Are Farsi and Arabic the Same?

I was waiting for the elevator on the 9th floor of a quiet office building in midtown. It was noon and I was headed to have lunch after a productive morning at work. A colleague approached me and asked, “How different are Arabic and Farsi?” I had been asked the question many times and I always knew the answer: Arabic and Persian (commonly known as Farsi) have the same alphabet but Persian has 4 extra letters and they are two different languages. This time, however, the question made me re-think my answer.

True or False? Or Something in Between?

At first, I thought this statement could actually be my perfect motto. As translators and interpreters, we agree that so much of the meaning can be lost in our work. Of course, Nietzsche’s point of view is a deep philosophical statement and does not lend itself to a superficial, short and precipitous examination.

As a court interpreter, however, I would readily disagree. Legal proceedings are based on facts and my interpretations would lose their objectivity if I overlooked the facts in favor of renditions.

Still as an interpreter, I am very mindful of how true this statement may sound. For example, trying to translate some of the best poems of Rumi or Hafez seems impossible. Even the best poetic translations that currently exist fall short of capturing their true and deepest messages.

Sassanid Art

Ancient Persian Art (Sassanid Art) Articles The Sassanid Art was created by the ingenuity of its founder Ardashir and moved towards excellence in a specified framework. Most of the Sassanid art contents and concepts have roots in pre-Sassanid cultures such as Elamite civilization, early history cultures (such as Hasanlu, Ziviyeh, Lorestan, …), and especially Achaemenid and Parthian era. Yet in cultural transmission it was also affected by Roman and Greek art and culture and some of their concepts, designs, and contents were adapted in Sassanid national and religious culture.