Royal Translation Bureau Publication Administration First act in Translation

“Royal Translation Bureau” is one of active departments of “Publication Administration” which was founded by Naser al-Din Shah’s order and Muhammad Hassan Khan Etemad-al-Saltaneh’s endeavors in 1880. The Bureau traditionally was a large organization that, through the use of competent translators, in addition to translating foreign works and developing foreign language, promoted the publication of European works in the Naserian era. Formation of “Royal Translation Bureau” and its relationship to the “Publication Administration” of the Naserian era and its effect on translating and publishing Western works are issues that has not been addressed before. Therefore, this study, conducted in the context of historical study and review of sources such as newspapers and books of the Naserian era, reveals that the Bureau, during the tenure of Etemad-al-Saltaneh, brought about a major change in translating, printing and publishing works in various languages through organizing and guiding translators as well as utilizing potential of the “Publication Administration”, and distinguished the Naserian era in terms of the number of translated works from previous periods.
Keywords: Etemad-al-Saltaneh, Naser al-Din Shah, Publication Administration, Royal Translation Bureau.