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Discussion on: How useful are documentation and examples in your own native language to you?

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jochemstoel profile image
Jochem Stoel

Thank you for your response, Fabian. Based on your answer I'm having trouble deciding whether you think 'native tongue' articles are a good thing or a waste of time.

To me it doesn't matter. I speak both languages fluently.

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fnh profile image
Fabian Holzer

From the perspective of a reader, I think articles in ones native language are certainly a good thing. The command of the english language, even for people in our field, can varies quite a bit.

As an author, on the other hand, they might be a waste of time, but not necessarily so.

Authors should ask themselves, what their motives for writing are and who is their target audience.

I know of quite a few people for whom writing is a tool to learn about topics they are interested in. Some of them happen to share what they write down on their blog, but the general public is really not the main audience.

Others intend to educate or want to share ideas that are important to them - their target audience is the world (or, more modestly, their peers in the field) and then the language of choice is English.

To sum it up, English is a sensible default, but that doesn't diminish the value of writing about technical topics in other languages.