The compilation path is Scala -> JVM bytecode [-> x86 assembly], not Scala -> Java -> JVM bytecode [-> x86 assembly]. At least, that's what I think your parent comment was saying.

I wonder where people are getting this (you're not the first person I've heard this from)? The syntax is not compatible at all. You can write programs in the same style, e.g. object oriented with inheritance, global state, side effects, and so on; but the similarity ends there.

No, Java and Scala syntax are quite different. I can really only think of a few cases where they share syntax.