Let's Learn Malay - Daily Language Learning Terminal Tool

As part of my preparation for moving to Malaysia for higher studies, I needed to learn the Malay language. Being a frequent terminal user on Linux, I decided to integrate language learning into my daily workflow. I wrote this script and added it to my .zshrc file so that each new terminal session presents three new Malay words

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Technical Overview

Language:

• BASH

External Tolls:

• jq - For JSON parsing.
• curl - To handle API requests.

Platform

• Linux (Fedora)
• Visual Studio Code (VS Code) for development.

Testing Tool:

• Shellcheck - Used to ensure proper syntax and detect potential issues in the script.

Files:

• learn-malay.sh - Main script, Where the logic happens.
• gemini.conf - Holds the API key and configuration data for the gemini API.
• word-list.csv - Pre-defined list of words Stored to fetch translations.
• data.state - Tracks the user's progress, including the last accessed date and day.
• response.json - Stores the last API response to enable offline access and to minimize API calls.

Directory structure

/usr/local/
    |--- etc/
    |   |--- let-s-learn-malay/
    |       |--- word-list.csv
    |       |--- gemini.conf
    |
    |--- bin/
        |--- learn-malay  (learn-malay.sh)

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Example Output

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How To Use

Clone the repository:

git clone <repo>

Move into the cloned directory

cd Lets-Learn-Malay

Create the config directory in /usr/local/etc/ and move the configs file into the directory

Add the gemini API key into gemini.conf file

sudo mkdir let-s-learn-malay /usr/local/etc
sudo chown $USER:$USER -R /usr/local/etc/let-s-learn-malay
mv let-s-learn-malay/gemini.conf let-s-learn-malay/word-list.csv /usr/local/etc/let-s-learn-malay
mv learn-malay.sh learn-malay
mv learn-malay /usr/local/bin

Now use the script as a standard command by typing learn-malay

additionally add the command to .zshrc or .bashrc file

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Key Features

Daily Word Display:

• The script displays three Malay words per day.

• For each word it provides:

  * Malay word	bas
  * Pronunciation guide for English speakers	'bass'
  * English Definition	bus
  * Example Malay sentences with English translations for better context.	Bas itu penuh sesak. ─ The bus is crowded.

Responsive Terminal Interface:

• The script adapts its output to the terminal window size. If the terminal has more space, it organizes data into single-row displays; otherwise, it dynamically splits the content into two or three rows, ensuring an optimal user experience regardless of terminal size.

Single column output

Double column output

Three column output

Offline Capability

• Instead of fetching data each time the script will save the data to use again.
• If for any reasons script couldn't fetch new data from API script will output previously saved data to avoid interruptions to avoid interruptions to the learning process

Specifically configured Gemini-AI API

• If the word-list.csv does not exist the model will generate three words according to the learning state.

User Tracking and State Management

• The learning state, including the last accessed day and the words shown, is tracked in a state file. This ensures that each user session picks up from where it left off, providing a seamless learning journey.

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