Shortage of IT staff in Germany

[doodab]

Do you code in English when contracting in Germany or elsewhere with a different native language?

Anyone contracting in a country where English is only the second language, without any appreciable skills in the country's main language? How hard is it to do that?

Languages with English keywords are the same, that's most of them AFAIK. Naming of things in programs and the language of comments vary, I worked for a large multinational that nominated English as the "official language" so I hardly had to use German at all in the office but I did come across a few bits of legacy code with German and "Denglish" comments.

I suspect if I was looking for another job out there my fairly limited German would be a handicap but it certainly wouldn't make it impossible.

[PAH]

I'd probably feel embarassed working in a country without knowing any of the language other than a few key phrases.

For all the advances humans have made in the last 100 years, a decent automated language translator seems to be missing from the list.

Maybe if unemployment is a problem there are fit young women looking for a role as translator. I'm sure the clients wouldn't mind me turning up with a PA who intermediates all conversations and document reading. As long as she's wearing a suitably short skirt and plenty of cleavage on show.

Would probably need to bring her along to the interview too.

[darmstadt]

All my code, comments, e-mails, documentation, etc. is done in English although interviews and day to day stuff is in German. Most of the people I work, or have worked, with prefer to deal with English technical documentation as the German is far to difficult to read, even for native speakers.

[PAH]

German is far to difficult to read, even for native speakers.

That's suprising.

Maybe there's mileage in a universal language that is both easy to learn and understand. We already have the sign language, starting at one finger and working upwards.

Anyone tried inventing a new simple yet extensible language since Esperanto?

Or does it take world wars and empires to convince people to move away from awkward and archaic languages?

[alreadypacked]

All my code, comments, e-mails, documentation, etc. is done in English although interviews and day to day stuff is in German. Most of the people I work, or have worked, with prefer to deal with English technical documentation as the German is far to difficult to read, even for native speakers.

I was told that most of the English technical books that were translated into German were done so badly that quite often they made no sence at all. Most German IT people I know read technical books in English.

[Spacecadet]

That's suprising.

Maybe there's mileage in a universal language that is both easy to learn and understand. We already have the sign language, starting at one finger and working upwards.

Anyone tried inventing a new simple yet extensible language since Esperanto?

Or does it take world wars and empires to convince people to move away from awkward and archaic languages?

Why invent a new language, english is already becoming the international language (much to the annoyance of the French)

[Sysman]

I was told that most of the English technical books that were translated into German were done so badly that quite often they made no sence at all. Most German IT people I know read technical books in English.

The brighter IT bods will also try to do MCITP / Cisco / whatever qualifications in English.

[PAH]

Why invent a new language, english is already becoming the international language (much to the annoyance of the French)

Not fast enough. English should be the official first language of Europe that everyone has to learn and be willing to use in public.

i.e. It should be illegal when you go to France or Germany and the locals pretend they don't understand you. Yet when you're in their shop and clearing their shelves of wine or cheese, they suddenly understand very well.

[Sysman]

Not fast enough. English should be the official first language of Europe that everyone has to learn and be willing to use in public.

i.e. It should be illegal when you go to France or Germany and the locals pretend they don't understand you. Yet when you're in their shop and clearing their shelves of wine or cheese, they suddenly understand very well.

Yet again when you try to get your money back for shoddy goods, they mysteriously lose their command of English.

Heck, even I suddenly don't speaka da Eengleesh when confronted with chav tourists or a certain class of Yank

[PAH]

I've taken to speaking like polish (not the same as speaking polish) when confronted with someone from scum-class. Confuses them no-end.

Also like to wear clothing with loose sleeves so I can do the 'no hands' routine when confronted with people handing out flyers or begging on the street. Stuns them long enough (thinking I don't really have any hands) for me to move out of range.