Punjabi interpreters and translators anywhere in the UK, for Sikh, Hindu and Muslim Punjabi speakers from India and Pakistan alike, with face-to-face, telephone and video interpreting, certified translation between Punjabi and English in Gurmukhi or Shahmukhi, and bookings taken 24 hours a day.
- 8,000+ linguists
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Punjabi interpreting services
Punjabi is one of the world's big languages, with about 89 million native speakers in Pakistan at the 2023 census and 33 million in India at the 2011 census. The standard language is based mainly on Majhi, the speech of Lahore and Amritsar; in India, Doabi, Malwai and Puadhi each have a sound of their own, and in Pakistan several western varieties, Pothwari and Saraiki among them, are often counted as Punjabi too, though Saraiki speakers in particular regard theirs as a separate language. If a client says they speak Punjabi but comes from Rawalpindi or Multan, ask whether a Pothwari or Saraiki interpreter would suit them better.
Face-to-face interpreting
The interpreter comes to you: a hospital ward, a courtroom, a council office, a home visit or a business meeting. It is the best choice when people need to read expressions as well as words, or when the conversation is long or sensitive.
Telephone interpreting
The quickest option to set up. It works well for short calls, triage, appointment reminders and quick checks with a client.
Video interpreting
A Punjabi interpreter joins by video for remote hearings, consultations and meetings, which helps when there is no interpreter near you.
We also provide medical interpreting and conference interpreting.
Certified Punjabi translation
Each of our Punjabi translators translates into their native language: English for documents coming in, Punjabi for material going out. Papers from Indian Punjab can include the jamabandi, the village land record that lists owners and their shares, which comes up in inheritance and property disputes, alongside birth, marriage and education certificates. A name written in Gurmukhi can be romanised in more than one way, so the spelling on an Indian certificate may not match the passport exactly; we follow the passport and point out the difference. Papers from Pakistan are more often in Urdu or English than in Punjabi, so a Pakistani Punjabi client's documents are usually translated from Urdu.
- Certified translation of birth, marriage and death certificates, passports, driving licences, degree certificates and bank statements, for the Home Office, courts, universities and employers.
- Legal translation: witness statements, court bundles, contracts and immigration papers.
- Document translation of medical reports, letters, leaflets and patient information.
- Urgent translation when a deadline is close.
- Transcription of Punjabi audio and video recordings, with an English translation if you need one.
English to Punjabi translation
After the script comes vocabulary. Formal Punjabi in Pakistan takes its technical words from Persian and Arabic, as Urdu does, while formal Punjabi in India draws more on Sanskrit, so a leaflet written for one readership can feel foreign to the other. Panjabi is also taught to GCSE and A level in England, and some British-born readers read it well; others read only English, and a bilingual version suits a family with both.
Punjabi court and police interpreters
The National Register of Public Service Interpreters (NRPSI) lists Panjabi (Indian) and Panjabi (Pakistani) as separate languages, a fair sign of how far courtroom vocabulary differs on each side of the border. For legal bookings we choose a Punjabi interpreter with legal experience from the client's side of that line, preferably one on the register or holding the Diploma in Public Service Interpreting (Law). If a party questions an interpreter's qualifications, the register entry shows which of the two they are registered for.
How to book a Punjabi interpreter
- Tell us about the assignment: the date, time and address, or that you need telephone or video; how long it should last; and what it is for, such as a hospital appointment, a hearing or a business meeting.
- Tell us about the speaker: their country or region and, if you know it, their dialect. Mention any preference for a male or female interpreter.
- Get your quote. We email you a quote, with no obligation to book.
Call 0800 2425 125, email info@uklinguisticservices.co.uk or request a quote online.
About the Punjabi language
Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language, spoken mainly in the Punjab region, divided between Pakistan and India. It is the official language of the Indian state of Punjab.
Punjabi is written in Gurmukhi in India and Shahmukhi, a form of the Arabic script, in Pakistan.
At the 2021 Census, 290,745 usual residents of England and Wales aged three or over gave Panjabi as their main language, making it the third most common main language after English. The local authorities with the most were Sandwell (20,984 people), Birmingham (17,765) and the London borough of Ealing (17,286). The census spells it Panjabi. Source: Office for National Statistics.
Before you book: Sikh families usually read Punjabi in Gurmukhi, while Pakistani Punjabis read Urdu or Shahmukhi. For anything written, tell us which script the reader uses.
| Name in Punjabi | ਪੰਜਾਬੀ / پنجابی |
|---|---|
| Language family | Indo-Aryan language |
| Where it is spoken | The Punjab region, divided between Pakistan and India |
| Writing system | Gurmukhi in India and Shahmukhi, a form of the Arabic script, in Pakistan |
| Language code | pa |
| Main language in England and Wales (Census 2021) | 290,745 people |
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Punjabi interpreters near you
We send Punjabi interpreters to appointments across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and telephone and video interpreting work wherever you are. Choose a town for its local page.
Punjabi interpreter and translator FAQs
How quickly can I book a Punjabi interpreter?
We take bookings 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Telephone and video interpreting are usually the quickest to arrange. For a face-to-face appointment, give us as much notice as you can: same-day cover is often possible, but it depends on where you are and how many Punjabi interpreters work nearby.
How much does a Punjabi interpreter cost?
The price depends on the type of interpreting (face-to-face, telephone or video), how long the appointment lasts, where it is and how much notice you give. We quote before anything is booked, and quotes are free: call 0800 2425 125 or use our online quote form.
Can you certify Punjabi translations for a UK visa or immigration application?
Yes. We translate and certify documents such as birth and marriage certificates, passports and police certificates for visa, settlement and citizenship applications. UK Visas and Immigration asks for each translation to confirm that it is accurate and to show the date and the translator's full name, signature and contact details, so tell us when you order that the document is for an immigration application. Because Punjabi is not written in the Latin alphabet, send us the passport spelling of every name so the translation matches it.
Do you provide Punjabi interpreters for courts, tribunals and police interviews?
Yes. Tell us the setting when you book, for example a Crown Court trial, an immigration tribunal hearing or a police interview under caution, so we can match a Punjabi interpreter with the right legal experience and qualifications.
How many people speak Punjabi in the UK?
At the 2021 Census, 290,745 usual residents of England and Wales aged three or over gave Panjabi as their main language, making it the third most common main language after English. The local authorities with the most were Sandwell (20,984 people), Birmingham (17,765) and the London borough of Ealing (17,286). The census spells it Panjabi. The census asked for each person's main language, so people who speak Punjabi at home but gave English as their main language are not in that figure. Scotland and Northern Ireland count languages in their own censuses.
