I don't know about others, but I find it hard to jump from one syntax to another.
The other day I started doing some Java after months in Perl, and all my variable names were starting with "$", and I had "my " before declarations. I know an IDE can prevent this, but it took me some time to get my bearings.
Having said that: exposure to a spectrum of languages makes one think differently, and, IMHO, makes one a better problem-solver. Just observe how you think of a problem when trying it in, say, LISP -vs- Prolog; or FP -vs- Java.
Sure. Wild switching of languages is infuriating to your partners.
Car analogy: it's like insisting you need to park all 7 of your vehicles — car, van, truck, harley, two bikes and a wheelchair — in the prime spots in front of the office. You'd be out of a job in an hour.
And knowing all the languages helps you. (If only to successfully talk your partner out of wildly slinging languages around.)
Ok, better example: to write a web app, you need a server-side language. Plus javascript. Plus CSS. Plus multiple browser interfaces and their toolsets.
I think the article totally misses the point: polyglot programming is a fact of life. Adapt or perish. We could debate the relative merits of _fully_ _equivalent_ languages, but I think it's linkbait to demonize "polyglot programming."
The other day I started doing some Java after months in Perl, and all my variable names were starting with "$", and I had "my " before declarations. I know an IDE can prevent this, but it took me some time to get my bearings.
Having said that: exposure to a spectrum of languages makes one think differently, and, IMHO, makes one a better problem-solver. Just observe how you think of a problem when trying it in, say, LISP -vs- Prolog; or FP -vs- Java.