Which Language Should You Learn First?

Do you want to pick your first language for IT? Pick English.

Is English Really That Important? Can You Work Without It?

You can work without English. I know developers who only know code keywords. But this limit hurts their career growth.

Maybe you only want to write small scripts for yourself. But if you want a company job or client projects, you need English.

Where You Will Meet English

Let us start from the end.

Job Interviews

When you look for a job, you will see a B1 English requirement almost everywhere. The company field and office location do not matter. Many teams set the bar even higher.

During the screening call, the recruiter will switch to English for a quick chat. They will ask about your day or your past experience. If you freeze here, you will not reach the technical interview. It is better to learn coding a bit slower and study English at the same time. Do not build a great project only to stop at a language wall.

Source Code

Your source code must not contain any language except English.

You must write all variables, methods, classes, and functions in English. You never know who will read your repository next. English is the global industry standard.

Documentation and Books

Authors write fresh guides, library references, and documentation in English. Publishers translate technical books with a 2–3 year delay, or never translate them at all. In that time, technology changes fast, and you lose relevant skills.

Also, bad amateur translations often change the real meaning of technical ideas. Do not wait for translations. Read the original materials.

Professional Communities

When you hit a tough bug, people usually already solved it on Stack Overflow or GitHub Issues. But developers discuss all technical problems in English.

What Should You Do?

The answer is simple: add the language to your daily routine.

1. Change Your Environment

Switch your operating system, smartphone, and work tools to English. When you see new words in system menus or settings, send them straight to flashcard apps like Anki.

2. Learn the Words in Your Code

You must clearly understand every keyword, variable name, and function name in your code.

Do not translate words directly with a standard dictionary. Without context, a dictionary gives the wrong word. For example, to “reset a password”, it might suggest dropPassword or throwPassword instead of the standard resetPassword. For a “current user”, it might suggest flowUser or streamUser because it confuses the word with water flow instead of using currentUser.

Ask an AI with clear context instead: “I am writing a function that clears old session history. How do I name it in English using industry-standard naming conventions?” Add the new words to your spaced repetition app right away.

3. Document Code for Practice

While you learn, make it a rule to describe every function in 1–2 English sentences (for example, in Doxygen or JSDoc format).

You do not do this for “clean code”. You do this as your daily practice tool:

1. Try to describe what the function does in English on your own.
2. If you miss a word, use a word from your native language.
3. Send the sentence to an AI: ask it to fix the grammar and explain your mistakes.
4. Read the explanation and paste the clean comment into your code.

This habit removes the fear of building technical sentences on your own.

4. Write a Daily Diary

Small talk at interviews can feel scary, so practice everyday English. Write short daily notes in English:

• How your day went and what you did;
• What you plan to do tomorrow;
• A few sentences with new words you just learned.

5. Train Your Listening and Pronunciation

Send your diary text to a Text-to-Speech tool.

Listen to your own text: first at normal speed, then speed it up. Repeat the words after the voice. This works well because you do not need a dictionary. You wrote the text yourself, your brain knows the story, and you focus only on sound and speaking.

6. Do a Weekly Review

On the weekend, read your notes from the past week. Ask an AI to rewrite them in natural English and explain where your phrases felt stiff or wrong. If grammar points remain unclear, ask the AI more questions until you understand.

Practice Right Here: Simple English and Audio

You do not need to look for simplified technical texts elsewhere. This platform already includes them:

• Simple English version. Every text is available in two languages: Ukrainian and Simple English. It is the exact same content, but it uses simple grammar so you can get used to reading technical topics in English.
• ElevenLabs voiceover. The English articles have high-quality audio. You can listen to the correct pronunciation and read the text at the same time to train your ears.

Read the lesson in your native language, understand the task, then switch to Simple English. Turn on the audio and review the topic in English.

How Long Will It Take?

Follow this routine for at least three months: write code comments, use flashcards, keep a diary, and fix your mistakes.

This time is enough to break your inner barrier, get comfortable with basic patterns, and stop fearing new words.

After that, start talking to people. Join a speaking club, find English developer communities on Discord, comment on forums, or take a few private lessons with a teacher. Add background listening as well: developer podcasts, conference talks, and video tutorials.

English is not a separate school subject. It is a daily working tool, just like your code editor or Git. The earlier you bring it into your routine, the faster you will move forward.