Mission
Hermans is clearly on a mission. On Thursday 15 June, she will give her inaugural lecture 'The Human Programming Language' in which she discusses the need for programming languages that better reflect how people learn, write and think. "Programming languages are made to give instructions to computers with cryptic texts like cout << "Hello" or System.out.println("Hello");. Sometimes the codes are complicated because otherwise the computer is unable to process them, but more often it is out of convention. The creators of programming languages don't see a problem, because usually they believe that if you really want to programme then just learn those difficult codes. Unfortunately, it is not that simple. Especially if you are still learning and especially if you don't speak English. After all, programming languages almost always use English-based codes."
Exclusion
According to Hermans, English-based codes have more problems. In this day and age discriminatory algorithms are being discussed, the basis of that problem lies in a computer's programming language. "Arabic and Chinese characters do not always recognise the computer properly, and this means that whole groups of people are excluded from easily using the programming language. At a time when we are facing global issues like climate change and inequality, this is worrying. If you don't speak English then it is difficult or even impossible to use software to solve your problems."
Hedy
To make programming accessible to everyone, Hermans developed the programming language 'Hedy'. 'Hedy' is free of charge and available in more than 40 different human languages, from Arabic to Chinese, and of course Dutch. "It's crazy to think that we all learn the Roman numerals from one to ten, something you rarely put into practice in daily life, but we have no idea what that looks like in Arabic or Chinese."
Comic
In terms of accessibility, Hermans is already setting a good example herself by writing up her research for her inaugural lecture in understandable language, so that her knowledge can be understood not only by fellow scientists, but also by anyone who has no knowledge of computer science. "I chose to write down my research in a comic strip. That was still a bit of a challenge when printing the text, but essential for me. How else can I contribute as a researcher, if my knowledge is only accessible to a small club of insiders."
Professor of Computer Science Education Felienne Hermans gives her inaugural lecture at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam on Thursday 15 June. Interested parties can also attend her inaugural lecture online. More information can be found here.