The Star Wars films have been translated into at least 50 languages, but this will be the first time a major movie, Star Wars Episode IV will be dubbed into a North American indigenous language. The translation comes from a partnership between the Navajo Nation Museum, Navajo Parks and Recreation and Lucasfilm.
Manuelito Wheeler is the director of the Navajo Nation Museum and has been working to get the film translated for over three years. He hopes the movie will serve as a tool to preserve the language.
“There are definitely star wars nerds out there that can repeat that movie verbatim and they speak no Navajo," says Wheeler. "So when they're watching this and it's in Navajo, it's them learning Navajo.”
Wheeler says with the release, younger generations will be inspired to learn the language, while older generations will be able to see and understand the film for the first time.
So, you want to say “may the force be with you” in Navajo? Well, the script is under lock and key until the films theatrical release this July.