Language and Thought in the Light of Translations During Nasir aldin Shah Period

This article attempts to show how the translation process at Nasir al-din Shah's period can be concerned as an interaction between minds and languages of translators. We would like to compare the original European texts with their understandings by Iranian translators, as through this comparison, many of the shortcomings and problems of the minds and languages of translators and Iranian intellectuals will be determined. In order to explain the above problem, I used the method of text analysis and linguistic concepts by referring to certain methodological theories and patterns of discourse analysis of Laclau and Mouffe and Michel Foucault's theories. In fact, the Language of translation is the most important arena for social interaction and its powerful presence helped represent and visualize our understanding of self and the European world. Research findings show that translation as one of the main transmission channels of understanding played an important role in introducing the process of change and transformation of the European texts, and helped for progressive goals of some political and cultural figures of the era of Nasir al-din shah, but the language and intellectual barriers and the administration's policy led to some failures. However, the Iranian society continued this attempt in various forms. New concepts adopted in the form of publications and newspaper articles and new versions of modern developments helped the cultural and social activist groups understanding the socio-political and intellectual changes in Europe in nineteenth century.