Objective: To compile a trilingual dictionary (Russian-English-Persian) of maritime shipping terminology and investigate its role in teaching Russian for specific purposes (RSP) to Persian-speaking learners, emphasizing user needs.



Method: The study employed an analytical-comparative method in two phases: library-based and field-based. In the library phase, over 8000 specialized terms were extracted from authoritative sources, and their English and Russian equivalents were matched. In the field phase, data were collected through a questionnaire (N=100) and semi-structured interviews (N=10) from Iranian users including students, translators, marine engineers, and Russian language instructors. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, while qualitative data were examined through content analysis.



Results: The analysis revealed that structural, semantic, and cultural differences among the three languages challenge direct equivalence and highlight the necessity of an educational approach in lexicography. The questionnaire and interview findings confirmed the positive impact of purposeful lexicography on learning Russian for specific purposes. Moreover, attention to the real needs of Persian-speaking users—including structural clarity, trilingual presentation, quick searchability, and visual content—was found to play a decisive role in the educational effectiveness of a specialized dictionary. Thus, the integration of user-centered lexicography with language for specific purposes instruction was established as a methodological necessity.



Conclusions: The dictionary developed in this study not only fills the gap in Russian-Persian resources in maritime shipping but can also function as an instructional tool in Russian for specific purposes classrooms, offering a model for developing other user-centered specialized dictionaries.