Python, Dutch, English, Chinese, Japanese, etc.

[Ryan Ginstrom]

> On Behalf Of Steve Howell
> Asia:
> 
>    Python should be *completely* internationalized for 
> Mandarin, Japanese, and possibly Hindi and Korean. 
> Not just identifiers.  I'm talking the entire language, 
> keywords and all.

I am a Japanese-to-English translator in my day job, and live in Japan. I
can say with confidence that most Japanese programmers do not want localized
keywords. Note that Yukihiro "Matz" Matsumoto created Ruby with
English(-styled) keywords. 

One reason for preferring ASCII keywords and variable names is that typing
Japanese requires the use of a front-end processor (FEP), which considerably
slows and complicates typing output. One English-to-Japanese translator I
know finds it quicker to write his Japanese translations by hand, and have
his assistant type them (he types reasonably well in English). Additionally,
most Japanese programmers would probably prefer their programs to be
accessible outside Japan, and poorly named variables are a much lower
barrier to understanding than Japanese would be. 

Regards,
Ryan Ginstrom