Coding with an accent

Programming languages are more similar to natural languages than many people think. Some languages are better equipped to express certain sentiments than others. The same is true for programming languages. Efficient and readable constructs in one language may be confusing in another. In particular, idioms tend not to translate well directly.

When learning a new programming language, people usually start with the equivalent of "direct translation", before they can code using the ecosystem's tools (instead of fighting against them), even if it's awkward.

This is similar to how you can understand people who speak with an accent different from your own. They may pronounce words differently or use different grammatical constructions than you'd expect, but you can understand their intended meaning. To simplify maintenance and improve readability and understanding, software projects institute explicit style guides for how to contribute code.