（英文材料來源于美國之音VOA，譯文為作者原創(chuàng)。歡迎各位讀者朋友交流指正。）
Computer coding was once an activity for computer programmers and software engineers.
計算機編程曾經只是計算機程序猿和軟件攻城獅的專業(yè)活動。
Now, thanks to Microsoft Corporation,anyone around the world has the chance to learn coding skills.
而現(xiàn)在，得益于微軟公司，全球任何一個人都有機會學習編程技術了。
Microsoft has partnered with Code.org,a non-profit group, to offer free in-store classes and?online?training on coding. The programs are being offered in the United?States and overseas.
微軟公司與一個名為“代碼”的非盈利組織合作，免費提供線上和線下的代碼培訓。該項目一家在美國及海外啟動。
A universal language?一門通用語言
Every online website and mobile?application?program is?coded?with a programming language, such as Java or C++. The step-by-step directions for each language are not hard to understand. They can be taught to someone as young as 4 years old.
每一個互聯(lián)網網頁和移動應用程序都是由Java或C++等編程語言編撰而成。這些編程語言通過循序漸進的引導傳授是不難理解的，甚至可以傳授給4歲的兒童。
紐約市的學生們在微軟公司學習計算機編程技術
Dona Sarkar serves as principal programs manager at Microsoft.
"Coding is a universal language," she notes. "Coding is the language of solving problems.It's very rare that a new?literacy?comes along in our lifetime. It absolutely can be democratized."
唐娜·薩卡爾在微軟公司擔任大項目經理。她說，“編程代碼是一門通用語言，也是一門解決問題的語言，能夠在人生中遇到這種新的讀寫能力是非常難得的。它絕對能夠被民主化?！?/p>
World-wide learning?全球學習
On a recent day, a handful of students attended a class at a Microsoft store in New York City. They studied the"Minecraft" video game to learn about coding. They learned to put together virtual blocks of code for simple commands like "move forward" and "turn left." These commands direct the movement of the images in the game.
近日，少數學生參與了紐約微軟公司的一項課程。他們通過一個叫"Minecraft"（“我的世界”）的視頻游戲來學習如何編碼。他們學習組合虛擬的代碼塊/代碼積木來發(fā)出一些簡單的命令，例如“前進”和“左轉”。這些命令引導游戲中的鏡像進行移動。
Microsoft is also expanding coding programs overseas. The company has given computer?hardware?to 25?entrepreneurs?in Lagos,Nigeria to help get their business?startup?ideas up and running. It also provided technical and business training to them.
微軟公司也正在擴展海外的編碼項目。他們?yōu)槲挥谀崛绽麃?，拉各斯?5名企業(yè)家提供計算機硬件以幫助他們的商業(yè)新創(chuàng)意實現(xiàn)和運轉，并對他們進行科技和商業(yè)培訓。
"Many of our entrepreneurs arenot technical, Sarkar said. "But that does not mean they don't know whatproblems exist inNigeriaand they don't have a solution to fix it."
薩卡爾稱：“當地許多企業(yè)家的思維不夠科技化，但不意味著他們不知道尼日利亞存在的問題，他們也很清楚自己沒有解決問題的手段”
One of the Nigerian startupbusinesses is called OneTrack. It is creating mobile-tracking technology tofight against child kidnapping.
尼日利亞有一家叫“One Track”的新公司，針對兒童綁架問題，發(fā)明了一種移動跟蹤的科技。
Building and learning for different?environments
Yet coding students in different countries face different problems.
"We were coding one night,"Sarkar remembered. "We were working on?prototypes.The lights go out. No one notices. They (the coders) just keep typing. To them it's a way of life."
不同國家的編碼學習者們面臨著不同的問題。
薩卡爾說道：“我們曾經通宵編碼。在腳本上不停地工作，沒有人注意到天已經暗了，他們（程序員們）只是在不停地編碼。對他們而言這是一種生活?！?/p>
The incident served as an example of the day-to-day problems that can affect some Microsoft users. It provided information for Microsoft officials on the ways in which they can improve their products.
這只是那些可能會影響微軟用戶的日常問題中的一個，為微軟改進他們的產品提供了信息。
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