>When you enter data in the Persian language do you have to type more than one key stroke for each "character"?
>
>Is Farsi (I just assume Perisan id Farsi) a "phonetic" alphabet - or is it like Chinese - a "symbolic" alphabet?
>

It's phonetic, AFAIK. Each letter is one keystroke. I assume it is the same way as Hebrew. The only problem with Hebrew would be to put vowels, but they are usually omitted anyway, though it makes a reading process harder (especially for non-native speakers).