| mathilda22:55 UTC15 Jun 2007 | i am reading a book about iran and the writer keeps mentionning people saying "this really is not a taarof" but she does not explain the word.
what does it mean?
cross-posted on iran branch
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| fear_rua23:03 UTC15 Jun 2007 | "It's not taarof" means the speaker means the sentiment, invitation or whatever seriously and literally, and is not just saying it as a courtesy. For example, when a shopkeeper invites you to take what you want to buy without paying, that's taarof.
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| mathilda23:07 UTC15 Jun 2007 | cheers. so "taarouf" could be translated as (an especially middle eastern) politeness ?
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| mathilda23:08 UTC15 Jun 2007 | and might someone say "this is not taarof" when it actually is -i mean maybe it's part of the whole taarof thing to say that it isn't? :p
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| fear_rua23:16 UTC15 Jun 2007 | #3 - I'm not well enough versed in the arcane rituals of Iranian pleasantries to know whether that is the case!
"taarof" seems to be a fairly well-established and precise concept in Iran, with exactly that meaning, so you would be losing something by translating it as "courtesy" or "politeness", but I'm not sure how else you might put it. Which is presumably why it turns up untranslated so often in English and French.
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| rezamr200001:31 UTC16 Jun 2007 | LOL, Taroof is hard to explain.
For example, when your at a restaurant with other people you insist on paying the bill...you will argue and become upset when the other people say that they want to pay...it usually goes back and forth for a few minutes until one person gives up and lets the other person pay.
It can also be, when you just meet someone and say that they HAVE to come to your house for dinner.
Taroof can also be simple things like offering tea or lunch.
Taroof is basically a Persian way of being polite and hospitable.
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