Hindi

Hindi: an up-and-coming language in the translation field

Hindi is recognised by the Constitution of India as the Republic of India’s official language, followed in second place by English. It is the fifth most popular language in the world with 181 million people speaking Hindi as their first or primary language. Translating your website into Hindi can be a smart marketing strategy for reaching millions of clients!

Why is Hindi important for your company?

Hindi is spoken outside the Republic of India in countries such as Nepal, South Africa, Mauritius, the United Kingdom, the United States, Yemen, Uganda, Germany, New Zealand, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates. This makes it one of the most spoken languages in the world.

India’s rapid economic growth as the fourth largest economy in the world has made Hindi an important global language. Anyone wishing to compete at a global level should not overlook the Indian market – it holds huge potential for growth and innovation, so much so that by 2020 the Indian economy is predicted to surpass its Japanese counterpart.

Many large multinational companies operate within India in sectors such as Information Technology and Engineering, as well as the Technological, Pharmaceutical and Communication sectors. Examples of such companies are: IBM, Microsoft, Coke, Pfizer, Siemens, Reebok, Vodafone and GlaxoSmithKline to name just a few.

What makes Hindi an up-and-coming global language?

Hindi is the main language spoken on the Indian peninsula and can be understood by many neighbouring countries and Asian communities worldwide. Hindi originates from Sanskrit, one of the most ancient spoken and written languages the world has known. It can also be understood by speakers of Urdu, the national language of Pakistan, although big differences exist between the vocabulary used in these countries since Pakistan is an Islamic country and therefore borrows many words from Arabic and Persian. Hindi, on the other hand, tends to adopt Sanskrit expressions.

The importance of “Hinglish”

“Hinglish” is a mix of Hindi and English, the second official language of India. It is spoken by about 350 million people in the urban areas of India and has become the lingua franca of India’s young urban middle class. It is also an important marketing tool for foreign companies entering the Indian market.

Some of the largest multi-national corporations use “Hinglish” and examples include the Pepsi slogan “Yeh Dil Maange More!” which means “The heart wants more!”, the McDonalds campaign slogan “What you bahana is?” meaning “What’s your excuse?” as well as the Coke catchphrase “Life ho to aisi” which translates as “Life should be like this”.

Embracing this Hinglish mixture is crucial when translating and localising documents for advertising or publicity purposes. Our Copywriters and Native Language Translators have daily contact with the socio-cultural and linguistic changes taking place in the countries in which they live and work. They translate in fields in which they themselves are experienced, both drafting and appropriately adapting advertising texts.