"The Persian Lesson," A Misplaced Translation

"The Persian Lesson" is a thought-provoking anti-war film. It tells the story of an inconspicuous Jewish man during World War II who, in order to survive, must teach a German officer Persian language. However, the Jewish man does not actually speak Persian; he creates a unique "Persian language" only understood by himself and the officer through a list of names of Jews slaughtered. The film predominantly features cold color tones, with warmth only seen when the Jewish youth teaches the officer "Persian." This strong contrast shapes a chilling, serious atmosphere for viewers. The majority of the film depicts the torment of the Jewish youth creating the "Persian language" in the concentration camp. Initially fearful, he gradually becomes adept at it, leading to a shift in his mindset from indifference to actively protecting his fellow sufferers, evolving from numbness to rationality. The climax sees the protagonist voluntarily joining the mass grave line to protect an Italian young man, only to be forcibly restrained by the German officer who values him as the "only straw" keeping his pleasant life intact. The officer claims he doesn't want the protagonist to die for an "unknown" Italian youth, yet fails to realize that the "Persian language" he learned originated from these "unknown people." The officer so values his "Persian language" but remains blind to the lives that follow its use.

In this narrative, Persian language connects the officer and the Jewish man, serving as the bond between their encounter and coexistence. Due to the linguistic disparity, the Jewish man seizes the opportunity to invent the "Persian language." The 2840 "Persian words" also represent 2840 individuals who once lived among us; each word spoken by the officer symbolizes a Jewish life. This film exposes the cruelty and brutality of Nazis during WWII while subtly conveying the concept of linguistic "referential meaning" to the audience. When an objective entity is assigned a name, it gains life, becoming unique and personal. The significance of "referential meaning" is most evident in the finale, as the male lead slowly recites the names of 2840 civilians killed, prompting viewers to feel the overwhelming impact of each individual's identity. When victims are no longer anonymous or reduced to numbers, the true weight of history emerges before our eyes.

Interestingly, throughout the film, there is no appearance of a "translator" character, highlighting the protagonist's vulnerability. Translation assimilates unfamiliar languages into understandable ones. Each language engenders a specific ideology, and when exchanged through translation, different ideologies clash. Through the creation of the "Persian language," the Jewish youth awakens to his own thoughts, empathizing with his compatriots' suffering. In today's globalized world, diverse languages converge in China, bringing along a variety of ways of thinking. Globalization may seem like a connection of humanity as a whole, yet it also homogenizes human ideologies; this process will not culminate in a familiar uniformity but rather coexist in a more complex, diversified manner. As a tool for this transformation, translation will become more widespread in a progressively open Chinese environment.

◀️：Handling Long Sentences in Translation from Chinese to English

▶️：Basic Techniques and Methods for Translating Long English Sentences into Chinese