Translations into Urdu and other language solutions

Send inquiry

Top language service providers, CSA and Nimdzi

Google Rating 4.9 out of 5 stars for language services.

Looking for language solutions in Urdu?

Contact us!

Client

Private person
Company

Target language

Additional information

Document upload, max. 20 MB, if document exceeds the limit, write it in your message and we will contact you

Drag & Drop Files, Choose Files to Upload You can upload up to 10 files.

How did you learn about us?

By clicking the "Send" button, you consent to the processing of your personal data in accordance with Skrivanek Baltic Privacy Policy.

Or book an online consultation on Urdu translations right now!

TRANSLATIONS INTO URDU /TRANSLATE INTO URDU

Skrivanek translation agency works with written translations of documents, technical translations of various complexities, notarised translations, proofreading and stylistic improvement of texts. We also offer proofreading, stylistic improvement and SEO content creation. Our language experts can also tell you about the cultural differences, business etiquette, history and traditions of Urdu speakers.

For business clients, we most often adapt websites, e-commerce content and advertising slogans, as well as translate cooperation agreements and documentation. For individuals, translations of identity documents, marriage and birth certificates, education and medical documents, etc. are more relevant.

GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF URDU

Urdu is one of the two national languages of Pakistan, as well as one of the 22 languages classified in India and an official language in several Indian states: Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir.

Around 87.6 million people worldwide speak Urdu as their mother tongue. According to WorldData, it is the mother tongue of 5% of the population of India (69 670 000), 7.6% of the population of Pakistan (17 115 000) and 2.6% of the population of Nepal (772 000). Many Urdu speakers also live in the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, the United States and Bangladesh, where the language is known as Bihari.



Quality and confidentiality guaranteed by ISO certificates



Our project managers speak Latvian, Russian, English, German, and Polish



99% of customers receive a quote in less than 15 minutes



More than 3000 language professionals and native speakers



More than 98% of customers would recommend us to their friends and partners



More than 60 million words are translated in our office every year

10 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THE URDU LANGUAGE

The word “Urdu” is derived from the Turkish word “ordu”, meaning “army”.
An estimated 100 million people worldwide speak Urdu, making it the 11th most spoken language in the world.
The most similar language to Urdu is Hindi. If you’ve ever watched Bollywood movies, you may have noticed that Urdu and Hindi sound almost identical, apart from a few words, phrases and speech tones. If you know Hindi, it will make Urdu very easy to learn, and vice versa.
India has more than 2,900 newspapers in Urdu.
Urdu is considered a very beautiful language that flourishes in literature, especially in poetry. The vocabulary of the language is rich, and the words are characterised by polysemy and metaphors.
One of the best-known Urdu quotations is a thought-provoking one by the poet Allama Iqbal (1877-1938): “Only change is constant.”
Urdu vocabulary is based on words that express respect and politeness.
Politeness and manners among Urdu speakers are also important in behaviour, for example, respect for older people is strictly observed, as is not smoking or sitting cross-legged in front of each other, talking while eating or interrupting each other.
Urdu is an academic language – scholarly articles, research papers, books in law, humanities, social sciences, etc. In South Asia, they are written directly in Urdu.
UNESCO’s International Mother Language Day on 21 February was first proclaimed in 1999 and commemorates 21 February 1952, when four young students were killed in Dhaka during protests sparked by the Urdu-Bengali conflict.

Man wearing a turban praying beside patterned fabric.

Bowl with traditional Urdu cuisine – rice with spices and herbs.

URDU IN THE LANGUAGE FAMILY

Urdu (اُردوُ, urdū, pronounced [ˈʊrd̪uː]), also known locally as Lāškārrī (لشکری), belongs to the Ide language family and the Indo-Aryan language group. Urdu is related to Hindi, but it has many borrowings from Persian and Arabic. The Urdu vocabulary has developed under the influence of Sanskrit, Persian, Arabic, Kurdish and Turkic, but nowadays it is also influenced by Punjabi and English.

Urdu is believed to be the Hindustani literary language used in the Muslim world, while Hindi, which is phonetically and grammatically the same, is used by Hindus. At the same time, despite their many similarities, the two languages have different cultural and historical meanings and script systems. Hindi uses the Devanagari script, which is also used in Sanskrit, the language of Hindu religious texts; Urdu, on the other hand, uses the Persian alphabet. The differences between these two languages highlight the cultural divide between the cultures of India and other regions of South Asia.

URDU ALPHABET

Urdu is written from right to left. The alphabet has 38 letters, but some letters can be modified to represent different sounds. Urdu uses Arabic script, the alphabet is a modified version of the Persian alphabet, and it is characteristic of these languages that even a single dot above a letter can change not only the pronunciation of the letter, but also the meaning of the word.

Colourfully decorated truck carrying a large load in Pakistan.

Goats grazing with trees and shepherds in the background.

HOW DIFFICULT IS IT TO LEARN URDU?

Although Urdu grammar, word structure and sentence structure are very systematic, learners will encounter difficulties. Urdu uses formal and informal verb forms, and nouns are feminine and masculine. For those whose native language is written from left to right, one of the challenges is to get used to reading from right to left. Pronunciation in Urdu, like in English, is not always regular.

URDU LITERATURE

During the 14th and 15th centuries, a lot poetry and literature began to be written in Urdu, but the rise of poetry is associated with the 16th century. Prose only developed in the 19th century, although historical and religious texts and treatises are known from the 14th century. Later in the 20th century, literature had a distinctly nationalistic function – to create identity and a sense of belonging to a language.

Urdu is mainly associated with the Muslims of the Indian subcontinent, but there are many important works of Urdu literature by Hindu and Sikh writers. Urdu literature is mostly popular in Pakistan, where Urdu is the national language, and in India, where it is a recognised language, but it is also widespread in Afghanistan and, to a lesser extent, Bangladesh.

HISTORY OF THE URDU LANGUAGE

Urdu began to develop in northern India around Delhi around the 12^th century. It is based on the language spoken in the Delhi region, but was strongly influenced by Arabic and Persian, as well as Turkish.

THE ROLE OF URDU IN ISLAM

Because of its religious and social background, India played a major role in the development of Urdu in the early 19th century. As Hindi separated with the Hindus to create a distinct spiritual and religious identity, Urdu became the language of Indian Muslims and was spoken not only in northern India, but also in Bombay, Bengal and Orissa. Thus, Hindi and Urdu became the foundations of religious education for Hindus and Muslims. According to Islamic tradition, the Arabic language spoken by the Prophet Muhammad and used in the Koran has spiritual meaning and power, and since Urdu was meant to unite Muslims in northern India and later in Pakistan, it adopted a modified Persian-Arabic script.

URDU MOVEMENT

The Urdu socio-political movement began in the mid-19th century with the aim of making Urdu the identity symbol and universal language of the Indian Muslim community. In 1867, the Hindi-Urdu disputes began as the British government was about to accept the demand of the Hindu community and Bihar to change the Perso-Arabic script to the Devanagari script system and adopt Hindi as the national language. Muslim representatives opposed the changes, arguing that Urdu was a common heritage of Hindus and Muslims.

For Muslims in northern and western India, Urdu was an integral part of political identity and separatism. As the internal conflict between Muslims and Hindus increased, the campaign to defend the Urdu language was criticised for being political and serving as a wedge between Muslims and Hindus, who saw it as an effort to restore Muslim hegemony. The argument that Urdu is a language of high social status and Hindi is a language of lower order provoked a particularly hostile response from Hindu leaders and the community.

Young boy in traditional clothing sitting outdoors in nature.

Young woman in traditional clothing with a patterned scarf.

ONE OF THE OFFICIAL LANGUAGES OF PAKISTAN

After Pakistan was formed in 1947, Urdu became one of the country’s official languages (the other official language is English). As Pakistan was created with the aim of creating a homeland for South Asian Muslims, the Urdu language continued to play a role in shaping Muslim identity.

Although only 7.6% of Pakistanis have Urdu as their mother tongue, its official status means that Urdu is understood and widely used as a second or third language throughout Pakistan. Urdu is used in education, literature, business and the workplace. Although Article 251 (1) of the Constitution of Pakistan states that Urdu is the sole language of government, English remains the most widely spoken language in the upper echelons of the Pakistani government.

URDU AND BENGALI LANGUAGE CLASH

Although Urdu and Islam played an important role in the development of Pakistan’s national identity, in the 1950s, there were debates about Urdu as a national symbol and its practicality as a lingua franca (especially in East Pakistan, where Bengali was the dominant language).

When Pakistan was founded in 1947, it had two separate parts: East and West Pakistan, and the two parts were very different from each other in terms of culture and language. In 1948, the Pakistani government declared Urdu the only national language of Pakistan, although Bengali was also spoken by the majority of Pakistanis. East Pakistanis protested strongly against this, demanding that Bengali also become Pakistan’s second national language.

To calm the situation in the country, the Pakistani government banned all rallies and public meetings, but students at Dhaka University, with broad public support, launched active mass rallies and protests in the country. On 21 February 1952, during a student-organised rally, police opened fire on the participants, killing four university students and injuring hundreds.

The disputes eased when English and Bengali were adopted as the official languages in the former East Pakistan, now Bangladesh.