As we get closer to the much-anticipated opening of Pandora – The World of Avatar, we’re seeing glimpses of new merchandise that promises to connect guests with the exotic new land at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
Steven Miller, the Merchandise Communication Manager for Disney, had a chance to speak with Merchandise Product Developer Cody Hampton and they discussed how the new Na’vi Translator will help guests prepare for their visit this summer when it is released.
“This device was originally developed by Alpha Centauri Expeditions founder Marshall Lamm,” explained Cody. “The Na’vi have no written language, so the translator will be a helpful tool for any human visiting Pandora. Guests using the translator can learn how to pronounce 90 Na’vi words using interchangeable translation cards. The device also lights up at night, which makes it perfect for nighttime explorations on Pandora.”
The Na’vi Translator will be sold in a set that will include 15 translation cards. Additional translation cards will be available for purchase in packs of eight randomly selected cards. There will be some common cards such as Nouns (Blue) and Adjectives (Purple). Additional cards will be less common in the trading packs including Animals (Orange), Phrases (Aqua), and Landscapes (Tan) with the more rare cards being Plants (Green) and Gear (Yellow).
Hampton added that “when selecting the words and phrases for this set, we thought about the most essential words a guest might use when exploring another country on Earth. My favorite word is ‘Ikran’ which means ‘Banshee.’ I must have said that word hundreds of times while developing products for Pandora…”
The Disney Parks Blog reports that Cody partnered with Lightstorm Entertainment and Dr. Paul Frommer, creator of the Na’vi language for “Avatar,” to acquire audio recordings of spoken Na’vi words for the translator.
Look for the Na’vi Translator at Windtraders on Pandora this summer.
Source: Disney Parks Blog
