languages).

 

What about programming languages in other countries which have completely different alphabets? (Think Korean, Arabic, etc....) I'm sure programs exist/are programmed using the alpha-numeric letters/numbers/symbols of the original country, but is that also the case with the "big" programming languages?

 

It seems like we should know the answer or that it should be obvious, but neither of us knows & we hold disagreeing opinions on what the correct answer might be.

 

Any info or help?

 

Thanks!

 

Edited June 11, 2016 by Stacia

[OlgaLA]

As far as I know, and I studied programming in Russia, where we used Cyrillic alphabet for writing, all major programming is done in English. Books about it could be written in any language, but actual code is in English/uses Latin letters.

 

ETA: My DH says that variables could be named in other languages/alphabets

Edited June 11, 2016 by OlgaLA

[Ailaena]

Ime with taking a c++ course in French, variables can be in any language, but basics are in English. It really doesn't even matter if you speak English because there aren't paragraphs of things to learn, generally just some words.

 

It would make it difficult if you didn't know the Latin alphabet, though! Well, maybe not, it would be like learning any language... Hm.

Edited June 11, 2016 by Ailaena

[Joules]

English is the primary language for programming, even in programming languages developed in other countries.  There is a Wiki-pedia article on some non-English ones, but they aren't really significant, some are just hobby languages.  I would guess maybe 1% are non-English.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-English-based_programming_languages

 

 

ETA: The keyboard issue.  I'm not positive, but the programmers that I've met from China, Japan, and India are all lightning fast on the QWERTY keyboard, so I've never suspected that they learned on anything else.  My dh works with a couple of native Russians, I'll have him ask.

 

Edited June 11, 2016 by Joules

[Lanny]

My belief is that in any serious computer programming language, in widespread use, in industry, everything is done in U.S.  English. I am assuming that and do not have a link to give to you, to confirm or deny what I am assuming.  If there are comments with the code, they can be in any language, to describe what the programmer/engineer was trying to do, but the actual code,etc., is in U.S. English. 

[MercyA]

My husband is a programmer and says all programming languages of which he is aware are in English. He has worked with Chinese and Japanese programmers, and they use English characters. 

[catz]

My husband has also worked with programmers from all over the world and I actually have too in a past life and all the big languages are English based. 

 

It is however big business translating software so it appears to the user in another language and all large scale software is written to be flexible in this regard.  When I was working as a software engineer I spent several weeks at a company in Ireland that was doing software translation for the software company I was working for.