DRAGOMAN, a comprehensive de signation applied to anyone who acts as an intermediary between Europeans and Orientals, whether as hotel tout or travel lers' guide, or as the chief dragoman of a foreign embassy whose functions may in clude the carrying on of important politi cal negotiations. (Ar. terjuman, an inter preter, cf. Heb. targum.) The original employment of dragomans by the Turkish government arose from its religious scruples to use the language of any peoples which had not adopted Islam, while its political relations compelled the sultan's ministers to make use of inter preters, who rapidly acquired considerable influence. The first chief dragoman of the Porte was Panayot Nikousia, who held his office from 1665 to 1673. His suc cessor, Alexander Mavrocordato (q.v.), Exaporritos, was charged by the Turkish government with the delicate and arduous negotiation of the treaty of Carlowitz, and succeeded in becoming the factotum of Ottoman policy. From that time until 1821 the Greeks monopolized the management of Turkey's foreign rela tions, and soon established the regular system whereby the chief dragoman passed on as a matter of course to the dignity of hos podar (q.v.) of one of the Danubian principalities.
In the same way, the foreign representatives accredited to the former sultan of Turkey, found it necessary, in the absence of duly qualified countrymen of their own, to engage the services of natives, Greek, Armenian or Levantine, more or less thoroughly acquainted with the language, laws and administration of the country, who became the confidential go-betweens of the foreign missions and the Porte. But the disadvantages of the system soon became apparent, and as early as 1669 the French government decided on the foundation of a school for French dragomans at Constantinople, for which in later years was substituted the Ecole des langues orientales in Paris ; most of the great powers even tually took some similar step, England also adopting in 1877 a system, since modified, for the selection and tuition of a corps of British-born dragomans.
The functions of the first dragoman are mainly political and connected with diplomatic negotiations, while the subordinate dragomans transact the less important business comprising in general all the various matters in which the interests of foreign subjects may be concerned. The high estimation in which the dragomans are held by most foreign powers is shown by the fact that they are promoted to the most important diplomatic posts. In the Russian, Austrian and German services more than one ambassador began his career as a junior dragoman, and the French chief dragoman usually attains the rank of minister plenipoten tiary. The more important consulates in the provinces of Turkey are also provided with one or more dragomans, whose duties, mutatis mutandis, are of a similar though less important nature. In the same way banks, railway companies and financial institu tions employ dragomans for facilitating their business relations with Turkish officials.