Urdu translation

A language of elegance

Urdu is an Indo-Aryan language that developed in South Asia from the 12th century onward, shaped by Persian, Arabic and Turkic influences alongside the local languages of northern India. In everyday speech it is very close to Hindi, and the shared spoken language is sometimes called Hindustani. The two diverge in script and in formal vocabulary, with Urdu drawing on Persian and Arabic and Hindi on Sanskrit.

Urdu is written in a Perso-Arabic script, in a calligraphic style called Nastaliq, which flows diagonally from right to left. Nastaliq is beautiful but technically demanding, because letters change shape depending on their position and the lines have a slanting baseline. This affects typesetting, fonts, websites and print, and a project needs to plan for it from the start.

Urdu has a rich poetic tradition. Mirza Ghalib, Allama Iqbal and Faiz Ahmed Faiz are central figures, and the ghazal, a form of lyrical poetry, is deeply loved across South Asia and its diaspora. The language also has a strong tradition of courtesy, with elaborate forms of address and respect.

Where Urdu is spoken

Pakistan

Urdu is the national language of Pakistan and the common language between people from many regions, though it is the first language of a minority. It is used in media, education, government and business, alongside English and regional languages such as Punjabi, Sindhi and Pashto. Karachi and Lahore are major centres.

India

Urdu is one of India’s scheduled languages and has an important place in cities such as Hyderabad, Lucknow and Delhi, as well as in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, where it is an official language.

The United Kingdom

Urdu is among the most widely used community languages in the UK, with large communities in London, Birmingham, Bradford, Manchester and elsewhere. Many British Pakistani families speak Punjabi or Pahari at home but read and write in Urdu.

The Gulf, North America and elsewhere

Millions of Urdu speakers live and work in the Gulf states, and there are large communities in Canada, the United States, Norway and other countries.

Key industries in Urdu-speaking markets

Textiles and manufacturing

Pakistan is a major textile and clothing exporter, supplying many international brands. Supply chain, compliance and trade documents are extensive.

Agriculture

Pakistan is a significant producer of cotton, wheat, rice, sugar and mangoes, with export documentation and certification needs.

Technology and digital services

Pakistan has a large and growing technology and freelancing sector, with rising internet use and demand for Urdu apps and digital content.

Banking, fintech and remittances

Remittances from overseas Pakistanis are a major source of income, and banks, mobile money and money transfer firms communicate with customers in Urdu.

Healthcare and pharmaceuticals

Patient information, consent forms and public health communications in Urdu are important for health services in Pakistan and in the UK.

Construction and infrastructure

Large infrastructure and energy projects generate contracts and technical documents.

Why translate your business materials into Urdu?

Reach large communities

Urdu speakers form a major audience in the UK, Pakistan and the Gulf, and are often underserved by organisations that only use English.

Safety, fairness and access

Clear Urdu information helps patients, tenants, parents and customers understand their rights and responsibilities.

Business with Pakistan

For trade, manufacturing and investment, Urdu helps in building relationships and meeting local requirements.

Trust in finance and remittances

Customers prefer to deal with financial products in a language they fully understand.

Digital growth

Urdu internet use is growing, and good Urdu digital content is still relatively scarce.

Getting Urdu right

Script and typography come first. Nastaliq needs the right fonts and layout, and right-to-left text must be handled correctly alongside any English words, numbers and URLs. Register matters too, since formal Urdu with Persian and Arabic vocabulary differs from everyday speech, and Urdu is different from Hindi even when the speech sounds similar. Machine translation often produces stilted or incorrect Urdu and can break in right-to-left layouts.

Why trust Atlas with your Urdu translation?

Native Urdu translators

Our Urdu translators are native speakers with subject expertise in legal, medical, financial, technical, marketing and community work.

Human translation, always

Every Urdu project is handled by a real person who is a native speaker of the language.

Right-to-left layout and typesetting

We handle Urdu fonts, right-to-left layout and mixed-direction text carefully, so your finished document or website displays properly.

A named project manager on every job

Every Atlas project is led by a dedicated member of our team who takes personal responsibility for quality and delivery, so you will always have someone to call.

ISO-certified quality

Atlas holds ISO 9001:2015 (Quality Management) and ISO 17100:2017 (Translation Services) certifications, and was one of the first UK translation agencies to achieve the latter. We are also members of the Institute of Translation and Interpreting, the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading and the Association of Translation Companies.

35 years of experience

Atlas has been serving the languages of the UK’s communities since 1991, including work with the NHS. If you have an Urdu project to discuss, we would love to hear from you.