Hindko interpreting and translation

Hindko interpreters for sensitive conversations

Many Hindko speakers manage well in Urdu, and for some routine matters an Urdu interpreter may be enough. For people with limited schooling, older relatives and anyone unwell or distressed, a Hindko interpreter often makes the difference between a client who nods along and one who explains properly. That matters in maternity care, safeguarding meetings, family support visits and asylum interviews.

We provide Hindko interpreting by telephone, around the clock and throughout the year, and by video through the SILA Linguists® app or your own platform; face-to-face interpreters can be arranged where a suitable linguist is available. A female or male interpreter can be requested for healthcare and family matters. If relay through Urdu is ever the practical solution, we discuss it with you in advance and never substitute a language without telling you. Speakers around Peshawar often also know Pashto, which we take into account.

Hindko translation and Pakistani documents

Hindko is written right to left in an Arabic-based script, usually Nastaliq, with additional letters for sounds absent from Urdu; spelling is not fully standardised. Because official documents from Pakistan are issued in Urdu or English, certified translation of identity cards, certificates and court papers is normally from Urdu, and we can handle that within the same project, with a signed statement of accuracy, accepted by UK authorities.

Hindko translation itself is most valuable for community information, health messages and personal letters, often supported by recorded audio for people who prefer listening to reading.

Hindko transcription and LADO

Recorded speech is central to Hindko work. We transcribe interviews, phone recordings and evidential audio with time stamps and English translation, marking switches into Urdu, Pashto or Punjabi. For immigration and asylum cases involving clients from north-west Pakistan, we also provide language analysis for the determination of origin (LADO), carried out by specialist linguists familiar with regional Hindko varieties.

Where we can help in Hindko

Our vetted, trained and qualified Hindko linguists can support immigration solicitors and asylum caseworkers, NHS maternity and primary care, health visitors, children's and family services, police and courts, and charities working with Pakistani and Kashmiri communities. One project team handles each case from booking to delivery, our linguists are vetted and sign confidentiality agreements, and personal data is protected under UK GDPR.