Face-to-face
Pahari (Pahari-Pothwari) interpreters on site for appointments, hearings and meetings.
Asian languages
Pahari interpreting and translation
Pahari, or Pahari-Pothwari, is spoken in the hills of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and on the Pothohar plateau of northern Punjab in Pakistan, and by a large British Pakistani community. We provide Pahari interpreters for spoken communication and translation into the written language your readers use.
Pahari (Pahari-Pothwari)
Pahari (Pahari-Pothwari)
- Script
- Arabic script (Shahmukhi style), Mostly unwritten in everyday use; Urdu used for writing
- Direction
- Right to left
- ISO 639-3
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Pahari-Pothwari is an Indo-Aryan language of the Lahnda group, a dialect continuum that also includes Hindko and Saraiki. Its main areas are the Pothohar plateau around Rawalpindi, Jhelum and Chakwal, the Murree hills, and the districts of Azad Jammu and Kashmir such as Mirpur, Kotli, Bhimber, Bagh and Poonch. Speakers may call it Pahari ('of the hills'), Pothwari, Mirpuri, or Punjabi, and naming can carry strong feelings of local identity.
The word Pahari is also used in South Asia for quite different hill languages. In India, the Western Pahari languages of Himachal Pradesh, the Central Pahari languages Garhwali and Kumaoni, and Nepali (once called Eastern Pahari) all carry the label, as does a variety spoken in the Poonch and Rajouri districts of Jammu and Kashmir. When a client in the UK says Pahari, they almost always mean Pahari-Pothwari, but it is worth checking.
In Britain, Pahari-Pothwari is widely spoken at home, because many British Pakistanis trace their roots to Azad Jammu and Kashmir, especially the Mirpur district. Many speakers are bilingual or trilingual with Urdu and English, and younger generations often switch between languages.
- Main areas: Pakistan (Azad Kashmir, Islamabad Capital Territory)
- Also used: Pakistan (Punjab)
- Other regions
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How we help
Pahari (Pahari-Pothwari) services
Video (VRI)
Secure video interpreting when people are in different places.
Telephone, 24/7
Telephone interpreting 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Certified translation
Certified Pahari (Pahari-Pothwari) translation accepted by UK authorities.
SILA Linguists®
Pahari-Pothwari interpreters and translation support from SILA Linguists®
Pahari-Pothwari is widely spoken in British South Asian homes, and SILA Linguists® provides Pahari interpreters to health, legal and public services nationally and internationally, including North America, Australia and New Zealand. Its heartlands are the Pothohar plateau around Rawalpindi, Jhelum and Chakwal, the Murree hills and the districts of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Speech in Mirpur and Kotli differs from that of Bagh and Poonch, so we ask where the family comes from before choosing the interpreter.
Pahari interpreting where it matters most
Pahari is mainly a spoken language, and interpreting is where our support matters most. Primary care and hospital appointments, maternity and dementia services, mental health assessments, safeguarding conversations, education welfare meetings, housing and benefits interviews, and family, criminal and civil courts should all take place in the language a person actually speaks at home, not in Urdu they only partly follow.
Telephone and video interpreting, with the SILA Linguists® app or your existing video set-up, suit short appointments, and telephone access is there every hour of the day, all year. Face-to-face interpreting is often kinder for long hearings and older clients. For community events and consultations we provide consecutive or simultaneous interpreting, including RSI online. A preferred interpreter gender can be requested, which many families appreciate in women's health or family matters.
Written information: Urdu, English and audio
Pahari-Pothwari has no widely adopted standard spelling, and most readers expect written material in Urdu or English. For public information aimed at Pahari speakers we usually recommend an Urdu text together with a Pahari audio or video version, and we arrange voiceover recording. A written Pahari version in Shahmukhi-style Arabic script is possible for specific projects.
Official papers from Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, such as identity cards, nikah certificates and school records, are issued in Urdu or English. Our certified translations carry a formal signed statement that the translation is accurate, accepted by UK authorities, universities and employers.
Pahari transcription
We transcribe Pahari recordings, including police interviews, family phone calls and research interviews, and supply time-stamped English translations. Transcribers mark each shift between Pahari, Urdu, Punjabi and English, which is common in British Pahari speech.
Settings for our linguists in Pahari-Pothwari
Our vetted, trained and qualified Pahari-Pothwari interpreters can support GP practices, NHS trusts, health visitors, memory clinics, children's services, schools, housing providers and solicitors. Because naming carries strong local identity, our linguists respect whether a client says Pahari, Pothwari or Mirpuri. Working with SILA Linguists® means one dedicated coordinator, vetted interpreters and confidentiality agreements that keep personal information safe under UK GDPR.
Good to know
Working with Pahari (Pahari-Pothwari)
Interpreting
- Pahari is above all a spoken language, so interpreting is usually what is needed. It is especially important for older family members who understand Urdu only partly. Medical consent, mental health assessments, safeguarding conversations and court proceedings should be interpreted in the language the person actually speaks at home, not in a second language.
- Let us know where the client's family comes from: Mirpur and Kotli speech differs from Pothwari around Rawalpindi or the speech of Bagh and Poonch. A matched interpreter will understand local vocabulary and idiom, and will recognise English and Urdu borrowings that are common in British Pahari. A preferred interpreter gender is available on request, which many clients value in women's health or family matters.
- Telephone and video interpreting work well for short appointments, while face-to-face interpreting is often better for long assessments, hearings or meetings with elderly clients who may find remote communication harder.
Translation
- Pahari-Pothwari has no widely adopted standard spelling. When it is written, writers use the Arabic-based script in the Shahmukhi style, with some extra letters, but most readers expect written information in Urdu or English. For public information aimed at Pahari speakers, we often recommend a written Urdu version together with an audio or video version in Pahari, which can reach people who do not read comfortably. Voiceover recording is available.
- Official documents from Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir are issued in Urdu or English. We provide certified translation of these documents accepted by UK authorities including the Home Office, the courts and universities, and by international bodies.
Related languages
Pahari (Pahari-Pothwari) and its neighbours
Choose a language to see its page. Getting the right variety matters: tell us the region or dialect if you know it.
Pahari (Pahari-Pothwari)MirpuriDialect or varietyPunjabiRelatedUrduRelatedHindkoRelatedSaraikiRelated
Where Pahari (Pahari-Pothwari) is often needed
- Primary care and hospital appointments
- Maternity, mental health and dementia services
- Family, criminal and civil courts
- Social services and safeguarding
- Schools and education welfare
- Housing and benefits
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Get in touch
Need a Pahari (Pahari-Pothwari) interpreter or translator?
Our bookings team will confirm the details with you and arrange the right linguist. Have the language (and dialect, if you know it), the type of assignment and the date ready.