I Speak Geek

When you live overseas and travel a lot, a common question is, “So how many languages do you know?” My answer is normally “Zero”, because as I travel, I realize how little I really know my mother tongue (English).

But my other answer is sometimes, “Six: English, German, PHP, JavaScript, Basic, C++, and LotusScript (although it has been awhile for the last three). Throw in a little French, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, HTML5, CSS, Java, and pieces of a few others.”

Additionally, I get asked the question, “So what language do you program in? English or German?” Well, code is code. It is its own language, but usually draws from English. Normally, I do document my code in English, as that is the unofficial international business language of programmers. However, if I know the only other programmers that will look at it are German, then I try to document in German.

But in the end, the reality is: I speak “Geek”