kimkoech/Chatu

A swahili python interpreter # Chatu A Swahili-to-Python translator and runner. ## Purpose Chatu lets people write Python-like programs using Swahili keywords and built-in names, then translates that source to standard Python so it can run on a normal Python interpreter. This makes it useful as an educational bridge for Swahili speakers learning Python syntax and programming fundamentals. ## Basic usage Run a Chatu script directly: ```bash python chatu.py examples/hujambo_dunia.ch ``` Compile only (do not execute): ```bash python chatu.py examples/hujambo_dunia.ch --compile-only ``` Set a custom output file: ```bash python chatu.py examples/hujambo_dunia.ch --output out.py ``` Set a custom translations CSV: ```bash python chatu.py examples/hujambo_dunia.ch --translations translations.csv ``` ## How it works - Loads a Swahili→English keyword dictionary from `translations.csv`. - Tokenizes the `.ch` source and translates only identifier tokens. - Writes compiled Python to ` .chc` by default. - Executes the compiled file unless `--compile-only` is provided. ## History 0.2.1 - Clarified project purpose and intended educational use. - Added user-friendly CLI error handling for missing files/tokenization errors. 0.2.0 - Added token-based translation (prevents accidental substring replacements). - Added safer CSV parsing for translations. - Added CLI options for compile-only mode, output path, and translation path.