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Nimbala Translator

discreet precise professional unflappable dignified desperate proud conflicted pragmatic defensive assertive exasperated
Alan charges into White House arenas as the unyielding pharmaceutical representative, parrying moral salvos with razor-sharp defenses of industry pricing. Retail markups, taxes, pharmacy discounts, and corporate free-drug donations shatter myths of profiteering; he shrugs off life-expectancy queries while hammering logistical killshots—even gratis AIDS cocktails fail without infrastructure, adherence collapsing amid wristwatch voids. Pragmatism armored against Toby's fury and Josh's probes, Alan reframes outrage into policy quicksand, compelling the administration to wrestle delivery dead-ends that doom good intentions.
17 appearances
Also known as: Translator, Interpreter, Nimbala's Interpreter, President Nimbala, PRESIDENT NIMBALA, pharmaceutical rep

Nimbala Translator's Journey

A timeline through the narrative

17 moments
S2E4 · In This White House
Press Room Spin — Summit Framed, Pharma Deflected, a Secret Named

urgent / pleading (implied by context)

Mentioned as the President of the Republic of Equatorial Kuhndu and representing African nations at the upcoming meeting with Bartlet.

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S2E4 · In This White House
Press Room Tension — Pricing, Priorities and a Dangerous Slip

not directly shown (context implies urgency/desperation)

Mentioned as attending the upcoming half‑hour meeting with President Bartlet, representing the Republic of Equatorial Kuhndu and African nations.

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S2E4 · In This White House
C.J.'s Grand Jury Slip — The Off-Record That Wasn't

Mentioned as attending the upcoming meeting with President Bartlet, representing the Republic of Equatorial Kuhndu and African nations.

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S2E4 · In This White House
Nimbala's Plea and Bartlet's Unexpected Recruit

Professional detachment conveying dignified urgency

Whispers to Nimbala during Katie's question; translates raw miracle plea and Borlaug anecdote verbatim—wheat yields transforming India—amplifying desperation to Bartlet and press before final 'My country's dying.'

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S2E4 · In This White House
Portico Decision: Bartlet Commits to Hiring Ainsley Hayes

Functionally composed

Whispers translations during press Q&A, relays Nimbala's 'miracle' response and detailed Borlaug wheat anecdote elevating U.S. as miracle-maker.

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S2E4 · In This White House
The Price of Life: Josh Maps Drug Economics

dignified / frustrated / pleading

Attempts to speak, is interrupted, presents his country's need and cites Fluconazole sales ('A billion dollars').

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S2E4 · In This White House
Roosevelt Room Breakdown: When Ethics Collide With Cost

pleading / indignant

President Nimbala attempts to speak and plead about his country's need for AIDS drugs, answers questions about sales.

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S2E4 · In This White House
Boysenberry Pause — Humanizing the Summit

desperate, dignified (inferred from description)

Referenced by Toby and Josh as the dignified, desperate leader of a nation needing aid; described as having led his people and come in person to the summit.

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S2E4 · In This White House
When Policy Meets a Man: Nimbala Humanized

described as dignified, desperate, burdened

Referenced and described by Toby as a good president, former soldier and commander who personally came to plead for aid; subject of the humanizing portrait that reframes the policy argument.

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S2E4 · In This White House
The Wristwatch Problem — When Logistics Defeat Good Intentions

defensive, pragmatic

Pharmaceutical representative arguing that even free AIDS medication would likely have little impact due to practical adherence problems; defends industry and warns of dangers in some proposals.

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S2E4 · In This White House
Alan's 'Wristwatch' Rebuttal and the Moral-Logistical Rift

defensive, assertive

Speaks at the Roosevelt Room summit as a pharmaceutical representative, arguing that free drugs would have little impact without infrastructure and defending industry positions.

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S2E4 · In This White House
Nimbala's Shame Breaks the Negotiation

Neutral professionalism attuned to raw vulnerability

The translator relays Nimbala's shamed confession about begging and his proud father into English, interjects 'A proud man' to capture nuance, and back-translates Toby's reassurance, serving as precise emotional conduit …

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S2E4 · In This White House
Ultimatum in the Mural Room

Neutral poise amid charged vulnerability

The translator completes relaying Toby and Josh's complex bargain to Nimbala after Josh's loan details, then swiftly interprets Nimbala's native-language aside as 'A proud man,' preserving the emotional authenticity and …

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S2E4 · In This White House
Ultimatum: Aid Tied to Security Commitments

Calm professionalism amid charged tension

Translator relays Toby/Josh's terms and Nimbala's responses post-deliberation, intervenes by characterizing Nimbala's native-language slip as 'a proud man,' facilitating the emotional pivot without injecting personal bias.

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S2E4 · In This White House
Kuhndu Coup — The Limits of Rescue

desperate, pleading, determined

Incoming exiled President; pleads to return home and for his family's safety; asks about his children and requests to call his embassy.

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S2E4 · In This White House
Exile Confirmed: Bartlet Breaks the News to President Nimbala

desperate, distraught, pleading

Visiting President of Equatorial Kuhndu; reacts to news of the coup, pleads to return home, asks about his children and calls embassy and Americans.

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S2E4 · In This White House
Execution at the Airport — Bartlet's Quiet Collapse

deceased (subject of execution)

Mentioned as the person who 'They executed... in the airport parking lot' (the victim of the execution conveyed by the slip of paper).

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Affiliation

Department of the Treasury