Typing was one of the many things I learned due to my laziness. As part of my A-Levels in English, I had to prepare a 15-minute speech on 25 subjects. That’s roughly 375 pages of handwritten notes. At 18, that felt like a mountain.
So I asked myself: “How can I make this go away?” I couldn’t—but I could make it easier. I taught myself to type. Not only would it halve the workload, but I figured sitting behind a typewriter might make me look professional.
The examiners never saw my typed notes, and I doubt I looked professional as I stumbled through my speech. Still, I got an A. And those typing skills became the foundation of my career as a translator and writer. Now, they’re helping me learn programming.
Skills I’m Bringing from Translation to Coding
As a translator, I learned to read between the lines. Translation isn’t just swapping words—it’s capturing tone, context, and intent. Programming feels similar. I need to understand how code interacts and anticipate how users will engage with the final product.
Both disciplines require interpreting abstract ideas and using precise tools—grammar and idioms, or syntax and libraries—to convey meaning clearly and effectively.
Attention to Detail
In translation, a single word or cultural nuance can shift meaning. In programming, a misplaced comma or unclosed loop can break everything. My habit of scrutinizing every word now helps me debug with precision.
Fun fact: a mistranslation of the Japanese word mokusatsu may have contributed to the Hiroshima bombing. That’s how serious mistranslations can be.
Logical Problem-Solving
Translators often face expressions with no direct equivalent. Finding the right phrasing requires creativity and logic. Coding presents similar puzzles—debugging, optimizing, and refining code all demand critical thinking and patience.
Syntax and Rules
Languages have rules. A sentence in English might be structured entirely differently in Mandarin. Programming languages are no different. Missing a semicolon or misplacing a bracket can crash a program. My experience with linguistic structure helps me adapt to coding syntax naturally.
Persistence and Patience
Translation taught me to try multiple versions until the phrasing felt right. Coding requires the same persistence. Debugging and refining code takes time—and the patience I developed as a translator is now one of my greatest assets.
As I transition from translation to programming, I’m discovering that the core skills—attention to detail, problem-solving, patience, and precision—are just as vital in tech.
Each line of code is like a phrase in a foreign language: it has syntax, intent, and meaning. Coding feels like learning a new language—one that lets me create in new ways while drawing on everything I’ve learned as a translator.
In both fields, the ability to interpret, adapt, and communicate is what makes them so similar—and why I’m excited to bring my experience into this new and fascinating world.
