The benefits of speaking more than one language

As human beings, we understand the benefits of speaking more than 1 language.

According to some research, here are a few of the benefits of speaking another language:

• Increases Creativity

• Connect with other people natively (Real human connection)

• Strengthens Your Brain Muscles

• Allows you to leverage multiple perspectives when dealing with a situation

Here is how these points can be applied to software development:

Increases creativity

Programming is an art. As an artist, the influence of other artists is useful when working on your own projects. Knowing that something can be done in Java while working with C# can lead to the right Google search.

Connect with other people natively

Once, I had a meeting with a new client for an Angular role. The backend team was at the meeting with questions about the usage of Angular in a .NET environment. With my background in working with C# and ASP.NET and ASP.NET Web API, I was able to connect with them and reassure them that It wasn't as daunting as they thought.

Yes, we won that project and helped them deliver their software on time.

Strengthens Your Brain Muscles

Exploring other languages just for fun is a rewarding game. The keyword here is "exploring". Beyond the new techniques you'll learn, you'll develop new connections in your brain. The same applies to frameworks. For example, a few years ago, I decided to create the same application with 4 different frameworks (Angular, React, Vue and Erlang) and 4 different programming languages (TypeScript, Java, C# and Elixir). That was a weekend well spent. I recommend it to anyone serious about software development.

Allows you to leverage multiple perspectives when dealing with any situation

Each programming language has a different way to express the same issue. Moreover, some language addresses issues that others don't. Understanding these differences is a superpower one can leverage to solve any issue.

The same can be applied to frameworks.

Speaking more than one language is a great asset

Takeaways and tips

It's not required for a developer to know more than one programming language. I've hired hundreds of developers in my career and I considered having 2 languages as a great asset. Especially if the languages have different paradigms: OOP (Object Oriented Programming) or Functional Programming. I'll cover these paradigms in another essay.

Tip #1: Some developers have side projects they are working on. Often, they use them as playgrounds to try new technologies. As a recruiter, you can find in these projects the technologies these developers really love and want to work with. If they are different from the ones they use on a daily basis, you got a chance to make them infinitely happy.

This was "The benefits of speaking multiple languages"

I hope you'll learn something new from this essay. Feel free to join the weekly challenge to check your knowledge of the technical jargon.

Until next time, take care!