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[[!meta title="Studying foreign languages with Emacs, Org Mode and gptel"]]
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# Studying foreign languages with Emacs, Org Mode and gptel
Marek (he/him) - https://github.com/keram, <mailto:nospam.keram@gmail.com>
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This talk will demonstrate the workflow I’ve built
around Emacs and Org mode for creating and
managing multilingual texts. My focus is on
English, Mandarin Chinese, and Pinyin (the
Romanized system for Chinese). A key part of this
setup is a custom major mode derived from
`text-mode`, designed to handle language switching
and structured study notes more effectively. On
top of this, I use `gptel` as a writing companion:
it helps catch typos, grammar mistakes, and subtle
issues that arise when switching between
languages.
Beyond editing, I’ll show how I publish my study
notes to the web:
<https://keram.github.io/ihl-hanyu/index.html> . By
combining Org’s export features with a small
amount of custom JavaScript, I’ve added
interactive functionality such as text-to-speech
playback and vocabulary practice exercises.
Attendees will see how these tools and techniques can be combined to:
- Customize Emacs for multilingual writing and study workflows.
- Use Org mode as a framework for language learning materials.
- Leverage `gptel` for proofreading and feedback.
- Enrich exported Org documents with lightweight web enhancements.
The talk will be of interest to language learners, Emacs users curious
about publishing workflows, and anyone who wants to see
how Emacs can as a personal learning environment.
About the speaker:
I am GNU Emacs enthusiast living in London, UK. Using Emacs for years for
work, personal life and study.
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