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do you have to install and configure each language into emacs or org mode? or is just having them in your system path enough?

I'll get into this if I don't have to twiddle with each one individually but I know emacs enough to suspect that's how it'll be.

No, having the related executable in the PATH before you start emacs is enough.

Then you need to install the Org Babel packages that don't ship with Emacs or Org mode e.g. ob-tcl, ob-nim.