How easily does knowledge of one language translate to other languages?

Question

For example, I'm learning C++. How much of the stuff I'm learning will tanslate to, say, Java or Python?

I assume things like "if... else" , "while", and the like are similar across languages and it's largely a matter of learning new syntax. Correct or no?

Just as importantly, what kinds of things don't translate between languages?

Thanks in advance. I really like the community here!

Answer 1

I can't say for all languages, but I've learned lots of languages and concepts are identical assuming the language has it. Syntax is similar for most of them over the more basic concepts. For example, I don't know ruby or python, but I can read and understand the programs.

Answer 2

John summed it up perfectly. Obviously the C-based languages will feel more similar, such as C++, C#, and Java. As well, the different types of programming languages may or may not have the same things. However, logic is logic, so there is usually some means of translating that logic between the languages.

For myself, since I learned the C languages first, I tend to lean toward the C-based languages and its syntax. When I use things like Python, although it all easily translates, I find the syntax of it horrid and don't much like using it; however, that's not to speak for its usefulness or how powerful it is, because it is.

Answer 3

once you learn a programming language and understand basic concepts, like math operators, control loops etc, you can easily understand any language. The syntax, the keywords or the methods may be different, but that is not a problem.

For example i had very good understanding of C++.When i jumped into java i found it easy enough to learn, and by writing more and more code i was able to reach a good level of knowing how to use it properly.