Re: How can we decrease the cognitive overhead for contributors?

[Giovanni Biscuolo]

Hi!

Simon Tournier <zimon.toutoune@gmail.com> writes:

[...]

> For example, we communicate in English.  It appears to me impossible to
> send a contribution without having some basic knowledge of English.

And, believe me or not, for me /that/ is a **significant** cognitive
overhead not just to contribute to international projects [1] (including
our company internal projects), but also to efficiently communicate in
international mailing lists like this one.

For me (actually for all) using a natural language, especially a foreign
one, is a constant hack! :-)

[...]

> What is the thing that will tell me that the English I wrote is not
> meeting the standard?

> Why do we accept this “friction” about English filtering people?
>
> Well, I am stretching a bit to make my point. :-)

Yes, it's a stretch but IMO it helps making the poing about the sources
of friction when participating in discussions and trying to contribute
to a "crowded" international project, with people with very different
competences in English language, including technical English,
programming languages **and** tools.

[...]

>> In the US, the phrase "I don't buy it" is usually the response to 
>> someone trying to trick you into something. This is a little hurtful 
>> because it's either saying:
>
> Sorry, it was not my intent.  I was expressing: I do not believe it is
> *the* real problem.

(Let me use some humor please)

The frinction here comes from the fact that all natural languages suck,
no one sucks less :-O

The 5th definition of the transitive verb "buy" taken from
Merriam-Webster is:

--8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8---

5: ACCEPT, BELIEVE
   I don't buy that hooey.
   — often used with into
   buy into a compromise

--8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8---

So AFAIU "I don't buy it" means "I dont's [accept|believe] it": no?

...but maybe the Merriam-Webster is too British :-D

[...]

Happy haking! Gio'



[1] have you an idea of the time I spend to translate concepts to be
expressed in commit message in English?  Why I cannot just write in my
very good Italian and "git send-email" happily?

-- 
Giovanni Biscuolo

Xelera IT Infrastructures

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