Of course, this does not mean that there are no good translators and translations in China, nor does it mean that we can't learn by reading the translations. It means that reading indirectly through someone else's translation is risky. If you can master computer English and learn with first-hand raw materials, you will not be misled except for efficiency. For example, the foreign language version of a good book "Java Programming Thoughts" (the original title is "Thinking in Java") introduced in China has a poor translation level, which seriously affects reading and learning, and many readers have a deep understanding. If your computer English level is good, you can download the original text according to the author's website provided in the book, not only can you get the feeling of the original text, but you can also download the latest second edition of the book for free.
Therefore, we can draw a conclusion that English is really indispensable for programmers. In fact, IT is no exaggeration to say that English is the industry language of IT. Because of the advantage of English, the software industry in India, Ireland and other countries is more competitive than ours in the world. This is not to say that our programmers are inferior to others in programming and development, but there is a big gap in the level of computer English use. Not long ago, at a high-standard software development exchange meeting held in Nanjing, I met a scene where Indian experts gave lectures and English translation could not go on. Because there are too many IT terms and abbreviations, and the professional knowledge is too strong, English professional translators without computer background can't do anything about it. The developers present can't communicate directly with Indian experts because of the language barrier, and they miss an excellent exchange and learning opportunity. Now, more and more programmers have realized the importance of computer English. On the one hand, this pressure comes from the need to further develop into a senior programmer or senior IT developer, on the other hand, it comes from the threat of rising stars' constant competition. For the former, without good computer English, it is difficult to develop further and to be promoted to a higher technical post; For the latter, many universities have begun to use the original textbooks for professional teaching, and the computer English level of graduates is really awesome, and the challenge is self-evident.
So, how should a programmer learn and master computer English? Do you want to start memorizing English-Chinese computer dictionaries right away, or do you want to take the "G" after taking CET-6? In fact, after making up your mind, the most important thing is to find out the six W's, that is, why, what, how, when, where and with whom. Let's talk about these six w's first.
The first is why we should learn computer English. Almost all programmers know the importance of learning computer English, but not everyone has the initiative to learn. The purpose of raising this question is to let us start from our own needs and grasp the initiative in learning. Once you have a strong motivation to learn, no difficulties in learning will make you yield, and every progress you make will bring you a feeling of incomparable pride.
What are you learning, memorizing words? Still attacking grammar? Actually, it's not. The study of computer English is a systematic project, and it is necessary to find suitable learning objectives and integrate them from vocabulary, grammar, reading and writing. In the programmer's words, the problem of "what to learn" is essentially a problem of "determining the boundary of the system". Because learning computer English is a very broad concept, it is difficult to have a manageable learning goal if it is not defined according to the individual's specific situation. Projects with no goals or unclear boundaries are often failed projects, and so is learning computer English. Therefore, we should first make clear the system boundary of computer English learning according to our actual English level and work needs. With regard to the actual English level, we can simply take English education for non-English majors as a reference and pass CET-4 as the baseline, that is, if you pass CET-4, it means that your English level is intermediate and advanced, your vocabulary is close to 5000, you have no basic grammar problems, and you have certain reading and writing skills. If you don't pass CET-4, it means that your English level is junior high school and your vocabulary is less than 4,000. There may be some grammar problems and your reading and writing ability is weak. With regard to the needs of work, we can divide computer English learning objects into computer R&D personnel and pan-IT personnel. Among them, computer R&D personnel refer to professionals engaged in computer research and development, which are divided into software R&D and hardware research and development. Obviously, programmers belong to the former. Computer R&D personnel should master the most professional and demanding computer English, but their software and hardware have their own emphasis. Pan-IT personnel refer to non-R&D personnel employed by or closely related to the IT industry, including operators, technical managers and support service personnel. IT is not difficult to see that the requirements of pan-IT personnel for computer English are not too high, nor are they very professional. Generally, you can use software with English interface and read the original operation manual and instructions. In view of the above division, I have outlined the learning objectives of computer English in the following table:
Learning objectives of computer English
Junior, middle and senior pan-IT professionals master the basic terms of computer English; Understand the common grammar and idioms of computer English; Be able to read English interface and online help and simple operation manual with the help of dictionary, and be familiar with reading of 70-90 words/minute. Master common terms and abbreviations in computer English; Master the expressions and functions of grammar and idioms in computer English; Be able to read English documents and technical materials with the help of dictionaries, and the reading proficiency is above 100 words/minute; Able to write simple documents in English.
Computer R&D personnel master common terms and abbreviations of computer English; Familiar with computer English grammar and idioms; Can read English interface, online help and simple operation manual, reading speed is 80- 100 words/minute. Master a large number of computer English terms and abbreviations; Familiar with the expression and function of grammar and idioms in computer English; Able to read English documents and technical materials, with proficiency exceeding 100 words/minute; Be able to translate professional and technical books with the help of dictionaries; Able to write simple technical documents and program instructions in English.
Know yourself and know yourself, and you will win every battle. After understanding the general requirements of learning computer English, we need to analyze our specific situation, make a study plan or simply set a learning direction. As a programmer, the fundamental purpose of learning computer English is to improve their ability to master computer technology in English environment, so the content of learning should focus on the field of this major. For programmers who have never taken computer English courses, the focus of learning should be to master professional vocabulary and terminology, and to understand some standard translations and idioms of computer English. Programmers with a certain knowledge of computer English should focus on improving reading speed and quality, and gradually get used to using English annotation programs to write documents.
After defining the purpose and direction of learning, we must have good learning methods. "How to learn" is a question of learning methods. This also includes a series of questions such as when to learn, where to learn, and who to learn from. Here I suggest combining short-term systematic study with long-term daily study, which is the best and most scientific. The so-called short-term systematic learning refers to the systematic learning of computer English for a period of time, which is particularly important for programmers who have not participated in college computer English courses. And daily learning refers to consciously contacting and using computer English in daily work, learning while using it, and constantly accumulating and improving it. Let me talk about these two aspects in detail.
To learn computer English systematically, it is best to attend a special computer English course training class. The selection of training courses is very important, and good teachers, successful experience in running schools and systematic courses are all important basis for selection. But most programmers are busy with their work, and the possible way is self-study. You can't choose a good teacher, you can only choose a good textbook. A good computer English textbook is of great help to systematically learn computer English. At present, there are as many as 30 kinds of computer English textbooks on the market, and many programmers often have no way to start when choosing textbooks. You might as well consider from the following aspects:
Difficulty of teaching materials-There are different teaching materials for different educational levels. When choosing teaching materials, we must look at whether the training object of teaching materials is secondary school, junior college, undergraduate course or graduate student. Choose textbooks with appropriate difficulty. If it is too simple, it is not conducive to improvement; If it is too difficult, it is easy to frustrate your study.
Teaching materials focus on specialty-some computer English teaching materials focus on hardware, some focus on software, and some teaching materials focus on computer English of information electronics, focusing on communication electronics, such as assembly language and single chip microcomputer. In addition, some textbooks focus on theory, such as: data structure, discrete mathematics; Others focus on applications such as software engineering and database development. Therefore, programmers should carefully examine the contents of computer English textbooks when choosing them, so as not to deviate from the actual needs of software development.
Textbook system structure-At present, computer English textbooks are mainly divided into two structures: grammar system and computer system. If you have a junior high school English level, it is recommended to use the former; if you have an intermediate English level, it is recommended to use the latter.
Ease of use of teaching materials-the ease of use of teaching materials refers to whether the arrangement of teaching materials conforms to people's learning habits. Although computer English is a textbook for specialized courses, if it is lively, illustrated and easy to refer to notes, it will certainly arouse interest in learning and reduce the difficulty of reading. In this regard, domestic textbooks should learn more from foreign textbooks.
However, computer English courses in many domestic universities started late as specialized English teaching, and most of the early published computer English textbooks came from computer English materials collected by teachers. The textbook planning is not systematic enough, and the arrangement is relatively simple. Although these textbooks are used in many schools and have made indelible contributions to the early computer English teaching, their fatal weakness is that their contents are outdated and out of touch with the times. The most typical example is Computer English published by Tsinghua University Publishing House. The latest version is updated by 1997, and it is still full of old contents such as Dos. Some teachers suffer from the lack of novel and practical computer English textbooks, so a foreign computer introductory book "Essentials of Computing" (McGraw-Hill Publishing Company) has been selected as a computer English textbook by many universities, with excellent results. This book has been photocopied and distributed by Higher Education Press, and its title is Computer English. The characteristics of this book are: strong timeliness (fast version update), novelty and practicality, and lively arrangement. But it is a little shallow for professional developers with advanced English level.
Based on the analysis and research of a large number of computer English textbooks on the market, combined with the experience of teaching and learning computer English, we have compiled a computer English which is very suitable for software developers. This book has been published by Machinery Industry Press, which is one of the series of "Computer Textbooks for Key Universities". IT should be noted that the most suitable readers of this book are programmers who have reached CET-4, because the selection of this book comes directly from foreign computer textbooks and publications, technical documents and professional papers, speeches by IT elites and computer encyclopedias. This kind of material selection allows learners to keep the original flavor while being more exposed to the real context and mainstream ideas of computer English. Although it is difficult, it is practical and professional. At the same time, in order to facilitate learning, we have annotated the vocabulary and some technical terms outside CET-4, and the annotations are next to the text, which avoids the trouble of looking up the glossary. Another important reason why this book is suitable for programmers is that it focuses on software and applications without boring theories. Computer English is used to learn specialized English, not to learn computer theory. Unlike other computer English textbooks, we are not full of difficult articles about computer theories, which are very difficult to learn. The difference between this textbook and other computer English textbooks is that it pays more attention to the profound influence of computer literacy, computer application and information technology on society and life. Here we can hear the IT elite bill. Gates and Guo Shina, CEO of IBM, both gave wonderful speeches. You can also read the preface of Grove, former president of Intel Corporation's amazing work "Only paranoia can survive".
Studying computer English systematically includes the systematicness of computer system and English language, which we must always keep in mind when studying. In addition to understanding English expressions and professional vocabulary in computer software and hardware, operating system, software engineering, programming language, network communication, information security, application system, etc., we should also make efforts in listening, speaking, reading and writing of the English language itself to avoid negligence. Some programmers are partial to listening and believing, which affects their development abroad. How to strengthen listening and speaking training is a topic in English learning. My own experience is to watch more original movies (VCD/DVD) to improve my listening (of course, I can't watch subtitles) and participate in English chat (English corner) to improve my oral English.
The study of computer English is different from the "Extension" and "G" exams, and it can't be completed in a short time. Long-term daily study is particularly important. The so-called daily study does not require you to put aside your work and arrange special time, but to learn while using it. For example, to solve a programming problem, you consult English help or technical materials. However, many programmers don't like reading English very much. They like to use the Chinese version of the software, like localized help, and like to read translated books. This actually misses many opportunities to learn computer English every day. It is true that reading Chinese is more convenient and time-saving than reading English, but in the long run, the disadvantages outweigh the advantages. This dependence on translation deprives many programmers of valuable opportunities to obtain first-hand information.
In fact, since you have mastered a certain number of professional vocabulary through systematic study of computer English, you can make use of the original materials and online help with the help of dictionaries. Coupled with the tools like Kingsoft, it is not difficult to read the original text, but the key is a habit problem. I have a friend whose computer never has any Chinese version or software installed, and even insists on chatting online in English. English has made great progress in recent years, and the effect is very good. Give it a try if you want.
Reading English books and materials in daily work is the best way to improve computer English. At present, a large number of original computer photocopied books on the market provide us with excellent opportunities. Reading English computer books is a "gnawing" feeling at first, which is time-consuming and laborious. For places that are not easy to read, you might as well pick up a pen and translate it word for word, which is very helpful to improve your English. Experienced programmers can use their professional background knowledge and context to make bold guesses, which is conducive to improving reading speed. It doesn't matter if you don't want to know too much. You can make up for it by reading more similar books. Read more original works on computers, and you will find some regular things and some common words. These practical experiences are very valuable and will benefit you for life. Generally, after reading 2-3 original books completely, you will find the pleasure of reading the original books. It is worth mentioning that the real pleasure of reading the original works lies not only in improving the English level, but also in obtaining a way of thinking consistent with that of westerners, which is extremely beneficial to learning computer technology, because computer technology and even modern scientific systems are based on this way of thinking. Insisting on reading English computer books can achieve the feeling of "quality", that is to say, you don't need to convert English into Chinese when reading, but you can directly think and communicate with the author in English on the same level. At this point, we have not only achieved a breakthrough in English level, but also achieved a breakthrough in computer level. This is also the secret of the success of many computer experts.
If you have a certain English foundation and want to break through the barriers of computer English and become a master, form a good habit of learning computer English from now on.
Give yourself an English name. And used as the screen name and login name.
2. Choose a computer English textbook that suits you.
3. Make sure to read at least 1-2 original photocopied computer books a year and insist on reading them all.
4. Visit English technical forums and websites on the Internet as much as possible, without using Chinese help.
5. Use English comments in the program, and never use Chinese or Chinese Pinyin as variable names, field names, file names and folder names.
6. Watch at least 1-2 original movies (VCD/DVD) every month, and try not to watch subtitles to improve your sense of language and listening.
7. Don't read the English reference book, you can read the explanatory book; Use Ying Ying dictionaries more than English-Chinese dictionaries.
8. Keep recording and reviewing the new words you meet every day. For abbreviations, be sure to understand the English meaning of each letter.