This guide adapts rules and examples from Microsoft’s 50-page Persian Localization Style Guide (originally written for software/UI localization). The underlying linguistic rules apply universally — to legal contracts, medical documents, marketing copy, and any Persian translation work. Restructured and reformatted as a general Persian translator reference by ChatsControl.

Persian (Farsi) Translation Style Guide — Voice, Word Choice & Common Pitfalls (Legal, Medical, Marketing, IT)¶

TL;DR¶

• Persian translation across all spheres (legal, medical, marketing, IT) requires modern conversational register — classic formal Persian (ندوبی م، نداد رارق هدافتسا دروم، لیذ) sounds bureaucratic in consumer-facing content; use modern equivalents (تسه/تسا، ندرک هدافتسا، ریز).
• Persian nouns are always singular after numerals — never pluralize (“100 days” → زور 100, not اهزور 100); applies to time units, count units, and any “numeral+noun” construction.
• Use Zero-Width Non-Joiner (ZWNJ, Shift+B) for plural suffix اه, verb prefixes ی م, verb suffixes ما/دیا/دنا, and compound nouns (دیلکهحفص، رازفامرن).
• Persian is gender-free — no language-internal gender bias; avoid gendered compounds (درم، نز، رسپ، رتخد) and use neutral terms (دارفا، صاخشا، مدرم).
• Use the new approved quotation marks «» (Shift+K, Shift+L on standard Persian keyboard) — never single quotes or smart curly quotes; modifier always follows the main noun (Windows روبع زمر, not روبع زمر Windows).

Register and tone for modern Persian translation¶

Register is the level of formality, warmth, and conversational ease the target text projects. Modern Persian readers across consumer-facing spheres expect language resembling everyday conversation rather than the formal classical register of older administrative and academic writing.

Three principles define the modern Persian register for consumer-facing content:

• Warm and relaxed. Less formal, more grounded in honest conversation. Avoid the layered politeness of formal classical Persian where less interpersonal distance is appropriate.
• Crisp and clear. Written for scanning first, reading second. Sentences short enough to parse quickly on a phone screen.
• Ready to help. Anticipates the reader’s need and offers help at the right moment. Avoid the corporate “we” pattern (ما/تکرش) — keep focus on “you” (امش).

Why this matters: Bureaucratic register damages outcomes across spheres. In marketing copy it kills conversion — readers bounce when text sounds like a court summons. In patient-facing medical materials it reduces comprehension and compliance. In software UI it creates friction at every interaction. In consumer-facing legal documents (terms of service, privacy notices) regulators and brands increasingly demand plain language. Only sworn legal translation and pure technical specifications retain the older formal register.

Audience targeting: technical vs. consumer vocabulary¶

The same source text requires different vocabulary depending on who reads the translation. Use technical terms for technical audiences; for consumers use common words. A clinical drug monograph for prescribers uses precise pharmacological terminology; the patient leaflet for the same drug uses everyday Persian. A software API reference uses developer jargon; the end-user help article uses plain Persian.

This applies in every sphere. Legal translation for corporate counsel uses Arabic-loan procedural shorthand; consumer-facing versions need plain-Persian framing. Medical translation for clinicians keeps Greek/Latin/Arabic nomenclature; for patients it switches to common terms. IT translation uses developer jargon in engineer-facing docs, natural Persian in end-user help (هنایار instead of PC where context suits).

Word choice: short forms and everyday vocabulary¶

Use approved terminology from Microsoft Language Portal for key terms, technical terms, and product names. Beyond fixed terms, prefer short everyday Persian over formal/classical alternatives.

Words and phrases to avoid (classic → modern Persian)¶

In English, parallel formality-reduction substitutions: Achieve → Do, Attempt → Try, Configure → Set up, Encounter → Meet, Execute → Run, Halt → Stop, However → But, In addition → Also, Locate → Find, Modify → Change, Navigate → Go, Obtain → Get, Perform → Do, Purchase → Buy, Refer to → See, Resolve → Fix, Subsequent → Next, Terminate → End, Toggle → Switch, Utilize → Use. Apply equivalent simplifications when choosing Persian vocabulary.

Why this matters: Classic formal Persian forms appear in legal templates and government documents out of institutional habit but feel alien in modern consumer products, patient-facing medical materials, brand-led marketing, and user-friendly software. A privacy policy reading نداد رارق هدافتسا دروم signals bureaucratic distance; ندرک هدافتسا reads as the product speaking to its user. A patient leaflet using لیذ for “below” produces hesitation; ریز lands immediately. These substitutions are among the highest-leverage edits a translator can make.

Avoid word-for-word translation¶

Word-for-word translation produces stiff, unnatural Persian because Persian and English distribute information differently. Persian relies on rich verb morphology and head-final modifier order (modifier after main noun); English leans on word order and prepositions. Map structure, not just words.

The remedy: read for paragraph-level meaning, then compose Persian sentences that carry the meaning naturally. Reshape syntax. Split or omit. Don’t try to find a Persian word for “experience” in every context — it often doesn’t translate.

Inclusive language¶

Gender-free Persian¶

Persian is a gender-free language — there’s no grammatical gender distinction. Pronouns don’t refer to a specific gender. When source uses “he” or “she,” translate with neutral وا and never reinforce gender stereotypes.

Avoid compounds with gendered terms (درم، نز، رسپ، رتخد). Use neutral nouns:

For generalizations, use plural noun forms (مدرم، صاخشا، دارفا، نایوجشناد).

Accessibility and people-first language¶

Focus on people, not disabilities. Don’t use words that imply pity (لولعم، هدیدبیسآ، دنربی م جنر یصاخ یرامیب زا). Don’t mention a disability unless it’s relevant.

Keep paragraphs short and sentence structure simple — one verb per sentence. Read text aloud and imagine it spoken by a screen reader. Spell out special characters — screen readers can misread &, +, ~. Use و instead of &, هرابرد instead of “about” symbols.

Grammar and orthography¶

Abbreviations¶

Abbreviation is rarely used in Persian — to shorten phrases, remove unnecessary parts, use infinitive instead of full verb, use singular instead of plural, or pick the main noun.

Common Persian abbreviations:

Measurement units¶

No abbreviations for units in Persian. Use English abbreviation when value is standalone (not within text); use full Persian form within running text (رتمولیک، مرگولیک، چنیا).

Leave a space between number and unit:

Singular form after numerals (CRITICAL)¶

Persian nouns stay singular after any numeral. This is the opposite of English and one of the most common defects in machine and inexperienced translation. Applies to all “numeral+noun” constructions: time units, file counts, user counts, anything counted.

Acronyms¶

Acronyms can be spelled out in parentheses on first occurrence and used in English form thereafter: - OLE (Object Linking and Embedding) → (یش یزاساج و دنویپ) OLE

For well-known acronyms (PIN), transliteration improves flow. For terms with Persian equivalents (Computer, SMS), use the translation: - Computer → هنایار - Pin code → نیپ دک - SMS → کمایپ

Unlocalized acronyms keep English form. When using as modifier, ensure correct Persian word order (main noun first, modifier follows): - NFC capable devices → NFC اب راگزاس یاههاگتسد

Adjectives¶

• Quality adjectives follow the noun (predicate position).
• Numerical adjectives precede the noun.
• Demonstrative adjectives precede the noun.

Possessive adjectives follow the noun. English uses possessives frequently; Persian uses them sparingly — omit unnecessary ones.

Articles¶

Persian has no separate article system but uses ی/کی for indefinite reference: کی precedes the noun, ی attaches as suffix.

Critical caveat about suffix ی: Don’t add ی after a noun in two cases: 1. When text specifies a count: “one email, not two” — use کی, not ی. 2. When adding ی converts the noun into a different valid noun: - صخش (person) vs یصخش (privacy) - زبس (green) vs یزبس (vegetables) - تروص (face) vs یتروص (pink)

Special care with صخش/یصخش in Microsoft context.

For definite articles, translate either without article or use نیا before the noun.

Unlocalized feature names use no articles (treated as proper nouns): - Install Windows Platform Update → Windows Platform Update دینک بصن ار

Localized feature names follow Persian noun rules: - Media Player → هناسر هدننک شخپ

Capitalization¶

There is no capitalization in Persian. Persian letters have positional variants (initial, medial, final) but no upper/lower case. Brand names and registered trademarks should follow source capitalization or be localized per provided instructions.

Compounds¶

Compound nouns are extremely common in Persian. Examples: نفلتهچرتفد (Phonebook), دیلکهحفص (Keyboard). Never use hyphenation to form compound nouns — morphemes are written separately with ZWNJ (short space).

To pluralize a compound noun, pluralize the second noun:

Conjunctions¶

For modern register, use conjunctions to convey conversational tone. Starting a sentence with a conjunction (و، اما، یلو) signals informality.

Genitive¶

Persian genitive uses either a short vowel (kasreh, usually unmarked in writing) on the first noun or a character ی after certain letters.

Product names stay untranslated, treated as proper nouns — no genitive sign added: - Microsoft products → Microsoft تالوصحم

Localized feature names follow Persian noun rules and take definite/indefinite articles: - Use this Media Player to replay your video → دینک هدافتسا دوخ یویدیو شخپزاب یارب هناسر هدننکشخپ نیا زا

Localizing colloquialisms¶

To express source colloquialism intent: - Don’t replace with a Persian colloquialism unless it’s a perfect natural fit. - Translate the intended meaning if integral and can’t be omitted. - If colloquialism can be omitted without affecting meaning, omit it.

Persian formal vs. colloquial difference is much deeper than in English. Colloquial Persian is tightly tied to idiomatic expressions that often can’t even be translated literally. Cultural hints are avoided in translation — especially technical documents. Prefer an informal-but-not-colloquial tone for friendly target-audience connection.

Modifiers (CRITICAL word order)¶

In Persian, the modifier comes AFTER the main noun. Word-for-word translation produces ungrammatical compounds, especially with non-translatable product name modifiers.

Nouns¶

Persian doesn’t differentiate noun classes by animacy or gender. Nouns are not inflected and not pluralized after a plural number.

Two plural symbols exist: اه (everything) and ناـ (animated things): - trees → اهتخرد or ناتخرد - books → اهباتک

Prepositions¶

Each English preposition may have multiple Persian translations based on the accompanying verb. Don’t translate prepositions mechanically — choose the one specific to the verb.

For modern register, use prepositions to convey casual tone. Starting/ending sentences with prepositions is acceptable.

Pronouns¶

All Persian pronouns are gender-neutral. When source has gender-specific text, translate as normal Persian without stressing gender:

• She is working for Microsoft Corporation → .دنکی م راک Microsoft تکرش یارب وا

Punctuation¶

Bulleted lists¶

Place the bullet symbol (•) at the start of the line followed by a space or tab, then the Persian text.

Example (translated rendering):

:دیدج هخسن رد اهدوبهب
اهلاکشا عفر •

Comma¶

Persian uses a different comma symbol than English. Convert English commas (,) to Persian commas (،) in Persian text. Include space after commas and periods.

Colon¶

Use colons to introduce a list or a quotation. Don’t use colons mid-sentence when you still need to add the verb at the end.

Dashes and hyphens¶

Hyphen. Rarely used in Persian. Not recommended at all.

• File-related commands cannot be executed at this level
• Avoid: طوبرم -هدنورپ یاهروتسد
• Correct: هدنورپ هب طوبرم یاهروتسد

En dash. Used as minus sign, usually with a number: - –359 → -۳۵۹

In number ranges, no spaces. Can be replaced with ات (to) in Persian: - 8 am–6 pm → ظ.ب 6 ات ظ.ق 8 (preferred over ظ.ب 6-ظ.ق 8)

Note: Persian uses the same character for hyphen and en dash. The minus character “-” serves both.

Em dash. In Persian, use parentheses instead of em dash: - The software will be released on March 21—the first day of Iranian year—late in the afternoon. - → .دوشی م رشتنم زور نایاپ رد (یناریا لاس زور نیلوا) سرام ۲۱ خیرات رد رازفا مرن نیا

Ellipsis¶

Don’t use ellipsis in the middle of a sentence — sometimes the ellipsis must be ignored in Persian to complete the sentence with the verb at the end.

Period¶

Always use a full stop at the end of a sentence. Avoid full stops at phrase endings unless following English punctuation. Place the period outside brackets when at the end of a sentence.

Quotation marks (NEW STANDARD)¶

Approved quotation marks for Persian writing changed in 2011 — use «» (Shift+K, Shift+L on the standard Persian keyboard approved by Iran National Standard Organization). Single quotation marks are never used in Persian. Replace English straight quotes “…” and curly quotes “”…”” with Persian «…».

Even when source uses English quotation marks around English terms in the UI, replace with Persian «» — including for English references:

For Windows 7 or older versions, install the approved Persian keyboard to access «». Windows 10+ includes it natively.

Parentheses¶

No space between parentheses and text inside, matching English. While translating, ensure parenthetical text is placed in the correct Persian-syntactic position — don’t just follow English placement.

Sentence fragments¶

For modern register, use sentence fragments when possible — short and to the point.

Subjunctive mood¶

Use subjunctive when addressing software, such as checkbox options:

• Don’t show this dialog again → دوشن هداد ناشن نم هب رگید وگتفگ رداک نیا

Symbols and non-breaking spaces¶

Non-breaking space (Ctrl+Shift+Space)¶

Use between elements that shouldn’t break across lines:

• Between two parts of a compound noun: دیلکهحفص
• Between Part/Chapter/Appendix and number: موس لصف
• Between measurement unit and number: ۵ مرگولیک

Zero-Width Non-Joiner (Shift+B) — CRITICAL¶

ZWNJ is invisible but prevents Persian letters from joining while keeping them as one logical word. Required for:

• Plural suffix اه: اهباتک
• Verb prefix ی م: دریگی م
• Verb suffixes ما، دیا، دنا: دناهتفرگ

Compound nouns can use either ZWNJ or non-breaking space: رازفامرن، دیلکهحفص.

Ampersand¶

Always translate & as و (and) in running text. Don’t keep & in target unless part of a tag, placeholder, shortcut, or other code.

Why this matters: ZWNJ handling is a top differentiator between professional Persian text and amateur output. In legal documents missing ZWNJ produces unsearchable text (search for plural “ها” gets no hits). In medical materials broken-letter visuals reduce reading speed and compliance. In marketing copy broken Persian signals foreign-machine-output. In software UI broken Persian fails accessibility QA. Mastering ZWNJ is non-negotiable.

Verbs¶

Verbs in Persian inflect for subject, number, and time. Continuous operations expressed in English with gerunds should translate as Persian progressive tense.

• they created an application with the following features → :دندرک داجیا ریز یاهیگژیو اب یاهمانرب اهنآ
• connecting… → …لاصتا لاح رد

For modern register: simple present is the easiest tense to understand and the preferred default. Avoid future tense unless describing something that will really happen in the future and simple present is inapplicable. Use simple past for events that already happened.

Error messages¶

Apply modern register principles — natural, empathetic, not robot-like.

Translate error messages in declarative form. Use اطخ for “error” and لاکشا for “bug” consistently.

Standard error phrases¶

Placeholders¶

Find what will replace each placeholder. Placeholder letters convey meaning: %d/%ld/%u/%lu = , %c = , %s = .

Number placeholders come before a singular noun (Persian doesn’t pluralize after numerals).

Keys and shortcuts¶

Key naming convention¶

Use English keyboard buttons as they appear on a Persian keyboard. Keys like Enter, ESC, Shift, Alt, Ctrl stay in English. Generic terms like “right arrow,” “left arrow,” “spacebar” translate.

Keyboard shortcuts¶

Slim characters (I, l, t, r, f) — yes if standing alone (Persian joining can hide the underline). Characters with downstrokes (g, j, y, p, q) — yes but not first choice. Extended characters — no. Avoid characters produced with Shift+other key (ء، ژ، آ) as shortcuts.

Terminology:

• access key — letter/number to access UI controls with text labels (usually Alt+letter). Example: F in Alt+F.
• key tip — letter/number appearing in the ribbon when Alt is pressed.
• shortcut key — keystroke combination for a common action (usually Ctrl+letter or F1-F12).

Standard shortcut keys (selection)¶

Pronunciation of English terms¶

Always pronounce English words with US English accent. Avoid UK or other variants.

Acronym pronunciation¶

Word-like acronyms pronounced as words: RADIUS (سویید یرِ), RAS (سرَ), ISA (اس یآ), LAN (نلَ), WAN (نوَ), WAP (پوَ), IMAP (پم یآَ), POP (پاپ).

Letter-by-letter: ICMP (یپ مِا یس یآ), IP (یپ یآ), TCP/IP (یپ یآ یپ یس یت), XML (لِا مِا سکیا), HTML (لِا مِا یت چِا), OWA (آ ویلبد اُ), SQL (لِا ویک سِا), URL (لِا رآ وی).

URL pronunciation¶

Drop the http:// prefix. Pronounce www as “double-u double-u double-u” → ویلبد ویلبد ویلبد. Read “dot” as Persian هطقن. Exception: “dot” before domain types (.com, .net, .org) is pronounced as English “dot” → ماک تاد, تن تاد, گروا تاد.

Example: http://www.microsoft.com → ماک تاد تفاسورکیام هطقن ویلبد ویلبد ویلبد

Tone for voiceovers¶

Use the reference accent used in official education books. Avoid region-specific accents (Shirazi, Esfahani, Tehrani).

Reference materials: authoritative Persian sources¶

Normative sources (must be followed):

1. Microsoft Language Portal — microsoft.com/en-us/language
2. Dawning & Covington’s Computer and Internet Dictionary by Dr Reza Hosnavi
3. Computer Dictionary by Azam Fetrati
4. Computer Dictionary by Davoud Shokouhi nia, Yaghoub Namayande

Supplementary sources (informative):

1. Narcis English-Persian Dictionary
2. Millennium English-Persian Dictionary by Haghshenas, Sameie, Entekhabi
3. Web-based dictionaries — recommended: farsi123.com, farsilookup.com
4. Computer Dictionary by Farhad Gholizadeh Nouri
5. English-Persian Dictionary by Dr Manouchehr Aryanpour

For Microsoft UI specifically: Windows User Experience Interaction Guidelines at docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/apps/desktop/.

FAQ¶

What’s the modern register for Persian translation across professional contexts?¶

Clear, friendly, conversational — language resembling everyday speech rather than formal classical Persian. This applies to medical patient materials, marketing copy, software UI, and consumer-facing legal documents. Pure technical/legal contracts retain more formality but classic phrases like ندوبی م، لیذ، نداد رارق هدافتسا دروم should still give way to modern تسه/تسا، ریز، ندرک هدافتسا.

How does Persian handle numerals with nouns?¶

Nouns stay singular regardless of count. 1 day = زور 1 and 100 days = زور 100. Same for time units (سامت 5 for 5 calls, not اهسامت 5) and any “numeral+noun” combination. This is the opposite of English and one of the most common defects in English-to-Persian translation.

What is Zero-Width Non-Joiner (ZWNJ) and when do I use it?¶

ZWNJ (Shift+B on Persian keyboard) is an invisible character that prevents Persian letters from joining while keeping them as one logical word. Required for: plural suffix اه (اهباتک), verb prefix ی م (دریگی م), verb suffixes ما/دیا/دنا (دناهتفرگ), and compound nouns (رازفامرن، دیلکهحفص). Without ZWNJ, the letters either join incorrectly or separate visually into broken words.

Which Persian vocabulary should I avoid in modern translation?¶

Classic formal Persian: ندوبی م → تسه/تسا; لیذ → ریز; نداد رارق هدافتسا دروم → ندرک هدافتسا; ندرک لصاح نانیمطا → دیوش نئمطم/دینک یسررب. Also direct English calques like “click on” translated word-for-word — use Persian preposition appropriate to the verb.

How are quotation marks handled in Persian?¶

Use the approved guillemets «» (Shift+K, Shift+L on standard Persian keyboard), not English double or single quotes. Standard since 2011. Even when source uses straight quotes around English terms, replace with Persian «» — example: «Language & Region» not “Language & Region”. Single quotes (‘’…’‘) are never used in Persian.

What authoritative Persian language references should I use?¶

Normative: Dawning & Covington’s Computer and Internet Dictionary (Dr Reza Hosnavi), Computer Dictionary (Azam Fetrati), Computer Dictionary (Davoud Shokouhi nia, Yaghoub Namayande), and the Microsoft Language Portal. Supplementary: Narcis English-Persian Dictionary, Millennium English-Persian Dictionary (Haghshenas, Sameie, Entekhabi), Dr Manouchehr Aryanpour’s English-Persian Dictionary, farsi123.com, farsilookup.com.

Sources¶

• Microsoft Globalization Style Guides hub
• Microsoft Language Portal
• Farsi123 — Online Persian Dictionary
• Farsilookup — Online Persian Dictionary