# Persian speech-to-text API (فارسی)

> KolWrite transcribes Persian (Farsi) audio and video with one API call: send "language": "fa" and get right-to-left Persian text in timed segments with speaker labels, as JSON, TXT or SRT. Oracle models translate Persian into English or 99 other languages.

Last updated: 2026-10-08 · HTML: https://console.kolwrite.com/speech-to-text/persian

## Transcribe Persian with one request

Set `language` to `fa` and start a job. Poll `GET /transcribe/{jobId}` for the result, or pass a `webhook_url`.

```bash
curl https://app.kolwrite.com/transcribe \
  -H "x-api-key: $KOLWRITE_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"audio_url": "https://example.com/interview-fa.m4a", "model": "oracle", "language": "fa", "include_diarization": true, "output_format": "json"}'
```

Translate Persian audio into English in the same job (Oracle models only):

```bash
curl https://app.kolwrite.com/transcribe \
  -H "x-api-key: $KOLWRITE_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"audio_url": "https://example.com/interview-fa.m4a", "model": "oracle_mini", "language": "fa", "translate_to": "en", "output_format": "srt"}'
```

## Persian at a glance

| Property | Details |
| --- | --- |
| API code | `fa` |
| Native name | فارسی |
| Writing direction | Right to left |
| Automatic detection | Yes: omit `language` or send `"auto"` |
| Translate Persian audio into | Any of the 100 supported languages, on Oracle models |
| Translate other languages into Persian | Yes: `translate_to: "fa"` on Oracle models |
| Output | JSON (segments, word timings, speakers), TXT, SRT |
| Price | US$0.48 (Base) to US$3.60 (Oracle Max) per audio hour; US$1.44 on Oracle |

## What to know about Persian transcription

- Persian is written right to left in Perso-Arabic script. Display it with `dir="rtl"` and a font that covers Persian letters (پ چ ژ گ).
- Persian uses the zero-width non-joiner (U+200C) inside words such as می‌خواهم. Keep it when you store, tokenize or compare text; stripping it changes words.
- Persian keyboards and texts mix Arabic ي/ك with Persian ی/ک. Normalize both forms before search.
- Dari (Afghanistan) has no separate code and is sent as `fa`; Tajik, written in Cyrillic, has its own code, `tg`.

## Where teams use Persian transcription

- Persian-language media and diaspora broadcasting.
- Research and human-rights interviews translated with `translate_to: "en"`.
- Lectures and community content with Persian subtitles.

## Choosing a model

Start with `oracle` (US$1.44 per hour) for production Persian audio. Use `base` (US$0.48) for clean, single-speaker recordings at volume, `oracle_mini` (US$0.96) for the cheapest translation, and `oracle_pro` or `oracle_max` for noisy or difficult audio. KolWrite does not publish a Persian accuracy figure for this API, so test a sample of your own recordings before committing. Full comparison: [models and prices](https://console.kolwrite.com/models).

## Questions and answers

### Is Dari supported?

Dari is sent as `fa`. Test Afghan recordings, since pronunciation and vocabulary differ from Iranian Persian.

### Why do some Persian words look broken after processing?

Something removed the zero-width non-joiner (U+200C). Preserve it through your pipeline.

### Can I translate Persian audio to English?

Yes, with an Oracle model and `translate_to: "en"`.

## Related pages

- [Arabic speech-to-text](https://console.kolwrite.com/speech-to-text/arabic)
- [Urdu speech-to-text](https://console.kolwrite.com/speech-to-text/urdu)
- [Turkish speech-to-text](https://console.kolwrite.com/speech-to-text/turkish)
- [Language research & linguistics](https://console.kolwrite.com/use-cases/researchers)
- [Media, podcasts & subtitles](https://console.kolwrite.com/use-cases/media)
- [Supported languages](https://console.kolwrite.com/languages/)

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Get an API key: https://console.kolwrite.com/auth · API documentation: https://console.kolwrite.com/public_api_docs · llms.txt: https://console.kolwrite.com/llms.txt