diff --git a/app/controllers/application_controller.rb b/app/controllers/application_controller.rb
index aa8edccd..76d8467d 100644
--- a/app/controllers/application_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/application_controller.rb
@@ -57,7 +57,7 @@ class ApplicationController < ActionController::Base
   end
   
   def valid_locale?(locale)
-    locale && I18n.available_locales.include?(locale.to_sym)
+    locale && I18n.usable_locales.include?(locale.to_sym)
   end
 end
 
diff --git a/app/controllers/items_controller.rb b/app/controllers/items_controller.rb
index d4d8dd11..db3183e1 100644
--- a/app/controllers/items_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/items_controller.rb
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ class ItemsController < ApplicationController
       raise ActiveRecord::RecordNotFound, 'Pet type not found'
     end
     
-    @items = @pet_type.needed_items.with_translations(I18n.locale).
+    @items = @pet_type.needed_items.with_translations.
       alphabetize_by_translations
     assign_closeted!
     
diff --git a/app/helpers/application_helper.rb b/app/helpers/application_helper.rb
index e0299e56..8275720f 100644
--- a/app/helpers/application_helper.rb
+++ b/app/helpers/application_helper.rb
@@ -103,9 +103,18 @@ module ApplicationHelper
   end
   
   def locale_options
-    I18n.available_locales.map do |available_locale|
+    current_locale_is_public = false
+    options = I18n.public_locales.map do |available_locale|
+      current_locale_is_public = true if I18n.locale == available_locale
       [translate('locale_name', :locale => available_locale), available_locale]
     end
+    
+    unless current_locale_is_public
+      name = translate('locale_name', :locale => I18n.locale) + ' (alpha)'
+      options << [name, I18n.locale]
+    end
+    
+    options
   end
   
   def localized_cache(key={}, &block)
diff --git a/app/models/item.rb b/app/models/item.rb
index bedc6d5c..06dfba6c 100644
--- a/app/models/item.rb
+++ b/app/models/item.rb
@@ -267,8 +267,9 @@ class Item < ActiveRecord::Base
   end
   
   def needed_translations
+    translatable_locales = Set.new(I18n.locales_with_neopets_language_code)
     translated_locales = Set.new(translations.map(&:locale))
-    I18n.available_locales.reject { |locale| translated_locales.include?(locale) }
+    translatable_locales - translated_locales
   end
 
   def self.all_by_ids_or_children(ids, swf_assets)
diff --git a/app/models/pet.rb b/app/models/pet.rb
index 780342e0..cc653d4f 100644
--- a/app/models/pet.rb
+++ b/app/models/pet.rb
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ class Pet < ActiveRecord::Base
     
     require 'ostruct'
     begin
-      neopets_language_code = I18n.translate('neopets_language_code')
+      neopets_language_code = I18n.neopets_language_code_for(options[:locale])
       envelope = PET_VIEWER.request([name, 0]).post(
         :timeout => 2,
         :headers => {
@@ -105,10 +105,11 @@ class Pet < ActiveRecord::Base
       last_pet_loaded = nil
       reloaded_pets = Parallel.map(candidates.keys, :in_threads => 8) do |locale|
         Rails.logger.info "Reloading #{name} in #{locale}"
-        last_pet_loaded = Pet.load(name, :item_scope => Item.with_translations,
-                                         :locale => locale)
+        reloaded_pet = Pet.load(name, :item_scope => Item.with_translations,
+                                      :locale => locale)
+        Pet.connection_pool.with_connection { reloaded_pet.save! }
+        last_pet_loaded = reloaded_pet
       end
-      reloaded_pets.map(&:save!)
       previous_candidates = candidates
       candidates = last_pet_loaded.item_translation_candidates
       
diff --git a/config/initializers/locale_meta.rb b/config/initializers/locale_meta.rb
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..bb87965e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/initializers/locale_meta.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+module LocaleMeta
+  PUBLIC_LOCALES = []
+  USABLE_LOCALES = []
+  NEOPETS_LANGUAGE_CODES_BY_LOCALE = {}
+  LOCALES_WITH_NEOPETS_LANGUAGE_CODE = []
+  COMPATIBLE_LOCALES = {}
+end
+
+config = YAML.load_file(Rails.root.join('config', 'locale_meta.yml'))
+
+config.each do |locale_str, locale_meta|
+  locale = locale_str.to_sym
+  
+  visibility = locale_meta['visibility']
+  if visibility == 'public'
+    LocaleMeta::PUBLIC_LOCALES << locale
+    LocaleMeta::USABLE_LOCALES << locale
+  elsif visibility == 'private'
+    LocaleMeta::USABLE_LOCALES << locale
+  end
+  
+  if locale_meta.has_key?('neopets_language_code')
+    neopets_language_code = locale_meta['neopets_language_code']
+    LocaleMeta::NEOPETS_LANGUAGE_CODES_BY_LOCALE[locale] = neopets_language_code
+    LocaleMeta::LOCALES_WITH_NEOPETS_LANGUAGE_CODE << locale
+  elsif locale_meta.has_key?('compatible_with')
+    compatible_locale = locale_meta['compatible_with'].to_sym
+    LocaleMeta::COMPATIBLE_LOCALES[locale] = compatible_locale
+  else
+    raise "locale #{locale} must either have a neopets_language_code or " +
+      "be compatible_with a locale that does"
+  end
+end
+
+module I18n
+  def self.public_locales
+    LocaleMeta::PUBLIC_LOCALES
+  end
+  
+  def self.usable_locales
+    LocaleMeta::USABLE_LOCALES
+  end
+  
+  def self.locales_with_neopets_language_code
+    LocaleMeta::LOCALES_WITH_NEOPETS_LANGUAGE_CODE
+  end
+  
+  def self.neopets_language_code_for(locale)
+    LocaleMeta::NEOPETS_LANGUAGE_CODES_BY_LOCALE[locale]
+  end
+end
diff --git a/config/locale_meta.yml b/config/locale_meta.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..82889814
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/locale_meta.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+en:
+  visibility: public
+  neopets_language_code: en
+
+en-MEEP:
+  visibility: public
+  compatible_with: en
+
+pt:
+  visibility: private
+  neopets_language_code: pt
+
+es:
+  visibility: none
+  neopets_language_code: es
+
+nl:
+  visibility: none
+  neopets_language_code: nl
+
+de:
+  visibility: none
+  neopets_language_code: de
+
+fr:
+  visibility: none
+  neopets_language_code: fr
+
+it:
+  visibility: none
+  neopets_language_code: it
+
+zh-CN:
+  visibility: none
+  neopets_language_code: ch
+
+zh-TW:
+  visibility: none
+  neopets_language_code: zh
+
+ja:
+  visibility: none
+  neopets_language_code: ja
+
+ko:
+  visibility: none
+  neopets_language_code: ko
diff --git a/config/locales/en.yml b/config/locales/en.yml
index c56d4081..196c670a 100644
--- a/config/locales/en.yml
+++ b/config/locales/en.yml
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@ en:
   infinite_closet: Infinite Closet
   modeling_hub: Modeling Hub
   locale_name: English
-  neopets_language_code: en
   
   activerecord:
     attributes:
diff --git a/config/locales/pt.yml b/config/locales/pt.yml
index cd052a0e..da15ca9d 100644
--- a/config/locales/pt.yml
+++ b/config/locales/pt.yml
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 pt:
   locale_name: Portuguese
-  neopets_language_code: pt
   
-  # This is a placeholder Portuguese locale, so that we can look up items.
-  # Everything else will fall back to English.
+  # This is a placeholder Portuguese locale, so that we can test things
+  # involving its presence.