# Need persian (arabic?) translation **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 15, 2005, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-persian-arabic-translation/290196 "2005-02-15T15:20:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2005, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-persian-arabic-translation/290196/1 "2005-02-15T15:20:52Z")
In checking my web page visitation logs, I spotted some activity coming from [http://taheriabkenar.persianblog.com](http://taheriabkenar.persianblog.com) . That site has what looks like arabic text. The first picture is a photo of mine (It shows snow on trees and a road near my house): [http://www.doorbell.net/tlr/pixweek/sogd.htm](http://www.doorbell.net/tlr/pixweek/sogd.htm) I am curious as why the writer chose that particular picture to illustrate his article and how it relates. Does anyone read arabic enough to translate? I don’t need a word-for-word translation, but the gist of the text would be nice. I tried an online free translation service, and it returned gibberish. (Since this is a blog and therefore dynamic, just in case the article in question isn’t at the top of the page, look for the snow on road picture which accompanies it.) ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2005, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-persian-arabic-translation/290196/2 "2005-02-15T16:27:26Z")
The alphabet may be Arabic, but the language is Persian. No wonder your online translation didn’t work, if you set it to translate from Arabic. Persian is a completely different language. Arabic is a Semitic language, related to Hebrew and Ethiopic. Persian is an Indo-European language, related to English as well as Latin, Russian, Greek, Sanskrit, etc. The header on that article reads: “Snow is a recurring problem-maker” or “Snow is making problems again.” I don’t have time to translate the rest of it. I’m sorry, but my eyes are getting too old to read the tiny Arabic fonts on web sites. People keep sending me web pages in Arabic and Persian but I can’t even see the damn things because the font is set too small. Maybe I should order a special pair of glasses. The font-enlarging functionality on the View menu doesn’t work. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2005, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-persian-arabic-translation/290196/3 "2005-02-15T17:47:40Z")
Thanks for the help, **Johanna.** I tried looking for Persian (Farsi, right?) to English online translators. Not common. I even found one that went from English to Farsi only. From [this site,](http://www.1-800-translate.com/machine_trans/) I ran a block of text thru it and got: > [@](#): > > With the salutation ample the quince whole the darlings distant V close.Several RvzghŒ your principium to the cause Mshklaut the snow NmghŒ my strength Sauytrau to the day the glance my gallows. Yesterday Hm the day KhvbghŒ was Vhmooauqy’ghrybghŒrau the witness my was KhvbghŒaun from the direction DauyghŒ become the slave was.VlghŒ at the hospital the witness T’daudzyaudghŒbymauraunghŒ my was Kh to the direction the deficiency the oxygen at expectance the room the act were!HtghŒ the brother FrdghŒkhauzaupaurtmaun the collapse had done was casque the oxygen Rau the supply had done was V to the hospital 'Vrdh was.Several the building under the pressure the snow BghŒ the background the collapse had done were. Finally whole the quince Nv’ghŒ captive were.Yesterday PdrghŒrau my eyesight Kh from the room the act glad out Myaumdv at the hand the bouquet V the one closed the bread had!Good 'Z whole 'Ynhau past news Rvz:Daunshmndaun the intention Daurnd together Baurkdgzaury whole… More words than 125, then want $.01 per word, but if that’s the best they can do, I sure don’t see paying more. Is there any automated site you would recommend? ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Lance\_Murdoch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/47e85d/32.png) [@Captain\_Lance\_Murdoch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Lance_Murdoch)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2005, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-persian-arabic-translation/290196/4 "2005-02-15T17:52:42Z")
The font used here is hard to read. The gist of the articles is that due to all the snow this blogger has been unable to write for awhile, blah, blah blah. There is no mention of the picture in the text. A little background info: Tehran is having it’s harshest winter in decades and there was a snowstorm there this weekend. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Lance\_Murdoch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/47e85d/32.png) [@Captain\_Lance\_Murdoch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Lance_Murdoch)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2005, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-persian-arabic-translation/290196/5 "2005-02-15T17:55:45Z")
Persian = Farsi ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2005, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-persian-arabic-translation/290196/6 "2005-02-15T18:32:02Z")
Thanks, **Cap’n**. I guess the blogger sees my snowy picture as typical of his country, or just likes it for artistry. Hey, I don’t mind; I’m flattered that he liked the image enough to use it. But the next time we get a blizzard in Wisconsin and I need to blog it, I’m going to look around for a winter shot of Afghanistan. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2005, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-persian-arabic-translation/290196/7 "2005-02-15T19:21:43Z")
> [@Captain Lance Murdoch](#): > > Persian = Farsi To be clear, Persian is generally used to refer to people, Farsi to the language. Given the similarities between the two words, I expect they come from the same root. Persians speak Farsi. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Lance\_Murdoch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/47e85d/32.png) [@Captain\_Lance\_Murdoch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Lance_Murdoch)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2005, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-persian-arabic-translation/290196/8 "2005-02-15T21:54:46Z")
The root word is “Fars” or “Pars” which is a state in Iran. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2005, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-persian-arabic-translation/290196/9 "2005-02-15T22:48:30Z")
“Persian” is the normal, usual name for the language in English. The people are Iranian. The language they speak is Persian. _Farsi_ is just the Persian name for ‘Persian’. It’s like saying “The German people speak Deutsch.” “The Japanese people speak Nihongo.” “The Greek people speak Elliniko.” Yeah, I know it’s become fashionable to say “Farsi” for the language nowadays, and dictionaries don’t cover all the changes in popular usage, and popular usage rules the language, not prescriptivists, yada yada yada. Nevertheless, I reserve the right to continue using traditional normal English in this case. “Persian” is still a perfectly valid name for the language. It hasn’t been entirely replaced by “Farsi” yet. When speaking English, I use the English names for things. This used to be considered normal. When speaking Persian, I call it _zabân-e Fârsî._ ---
**Author:** ![Vlad\_Igor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Vlad\_Igor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vlad_Igor)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2005, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-persian-arabic-translation/290196/10 "2005-02-15T23:51:00Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > “Persian” is the normal, usual name for the language in English. The people are Iranian. The language they speak is Persian. _Farsi_ is just the Persian name for ‘Persian’. It’s like saying “The German people speak Deutsch.” “The Japanese people speak Nihongo.” “The Greek people speak Elliniko.” I’ll agree with that if the speaker is being pedantic. However, there is a linguistic phenomenon called code switching, where words from a second language are inserted into the conversation. When speaking to my boss, who is Iranian, I will sometimes refer to his native language as Farsi, the same way I tell him “I hope to get 10 samples today, _in sha’llah_,” or “Well, considering that this isn’t the _Dar al-Islam_, your observation of Ramadan is exemplary.” I have also been addressed as _sher_ by an Iraqi PhD I work with, so the presence of two or more active languages, code-switching is more likely to occur (in me, at any rate - you should have heard me when I lived in France for a year). Vlad/Igor ---
**Author:** ![ZebraShaSha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/eada6e/32.png) [@ZebraShaSha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZebraShaSha)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2005, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-persian-arabic-translation/290196/11 "2005-02-16T01:10:59Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > The alphabet may be Arabic, but the language is Persian. No wonder your online translation didn’t work, if you set it to translate from Arabic. Persian is a completely different language. Arabic is a Semitic language, related to Hebrew and Ethiopic. Persian is an Indo-European language, related to English as well as Latin, Russian, Greek, Sanskrit, etc. > > The header on that article reads: “Snow is a recurring problem-maker” or “Snow is making problems again.” I don’t have time to translate the rest of it. I’m sorry, but my eyes are getting too old to read the tiny Arabic fonts on web sites. People keep sending me web pages in Arabic and Persian but I can’t even see the damn things because the font is set too small. Maybe I should order a special pair of glasses. The font-enlarging functionality on the View menu doesn’t work. Do you have Microsoft Works or Word? For works, you can copy and paste the text then enlarge it. You can’t really write in that langauge, but you can make it bigger. For example, if this actually words and not gibberish on your browser, با سلامی دوباره به همه عزيزان.از شما که در اين مدت تماس گرفتيد يا اميل زديد متشکرم.بالاخره کمی از مشکلات حل شد.ولی هنوز تعداد زيادی از روستا های استان گيلان در محاصره برف است.فقط تعداد ۱۵۰ مدرسه دچار ريزش سقف شده اند. البته هلی کوپتر ها برای انها بيسکوت می ريزند! رکورد ريزش ۳۶۰ ميليمتر برف در دو روز بينظير است.شايد وسائل مناسب هم موجود نبود ولی استان ما با بد شرايطی روبرو است.ولی خبری که امروز در مورد پيمان کيوتو داشتيم جالب بود:پروتکل کيوتو که در سال۱۹۹۷ به منظور کمک به کاهش روند گرم شدن کره ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2005, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-persian-arabic-translation/290196/12 "2005-02-16T03:12:32Z")
Hey, that’s really neat. It came out perfect on my browser (IE 6.0). You just copied and pasted it there? It’s more legible here than in the blog. I tried your idea, but the oh-so-sophisticated Word failed to enlarge the Persian text when I pasted it in. Word thought it was a table. “Convert table to text” didn’t allow me to enlarge it either. So I pasted it into the modest WordPad and was able to enlarge it just fine and printed it out. ---
**Author:** ![ZebraShaSha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/eada6e/32.png) [@ZebraShaSha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZebraShaSha)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2005, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-persian-arabic-translation/290196/13 "2005-02-16T03:20:52Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > Hey, that’s really neat. It came out perfect on my browser (IE 6.0). You just copied and pasted it there? It’s more legible here than in the blog. I tried your idea, but the oh-so-sophisticated Word failed to enlarge the Persian text when I pasted it in. Word thought it was a table. “Convert table to text” didn’t allow me to enlarge it either. So I pasted it into the modest WordPad and was able to enlarge it just fine and printed it out. Yep, copy and paste - I discovered it when I was searching for a translator. My guess as to why Word was not working is that you pasted in the cell from the website. A cell, basically a table for a website, would of probably did what you described. If you want to try it again just select the text and absolutely nothing else above or below the lines in the box. Who knows, might be a quark of some sort.