Face-to-face
Saraiki interpreters on site for appointments, hearings and meetings.
Asian languages
Saraiki interpreting and translation
Saraiki is the main language of southern Punjab in Pakistan and is spoken in neighbouring parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and Balochistan. We provide Saraiki interpreters and translators for legal, immigration, healthcare and community work.
In its own words
سرائیکی
- Script
- Arabic script (Saraiki alphabet, Nastaliq style)
- Direction
- Right to left
- ISO 639-3
skr
Saraiki is an Indo-Aryan language of the Lahnda group, related to Punjabi, Hindko and Sindhi. Its heartland lies along the Indus and its tributaries, around the cities of Multan, Bahawalpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, Muzaffargarh, Rahim Yar Khan and Dera Ismail Khan. It is one of Pakistan's larger languages and is widely recognised as a separate mother tongue.
Main regional varieties include Multani, Riasti (Bahawalpuri), Derawali around Dera Ghazi Khan and Dera Ismail Khan, and Thali in the Thal desert. The name has several spellings in English, including Siraiki, Seraiki and Sariki. Whether Saraiki should be seen as a language separate from Punjabi or as part of a wider Punjabi continuum has been debated, and many speakers feel strongly that it is a language in its own right.
Saraiki has a sound system that sets it apart from Punjabi, notably implosive consonants (sounds made while drawing air inward), which are written with dedicated letters. It has a long literary tradition, especially Sufi poetry associated with poets such as Khwaja Ghulam Farid, and it is used in radio, television and publishing.
- Main areas: Pakistan (Punjab)
- Also used: Pakistan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, Balochistan)
- Other regions
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How we help
Saraiki 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 Saraiki translation accepted by UK authorities.
SILA Linguists®
Saraiki interpreters, translators and LADO support from SILA Linguists®
Saraiki is the language of the Indus heartland around Multan, Bahawalpur, Dera Ghazi Khan and Dera Ismail Khan, and SILA Linguists® provides Saraiki interpreters and translators for legal, health and public services across the UK and internationally, covering North America, Australia and New Zealand. Some clients say Multani, Riasti, Derawali or Thali, and others simply call their language Punjabi. We ask for the client's own name for their language and their home district, then book an interpreter familiar with that speech.
Saraiki interpreting for asylum, health and court work
Many Saraiki speakers also know Urdu, yet sensitive conversations about persecution, family conflict or health are far more accurate in the first language. Our interpreters work in asylum and immigration interviews, tribunal hearings, solicitors' conferences, GP and hospital appointments, mental health assessments and safeguarding meetings. Face-to-face interpreting suits hearings and long assessments; telephone interpreting is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and video sessions run through our own SILA Linguists® app or whichever conferencing tool you use.
Land, irrigation, inheritance and kinship come up often in Saraiki cases, and rural clients may use very local vocabulary. A short briefing note lets our interpreter prepare terminology in advance. Consecutive interpreting is standard, simultaneous and remote simultaneous interpreting are available for events, and a same-gender interpreter can be requested for women's health or family matters.
Translation in the Saraiki alphabet
Saraiki is written right to left in Nastaliq-style Arabic script, with extra letters such as ٻ, ڄ, ݙ and ڳ for its distinctive implosive consonants. We check that fonts and layouts display these correctly in both print and digital formats, whether the text is a health leaflet, a community notice or a witness statement.
Identity cards, birth registrations and court papers from Pakistan are issued in Urdu or English, so certified translation is usually from those languages. Each certified translation includes a signed and dated accuracy statement, accepted by UK authorities such as the Home Office, family and criminal courts and universities, and by employers.
Transcription and language analysis
We transcribe Saraiki recordings, from interviews to phone calls, with time markers and English translation alongside, noting switches into Urdu or Punjabi. For asylum claims involving southern Punjab or neighbouring regions, we can arrange LADO assessments that examine accent, vocabulary and regional features, led by a qualified analyst.
Settings for our linguists in Saraiki
Our vetted, trained and qualified Saraiki linguists can support immigration and asylum services, solicitors and barristers, courts, NHS trusts and mental health teams, social care and safeguarding professionals, and community outreach projects. A small dedicated team at SILA Linguists® handles your request from start to finish, with vetted linguists working under written confidentiality commitments and UK GDPR.
Good to know
Working with Saraiki
Interpreting
- Many Saraiki speakers also speak Urdu, and some speak Punjabi. Still, interviews about sensitive subjects such as health, family or persecution are more accurate in the client's first language. Tell us the client's home district so that we can match an interpreter familiar with Multani, Riasti, Derawali or Thali speech.
- Saraiki interpreters can support asylum and immigration matters, where place names, local administrative terms and land or family disputes need precise rendering. A preferred interpreter gender is available, which many clients value in women's health or family cases. Video and telephone interpreting provide fast access, and face-to-face interpreting is available for hearings and long assessments.
- Some clients describe their language as Punjabi or Multani rather than Saraiki. Checking the client's own name for their language at the start helps avoid mismatches.
- Saraiki speakers often use kinship terms and respectful pronouns that carry meaning in family and inheritance disputes, and rural clients may describe land, irrigation and crops in very local vocabulary. A briefing note on the subject of the meeting allows the interpreter to prepare terminology in advance.
Translation
- Saraiki is written in an Arabic-based script, usually in the Nastaliq style used for Urdu, with additional letters for the implosive consonants (such as ٻ, ڄ, ݙ and ڳ). Fonts and keyboard layouts must support these characters, so we check typesetting for printed and digital materials. Text runs from right to left.
- Official documents from Pakistan, such as birth registration, identity cards and court papers, are issued in Urdu or English, so certified translation is usually from those languages. Translation into Saraiki is useful for health information, community outreach and statements. Certified translations are accepted by UK authorities such as the Home Office, courts and universities, and by international bodies.
Related languages
Saraiki 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.
Where Saraiki is often needed
- Immigration and asylum interviews
- Healthcare and mental health appointments
- Courts and legal advice
- Social care and safeguarding
- Community outreach and public information
Explore more asian languages or see all languages A to Z.
Get in touch
Need a Saraiki 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.