PILATE ICER 2021

About

Most programming languages are implemented using English keywords, and lots of learning materials are also written in English. The scarcity of resources in languages other than English, as well as the lanugage barrier, can represent a difficulty to non-English educators and learners.

This first workshop on "Programming In Languages that Aren't English" aims to explore the issues that arise when people want to program in non-English languages in the current landscape dominated by English. PILATE gathers researchers that are interested in supporting programmers, especially novices, in programming in their own native tongues. This includes, but is not limited to: teaching in non-English speaking countries or to non-English speakers in general, creating programming languages or materials in languages other than English, and providing support for localization and internationalization of resources.

Programme

The workshop will be held on Zoom, on August 20, 2021.

All times are given using the Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) time zone. To find out what these times correspond to in your own time zone, please refer to this website.

Note: This is a tentative schedule.

11:00 – 11:15: Welcome message from the organizers (link to the slides)
11:15 – 12:15: Opening keynote by Ramsey Nasser (more information below)
12:15 - 13:00: Roundtable on the difficulties or issues faced by attendees
13:00 - 13:15: Break and free discussion
13:15 - 14:00: Breakout room sessions
14:00 - 14:30: Group reports on the discussion
14:30 - 15:00: Closing remarks by organizers

Opening Keynote by Ramsey Nasser: (YouTube link of the recording, unfortunately without the slides)

Playing The Game on Hard Mode: Challenges to Expect When Building a Non-Latin Programming Language

Abstract: Outside of teaching tools and experiments programming everywhere is done in languages based on American English, privileging native speakers of that language over everyone else. Building alternatives is possible in theory, but in practice the assumptions around American English and its Latin alphabet permeate every aspect of every tool needed to build a more equitable future. This talk will explore my experience building قلب, an Arabic programming language, with a focus on the unexpected challenges faced due to its non-Latin nature and how they were overcome. The hope is that my experiences can act as a road map for others working on similar projects.

Organizers

Registration

Attendance to the workshop is free, but registration is mandatory. The button below will take you to a Google Forms that we use as a registration platform.

Note: As much as we'd love to have as many attendants as possible, we might be forced to limit the number of participants if it exceeds our expectation.

Register