Old Persian to English Translator
Paste Old Persian text below — a phrase, a paragraph, or a whole document — and get a clear English translation instantly. Free, no signup.
About Old Persian
Old Persian belonged to the Iranian branch of the Indo-European language family and was used in southwestern Iran, especially in the heartland of the Achaemenid Empire. It is an ancient language with no native speakers today. Most surviving examples come from royal inscriptions rather than everyday writing. These texts were written in Old Persian cuneiform, a distinct script created for monumental use and adapted to represent the language more directly than Mesopotamian cuneiform systems.
A notable feature of Old Persian is its relatively inflected grammar, with nouns marked for case and verbs showing person and number, while the surviving style remains formulaic and concise. The best-known evidence for the language is the trilingual Behistun inscription of Darius I, carved on a cliff in western Iran in Old Persian, Elamite, and Babylonian. That inscription was crucial for the modern decipherment of Old Persian cuneiform and for the study of early Iranian history.
Frequently asked questions about Old Persian
- How do I translate Old Persian to English?
- Paste your Old Persian text into the translator above and the English translation appears instantly. You can also upload documents or use speech input.
- Is the Old Persian to English translator free?
- Yes — translating Old Persian to English on Polytranslator is free and requires no signup. Longer texts and document translation are available on the Pro plan.
- What is Old Persian?
- Old Persian belonged to the Iranian branch of the Indo-European language family and was used in southwestern Iran, especially in the heartland of the Achaemenid Empire. It is an ancient language with no native speakers today. Most surviving examples come from royal inscriptions rather than everyday writing. These texts were written in Old Persian cuneiform, a distinct script created for monumental use and adapted to represent the language more directly than Mesopotamian cuneiform systems.
- What languages can I translate Old Persian to?
- You can translate Old Persian to English, Western Persian, and Avestan, and 230+ other languages using Polytranslator.
- Is the Old Persian translator free?
- Yes — Polytranslator's Old Persian translator is completely free and instant, with no signup required. Sign in any time for an even higher daily limit.