Chaharshanbeh Souri (چهارشنبه سوری) or ‘The Scarlet Wednesday’

Also called Charshanbe Soori is an Iranian festival celebrated on the eve of the last Wednesday of the year. It is the first festivity of the Noruz Celebrations festival (the Iranian New Year). The last eve between Tuesday and Wednesday of the year, before the vernal equinox. Also observed by Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iraqi Kurdistan, Tajikistan, …

Mehregan (مهرگان), The Celebration of Autumn

Mehregan is a Zoroastrian and Persian festival celebrated to honor the yazata Mithra (Persian: Mehr‎). Mehr is responsible for friendship, affection and love. It is also widely referred to as the Persian Festival of Autumn. In Persian calendar, Mehr is the first month of Autumn. This month starts from September 21st through October 21st. Some …

A Tribute To Sa’di Shirazi

Today I came across this beautiful poem from Sa’adi Shirazi. بنی آدم اعضای یکدیگرند که در آفرينش ز یک گوهرند چو عضوى به درد آورد روزگار دگر عضوها را نماند قرار تو کز محنت دیگران بی غمی نشاید که نامت نهند آدمی banī ādam a’zā-ye yekdīgar-and ke dar āfarīn-aš ze yek gowhar-and čo ‘ozvī be …

Learn About ATA Farsi Certification Program

Dear Colleagues: The business of translation of Farsi in the US has become questionable. Due to the lack of a standardized certification, many individuals who do not possess adequate translation skills have entered this profession. The translations and interpretations produced by these non-qualified translators have considerably lowered the quality of Farsi translation products and interpretation …

An Encounter in Tehran

MY STORY Back in the winter of 2000, during a visit to Tehran, I met a young accounting student who lived in my parents’ neighborhood. Since I was also an accounting student, but in the US, we compared notes. She told me that she had a hard time understanding accounting concepts because their English-to-Farsi textbooks …

A Milestone Achieved

I founded Fravahr Translation in 2010. My company went through many ups and downs as do all small businesses. Recently, I reached an important Milestone. My milestone isn’t about revenue or the number of customers, but rather a vision. From the beginning, I realized the huge need for my native language’s presence in high quality …

What’s the ATA Certification and Why is it Important?

The American Translators Association (ATA) is the largest professional association of translators and interpreters in the United States with nearly 10,000 members in more than 100 countries. ATA offers certification examinations for its members in some language combinations and is affiliated with the International Federation of Translators (FIT). If you hire an ATA certified Farsi translator you can rest assured that: Their translation skills are …

Know Your Interpreter

Recently, the American Translators Association (ATA) reprinted a news brief from the Associated Press in its newsletter. It concerned translation for the armed forces overseas — and should serve as a cautionary tale to anyone looking for a translator or interpreter.

Google Translate: Friend or Foe?

Recently I put a Farsi-language ad in a Facebook group that said: If anyone needs any type of translation to and from Farsi, Please contact us at (212) 304- 4400. With over 25 years of experience in translation we have produced books, articles, and document translations to individuals and professionals all over the world. For …

Scam Alert: Fraudsters Target Interpreters and Clients

Perpetrators of business fraud are getting more sophisticated everyday, and the translating and interpreting field is no exception. All the familiar scams involving everything from impersonated or “spoof” email accounts to “overpayments” with counterfeit checks are present in this industry. As problematic as schemes like that are, today I want to talk about a different …