Can Coding in Spanish give LATAM the Edge it Needs in Global Tech?

Tech enthusiasts often say that anyone can learn coding. Anyone with a wide enough English lexicon, that is.

For aspiring programmers in non-English speaking countries, learning to code can require double the work that it would for native English speakers. They have to effectively immerse themselves in two foreign languages, each with its own logic, syntax and vocabulary. In some cases, the task can be intimidating enough to scare prospects away from a potential career in software development, computer science, engineering or other IT-related fields. 

“To learn programming and English isn’t quite the same as learning just programming,” said Enzo Notario, an Argentinean professor and software developer, as well as the creator of EsJS, a Spanish-based offshoot of JavaScript.

EsJS is one among the growing number of programming languages that aren’t English-based. There are programming languages based in Spanish, German, French, Hebrew, Hindi, Arabic and even Swahili, just to name a few. 

In Latin America, Enzo is one of the few people in tech who are pushing the idea of a Spanish-based programming language that can be used mainly as a tool for learning.  

“To learn programming and English isn’t quite the same as learning just programming”—Enzo Notario, software development professor and creator of EsJS.

“EsJS as a project was born out of the need to have a programming language based in Spanish, to provide non-English speakers with a tool that would ease their learning of coding,” he explained. “EsJS is designed for universal access; to allow people of any age or background to test their skills building simple programs and discover coding in the process. If those who learn EsJS decide to continue down the path of the programmer, they’ll have time to learn English later.”

EsJS was officially launched in 2022, and has been receiving updates and new developments ever since. It is currently taught along with JavaScript in the App Development course of the Catholic University of Salta, in Argentina. Enzo expects to develop similar Spanish-based offshoots of HTML (EsHTML) and CSS (EsCSS).

Thousands of kilometers north, in Mexico, a similar project has been progressing for almost a decade. Known as Latino and created by software developer Primitivo Román Montero, this Spanish-based programming language was also conceived as a tool to introduce the basics of coding to Spanish speakers.

“There was no programming language based in Spanish. But beyond that, some of my schoolmates were having trouble coding because the terms were in English,” Primitivo explained. “I was having trouble too. Back then, the documentation for several programming languages was exclusively in English. I thought: why not create a tool to learn to code in Spanish?”

Latin America has emerged over the past decade as a viable and attractive source of tech talent and expertise, a fact underscored by venture capital’s appetite for tech in the region. The number of software developers in Mexico and Brazil alone –the two largest countries and economies in the region– can be counted in the hundreds of thousands. But not even those numbers are enough to quench market demand, and every country in the region is having trouble catching up. 

“Learning the logic behind programming in your own language does make it easier to learn, because your brain is taught from early childhood to understand your mother tongue”—Primitivo Román Montero, software developer and creator of Latino.

A relative lack of English capabilities remains one of the main obstacles for Latin American tech to take off at a much larger scale. Although there’s no measurement of English skills in Latin America which is totally reliable, the region tends to rank below other parts of the world which are very competitive in global tech, like Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe. According to Enzo, 80% of his students stick to EsJS when learning JavaScript, due to linguistic familiarity.

Primitivo, Enzo and a score of others see Spanish-based programming languages as a useful tool to remedy the sluggishness in the regional talent pipeline caused by the barrier of not understanding English.

“Learning the logic behind programming in your own language does make it easier to learn, because your brain is taught from early childhood to understand your mother tongue,” commented Primitivo.

Beyond the classroom?

Latino and EsJS have proven useful as learning tools. Both programming languages are taught in Spanish-speaking universities, and they’ve been used to develop projects outside of the classroom.

However, their respective creators don’t see them being incorporated by the industry in a wider manner. 

“I don’t think there’s any interest in using EsJS professionally. Its focus is in education, in allowing an easier transition into JavaScript, which is what’s actually used in the real world,” stated Enzo. 

The rest of the industry seems to agree. Spanish-speaking programmers have shown enough interest in languages like Latino and EsJS to collaborate in their development. However, most tend to see them as nothing more than neat projects. The general consensus remains the same: just like in science and business, English is a must for anyone who’s serious about programming. 

Only time will tell whether Latino, EsJS and similar projects prove consequential to Latin American tech. For now, their use seems confined to a handful of schools in the region and to a couple projects outside of them. 

However, if Latin America wishes to capitalize on the latest buzz around its tech credentials, it will need all the help it can get to accelerate the flow of software developers coming through the pipeline.