（英文材料来源于美国之音VOA，译文为作者原创。欢迎各位读者朋友交流指正。）
Computer coding was once an activity for computer programmers and software engineers.
计算机编程曾经只是计算机程序猿和软件攻城狮的专业活动。
Now, thanks to Microsoft Corporation,anyone around the world has the chance to learn coding skills.
而现在，得益于微软公司，全球任何一个人都有机会学习编程技术了。
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.
微软公司与一个名为“代码”的非盈利组织合作，免费提供线上和线下的代码培训。该项目一家在美国及海外启动。
A universal language 一门通用语言
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.
每一个互联网网页和移动应用程序都是由Java或C++等编程语言编撰而成。这些编程语言通过循序渐进的引导传授是不难理解的，甚至可以传授给4岁的儿童。
Students learning computer programming skills at a Microsoft store in New York City
纽约市的学生们在微软公司学习计算机编程技术
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·萨卡尔在微软公司担任大项目经理。她说，“编程代码是一门通用语言，也是一门解决问题的语言，能够在人生中遇到这种新的读写能力是非常难得的。它绝对能够被民主化。”
World-wide learning 全球学习
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，少数学生参与了纽约微软公司的一项课程。他们通过一个叫"Minecraft"（“我的世界”）的视频游戏来学习如何编码。他们学习组合虚拟的代码块/代码积木来发出一些简单的命令，例如“前进”和“左转”。这些命令引导游戏中的镜像进行移动。
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.
微软公司也正在扩展海外的编码项目。他们为位于尼日利亚，拉各斯的25名企业家提供计算机硬件以帮助他们的商业新创意实现和运转，并对他们进行科技和商业培训。
"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."
萨卡尔称：“当地许多企业家的思维不够科技化，但不意味着他们不知道尼日利亚存在的问题，他们也很清楚自己没有解决问题的手段”
One of the Nigerian startupbusinesses is called OneTrack. It is creating mobile-tracking technology tofight against child kidnapping.
尼日利亚有一家叫“One Track”的新公司，针对儿童绑架问题，发明了一种移动跟踪的科技。
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."
不同国家的编码学习者们面临着不同的问题。
萨卡尔说道：“我们曾经通宵编码。在脚本上不停地工作，没有人注意到天已经暗了，他们（程序员们）只是在不停地编码。对他们而言这是一种生活。”
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.
这只是那些可能会影响微软用户的日常问题中的一个，为微软改进他们的产品提供了信息。
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