Persian is the corporate business language in trade with Iran and in Afghanistan. mots Tercüme translates commercial correspondence, contracts, product documents and official documents between Persian and Turkish.
The Solar Hijri calendar
In Iran official documents are dated in the Solar Hijri calendar. In translation the date is carried over as it is in the source; if the Gregorian equivalent is needed, it is added separately and clearly marked as such.
Alphabet and letters
Persian uses an alphabet derived from the Arabic alphabet and contains letters that do not exist in Arabic. When Persian text is set in an Arabic typeface, some letters can appear wrongly.
Persian numerals
In Persian the numerals are written with some differences of shape from the Eastern Arabic numerals used in Arabic. In financial and technical documents the numerals are compared separately against the source.
Right-to-left typesetting
Persian is written from right to left; brand names and codes in Latin letters within the text remain left to right. Bidirectional lines are checked separately at the typesetting stage.
The Dari variant
Dari, which is used in Afghanistan, is a variant of Persian and differs in some terms. If it is known at the outset which country the document is going to, terms are chosen accordingly.
Commercial correspondence
In Persian commercial correspondence, expressions of respect are more pronounced than in Turkish. A corporate letter is built on these formulas; the content is not changed.
Spelling of names and titles
The spelling of Persian personal and institutional names in Latin letters does not follow a single rule. The spelling in the passport or the registry document is taken as the basis and is kept throughout the file.
The structure of contracts
In Persian contracts the introduction of the parties and the obligations are written in a set order. In a bilingual contract the clause numbers match exactly in the two texts.
Product and technical documents
The catalogues, usage information and label texts of export products may be translated into Persian. Term consistency is maintained in product names and lists of ingredients.
Compound verbs
In Persian a great many verbs are formed by combining a noun with an auxiliary verb. When carried over into Turkish, this structure is usually rendered with a single verb, and care is taken that no meaning is lost.
Payment and bank correspondence
Persian commercial correspondence sets out payment terms and bank details at length. The account number, the amount and the date are checked separately; these fields are not retyped but carried over from the source.
From Persian into Turkish
Long, ornate expressions are common in official texts with a Persian source. When they are carried over into Turkish, the meaning is preserved and a plain language suited to the corporate reader is used.
When certification is needed
Iran and Afghanistan are not parties to the Apostille Convention; documents to be used in these countries require consular legalisation instead of an apostille. The steps of the chain are determined at the start of the job according to the type of document.
Services requested together
Persian jobs most often come together with legal translation, sworn translation and desktop publishing.
Summary
In Persian corporate translation the calendar and the numeral format are the details most often overlooked. If the calendar of a date is misread, the validity period of the document is miscalculated as well.