Persian, an ancient language of the Middle East and the official language of Iran, is being embraced by more people in recent years, Persian teachers and researchers said.

据波斯语教师和学者近日表示，作为中东的一种古老的语言以及伊朗的官方语言，近年来波斯语正在被越来越多的人们所接受。

Shen Yiming, director of the Section of Persian Language and Literature at Peking University, said the program used to recruit students every four years, with only about 10 being enrolled¹ each time. "However, as more people are expressing interest and enthusiasm about the language, we decided² to recruit every two years starting from 2018," Shen said.

北京大学波斯语言文学系主任申一明表示，该项目以前每四年才招生一次，每次也只有10人左右登记。申主任说，“不过，随着越来越多的人表示出对波斯语的兴趣和热情，我们决定，从2018年开始，每两年招生一次。”

"Iran is a country that has a long history and has attracted the attention of people from across the globe in recent years. Learning the Persian language will mean more opportunities and choices for Chinese students, both in the job market and the research field," she said.

她表示，“伊朗是一个历史非常悠久的国家，近年来引起了全世界人民的关注。学习波斯语，意味着无论是在就业市场，还是在研究领域，中国学生都将有更多的机会和选择。”

According to Shen, more than 200 students have graduated in the specialty³.

申主任表示，已经有200多名学生毕业于该专业。

"Many were chased after and are now working at government departments, State-owned enterprises or institutions that are involved in China's cooperation with Persian-speaking countries," she said.

她说，“很多毕业生都很抢手，他们大多在国家政府部门、国企工作，或是在涉及到中国和以波斯语为母语的国家合作的公司。”

The language was taught in China as far back as the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907), according to Yu Guili, director of the Persian Teaching and Research Department at Beijing Foreign Studies University.

北京外国语大学波斯语教研部主任于桂丽称，中国波斯语的学习，最早要追溯到唐朝时期（公元618 - 907年）。

"At that time, a lot of people came to China from Persia, the old name of Iran, and Persian was one of the dominant⁴ languages used in daily life, as well as in religious and economic activities," she said, adding that the language is still very important for today's Muslims in China. Six of the 13 Islamic classics were written in Persian.

她说，“当时，很多人从波斯来到中国。波斯语是在日常生活，宗教和经济活动中使用的占主导地位的语言之一。”她补充道，波斯语对当今中国的穆斯林来说仍非常重要。13个伊斯兰经典中，有6个是波斯语的。

The first Persian specialty after the People's Republic of China was founded was established at Peking University in 1957. Its initial goal was to nurture⁵ talent to serve the increasingly close relationship between China and Persian-speaking countries, including Iran and Afghanistan.

中国人民共和国成立后，第一个波斯语专业于1957年创办于北京大学。它最初的目标是培养波斯语人才，以服务于中国和以波斯语为母语的国家，包括伊朗和阿富汗在内的之间日益密切的关系。

Following Peking University, Shanghai International Studies University, Communication University of China, Beijing Foreign Studies University, University of International Business and Economics and Xi'an International Studies University also set up their own Persian specialties⁶ to meet the growing demand to learn the language, literature, history and culture, Shen said.

申主任说，继北京大学之后，上海外国语大学，中国传媒大学，北京外国语大学，对外经贸大学和西安外国语大学也纷纷建立了自己的波斯语专业，以满足不断增长的学习波斯语言、文学、历史和文化的需求。