Native Name: اردو (Urdu) Number of Speakers: 65 million
Official language of: Pakistan, India Script used: Urdu script (Nasta’liq)
Written right-to-left
Sample of Urdu
Urdu translations and typesetting
Urdu is often one of the Community Languages requested by local authorities, refugee councils and the NHS. Adelphi Translations regularly translate and typeset Urdu as part of multi language projects e.g a 90 page welcome pack for Glasgow in 8 languages including Urdu as well as a 15 language project for TB Alert. Below is a sample of community language materials including Urdu we produced for CILT (The National Centre for Languages).
Community Language educational materials for CILT including Urdu
When Typesetting Urdu you first have to adapt the existing English (left to right) version to run from right to left. This means flipping the document completely, so that the cover is now at the back and all the pages and content read right to left. Also many professional applications such as QuarkXpress do not support Urdu typesetting or any right to left language. Documents made in QuarkXpress are converted to InDesign ME via third party software. For websites some translation agencies still reproduced Urdu webpages using images but not Adelphi Translations who use ‘live’ type.
Urdu has become a literary language only in recent centuries, as Persian and Arabic were formerly the idioms of choice for “elevated” subjects. However, despite its relatively late development, Urdu literature boasts some world-recognised artists and a considerable body of literary work.
Click the image to enlarge
Urdu translation and typesetting example
Urdu Translation and websites
Adelphi Translations Ltd. translate Urdu to English and English to Urdu. We also produce voice overs and subtitles for video in Urdu as well as translation and localisation of web sites into Urdu. We are based in Sheffield, UK and handle language projects for local clients in commercial centres such as Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow and London but also have many International clients from around the world.
Website translation into Urdu, Arabic, Japanese and Chinese
