I can see some differences, but none of them seem "big".
In code you don't have all the extra communication avenues that we have when speaking, like body language, intonation, sarcasm and so on.
On the other hand, when writing code we are not speaking in real time. We can think about a problem for a while, consider the best possible way to solve a problem and how to explain it.
1) Coding clearing in the moment vs (2) coding clearly for future selves is two different mindsets/contexts right there.
(3) Communicating clearly is an orthogonal skill to coding clearly. I think this skill is barely acknowledged in engineering cultures in comparison to the above.
I feel you have to have an engineering culture that values institutional knowledge retention, team education and growth — and not treating engineers as fungible — to get to level (2). Level (3) would be a great place to work.
Ideally, yes. And I agree that there's some correlation of how well clearly people can write prose and write code. But, articulating yourself with your teammates is not only about writing well. It's also about saying the right things. I have seen many engineers that write code well, can write a paragraph in English well, but just don't communicate enough and don't communicate the right things at the right time etc.
