Etymology of “Tarjomeh”

• Main Author: Alireza Delafkar
• Format: Article
• Language: fas
• Published: University of Isfahan 2016-06-01
• Series: Literary Arts
• Subjects: key words: Tarjomeh; Tarjoman; targoman; tarzaban; tarzafan
• Online Access: http://liar.ui.ac.ir/article_20573_ce34e80912a4ccaac8190a0e220d4576.pdf

Abstract In linguistics, etymology is to understand the origin of word and how the meaning and form of it changes over the time. So, etymology of word “Tarjomeh” in base of form, meaning and its origin is the case of study. “Tarjomeh” is derivated of”Tarjoman” which has been mentioned for several meanings in the dictionaries. Today, the most usage of “Tarjomeh” is translating one language to another. About the root of this word, several questions should be answered: According to the dispute about its roots in Arabic and Soryani or Persian, there should be the proper answer to the origin language of this word. Moreover, there have to be some studies and researches about, when and how the word spread in Arabic and Persian languages. Third, explaining history of its meanings from origins to its usage in the present era. The word ‘Tarjomeh’ is already used in several meaning in Persian, the most famous ones are: Translating from one language to another, Interpretation and explaining speech and biography of prominent people. It is certain, the origin of this word entered from the Arabic language in Persian. So, first it is necessary to study its conceptual transformation record in Arabic language, and then review it in the Persian language. It requires studying and deliberating the evolution history of the word and its origins. In this paper, according to the evidence, it has been tried to investigate the origin of the word “Tarjomeh” and how the meaning and form of it in Arabic. Previous studies showed, the word “Tarjoman” which “Tarjome” is its derived, came from two sources into the Arabic language, one of them in Sryani language means interpret and explaining of states, and another one in Pahlavi language means translating one language to another one, and both meaning have many evidence in Arabic texts which presented in this paper. Developing of word “Tarjoman” from the main source and Spreading to the Persian and Arabic languages has different procedure, showed like the below: Torgaman (Pahlavi)       Tarzhoman       Tarzophan          Tarzaban                 Tarjoman (Arabic)               Tarjoman (Farsi), meaning translator whom translating one word to another language. Targamana (Sryani)                 Tarjoman (Arabic)                  Tarjoman (Farsi), meaning exegete and interpreter. The oldest Iranian texts which have words “Tarjoman” and “Tarzaban” are from fourth centuries onwards, because there is no text regarding to the second and third centuries, and its evidences are mentioned in the article. Existence of the word “Tarjoman” is approved in early Islam by using of some quoted phrases in “Sahabeh” book. But it looks, this word spread in Arabic since the late Omavian era especially at the beginning of Abbasian era which coincided with the beginning era of the translation movement. Because of prohibition of writing Hadith in the first centuries and telling oral narrations some of these narrations are paraphrased and in these paraphrases probably were used “Trajoman” and “Tarjomeh” instead of words in their meanings. Remarkable point about “Tarjoman” is that, by expanding the usage of it among Arabs and spreading translating Greek text to the Arabic language, in Arab cultural connections this term entered in the form of “Dragoumanos” to the Greek language, therefore entered in Latin in the form of “Dragumannus”, then prevalent in Many European languages. In the following mentioned some forms of words “Tarjoman” in European languages: Dragoman in English Dragoman and Truchemen in French Dragoman in German Turcimanno in Italian Trujamán and Trujimán in Spanish.