How to translate television and telephone?

[Omarhdz]

kaltxì ma eylan! Is there a word for "television" and "telephone" in Na'vi? I know the word for computer, "eltu lefngap".

[Tirea Aean]

No, we dont have yet. Loan them as Telefon/ televìziyen or something or have to talk around them. Most likely imo these will end up loaned words in  the canon.

[`Eylan Ayfalulukanä]

Oddly though, there is the attested loan word word tsyänel for 'TV channel'.

[Tirea Aean]

Oddly though, there is the attested loan word word tsyänel for 'TV channel'.

Right. And this is because it was needed to say "Dont change the channel, we will return after a brief moment" on the Good Morning America segment back in 2010.

[Omarhdz]

Perfect! irayo, these loanwords will be useful.

[Tirea Aean]

Note that they are not Canon. I practically made them up myself. My words and opnions are just that, of my own.

[Reykoveyzä te Werufalä Haflak'ite]

do the loan words never sort of...annoy...anyone else?
the just dont seem like anything to do with the Na'vi...
sorry for the off-topic-ness

[Prrton]

K. Pawl and I have used the word SPULMOKRI for telephone for well over a year now. I don't know why he hasn't talked about it on his blog.

For TV I use TiVi. Many cultures/language on Earth call it "tele", but that would mean "matters/subjects" in Na'vi, which would likely be confusing.

I can see TV being derived (interpreted) by the Na'vi as FPE'REL(ARUSIKX) on the same model, but that's a brand new story. I don't think he would be comfortable with that without a lot of discussion. It's probably more of a WÌNTXUREL or WÌNTXUVUR.

K. Paul also seems to recognize SYEPREL for "camera".

So to summarize. As far as I know, only spulmokri (communication device/telephone) and syeprel (camera) are on the way to being canonized.

All of these are modeled on the way the plant, syeptute ("trapper") is named.