Persian is spoken in three countries under three names: Farsi in Iran, Dari in Afghanistan and Tajik in Tajikistan. Speakers understand each other well when they talk, but written texts are different enough that choosing the wrong variety can make a translation look foreign, or even unusable.
The main differences
- Script: Farsi and Dari use the Persian-Arabic alphabet, Tajik uses the Cyrillic alphabet.
- Vocabulary: everyday and technical words differ. Iranian Persian has many French loanwords, Dari more English ones, Tajik many Russian ones.
- Official terms: the names of offices, documents and administrative procedures are specific to each country.
- Calendar: Iran and Afghanistan both use the solar Hijri calendar, but Afghanistan uses Arabic-derived month names, while Tajikistan uses the Gregorian calendar.
How to choose
Choose by audience, not by language name. Texts for people from Iran need Farsi, texts for people from Afghanistan need Dari, and texts for Tajikistan need Tajik. For public services that reach both Iranians and Afghans, the safest choice is usually two separate versions. When translating documents issued in Afghanistan, the translator should know Afghan administrative terms, not only Iranian ones.
How we can help
We work with native translators for each variety and assign your text according to the audience, not to a generic language label. If you are unsure, tell us who will read the text and we will advise you before you order.
