Farsi (Persian)

     Farsi is one of the purest languages on earth. The Farsi language is derived from Proto-Indo-European but has a different writing system and alphabet from other Indo-European languages. It is the official language of Iran and is often referred to as “Persian” in the west. Around 90 million people around the world speak this language which only slightly different from Dari. In fact, Farsi is comprehensible to Dari speakers. The Persian script is a modified version of Arabic which is why many who aren’t familiar with this style of writing can’t distinguish between them.
     There has been very little word formation in Farsi over past centuries, making almost all historic texts still comprehensible to modern speakers. However, this has changed with recent advances in the media and the rate of new words being added to the language is rising. As a result of this, Farsi speakers who have been away from their native countries for even a few years are not fully aware of the new phrases or slang. It is for this very reason that we suggest our clients only work with translators and voice artists currently living in Iran because most Farsi speakers who have moved to other countries have fallen behind the latest trends and are not caught up on the recent stylistic changes made to the language. Even these small discrepancies will have a huge impact on the quality of the final product and can sometimes lead to the message being misunderstood by citizens of Farsi speaking countries.
Like every other language in the world, Farsi is spoken with many different accents. However, the official and reference pronunciation is that which is spoken in Tehran. A cultural aspect to consider about the language is that different accents in western languages are used in the media and have their own uses and audiences, like English spoken with a Spanish accent which is so widespread it is used without any problem. However, any deviation from the reference pronunciations of Farsi will have a negative effect on audiences and may even be mistaken as ridicule.
      We, therefore, urge you to seek the advice of Farsi language professionals so you don’t risk your brand’s reputation being harmed as a result of your message being misunderstood by your target audience.