code: async function mergeMessages(locale, messages) {
    const data_path = path.join(LOCALE_DATA_DIR, `${locale}/api_messages.json`);
    let old_messages = {};
    try {
      old_messages = require(data_path);
    } catch (err) {
      console.log(`creating new messages for locale ${locale}`);
    }
    const merged_messages = { ...old_messages, ...messages };
    const sorted_messages = Object.entries(merged_messages)
      .sort((a, b) => a[0].localeCompare(b[0]))
      .reduce((acc, [key, value]) => {
        acc[key] = value;
        return acc;
      }, {});
    const json = JSON.stringify(sorted_messages, undefined, 2);
    await writeFile(data_path, json);
  }
docs: merges the messages into the api_messages.json under the specified locale
  while sorting the resulting json object by keys
  @param {*} locale
  @param {*} messages