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Punjabi Translations Services

Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Punjabi people in India, Pakistan, and most Sikhs in the diaspora.

It is an Indo-European language within the smaller Indo-Iranian subfamily. Unusually for an Indo-European language, Punjabi is tonal: the tones arose as a reinterpretation of different consonant series in terms of pitch. In terms of linguistic typology it is an inflecting language, and word order is Subject Object Verb.

Punjabi is one of the most spoken languages in the world and is the official language of the Indian state of Punjab. It is one of the second official languages of Delhi and Haryana. It is also spoken in neighbouring areas such as Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh. Punjabi is the predominantly spoken language in the Punjab province of Pakistan although it has no official status there, and both Urdu and English are preferred languages of the elite.

Punjabi is also spoken as a minority language in several other countries where Punjabis have emigrated in large numbers such as the United States, Australia, England, where it is the second most commonly used language, and Canada, where it is the fifth most commonly used language.

Punjabi is the preferred language of most Sikhs: most of their religious literature being written in it.

It is the usual language of Bhangra music, which has recently gained wide popularity both in South Asia and abroad.

There are many dialects of Punjabi and they all form part of a language continuum, merging with the neighbouring languages of Sindhi, Rajasthani and Hindi and related languages in Pakistan, and Hindustani in India. Punjabi and Hindi are to some extent mutually intelligible. The main dialects of Punjabi are Majhi, Doabi, Malwai and Powadhi in India, and Pothohari, Lahndi and Multani in Pakistan. Majhi is the standard written form of Punjabi.

However, linguists generally agree that there is a major division into 2 forms, Standard/ Eastern / Panjabi spoken in India and Pakistan, and Lahnda / Western / Punjabi, spoken entirely in Pakistan.

There are several different scripts used for writing the Punjabi language, depending on the region and the dialect spoken, as well as the religion of the speaker. In the Punjab province of Pakistan, the script used is Shahmukhi (from the mouth of the Kings), a modified version of Persian-Nasta'liq (Arabic) script. But for all practical purposes the script in implementation is identical to Urdu. In the Indian state of Punjab, Sikhs and others use the Gurmukhī script. Hindus, and those living in neighbouring Indian states such as Haryana and Himachal Pradesh sometimes use the Devanāgarī script. Gurmukhī and Shahmukhi scripts are the most commonly used for writing Punjabi and are considered the official scripts of the language.

Punjabi Culture is one of the oldest and richest cultures in world history running from ancient antiquity to the modern era. The scope, history, sophistication and complexity of the culture are vast. Some of the main areas include Punjabi philosophy, poetry, spirituality, education, artistry, music, cuisine, science, technology, military warfare, architecture, traditions, values and history.

Ancient Punjabi Culture during the period of the Indus valley civilization is one of high sophistication and many world firsts, such as the world's first planned cities. It is a counterpart of ancient Chinese culture, Mesopotamian, Egyptian and of ancient Greece. Some scholars believe, at its peak, it surpassed the sophistication and cultural achievements of its counterpart fellow cultures, during this time, to become the worlds leading advanced civilization.

Archaeologists believe this indicates the civilization was remarkably peaceful. The other unusual feature was the lack of grandiose temples or palaces: archaeologists believe this indicates that the civilization was non-hierarchical in power structure, this is almost completely unique in world history.

Ancient Punjabis' were renowned for their architectural excellence and gave their civilization a highly distinct look with baked-brick urban architecture. The written alphabet of the Ancient Punjabis (dating from the 11th century BC) has yet to be cracked and deciphered; it remains one of the only ancient cultures whose literature remains unread and unknown.

Ancient Punjabis' enjoyed and were fascinated with games. This is supported by the very large number of games artefacts, such as dice, excavated by archaeologists.

Middle Age Punjabi Culture, during the period of foreign invasions, saw the already very high number of layers and complexity of the Punjabi Culture increase to another level. During this time contributions from Greek, Persian, Mongol and Afghan influences were incorporated into the enormous complexity and sophistication of the Punjabi Culture. This period saw the birth and rise of a new world-religion in the Punjab; Sikhism, and this had a dramatic effect on the culture and gave it an additional dimension. This further increased the martial and military dimensions of the Punjabi culture and of the Punjabi People.

Modern Punjabi Culture Due to the large number of Punjabi People distributed throughout the world, Pakistan and India, many people are increasingly experiencing the culture and becoming influenced by it. Traditional Punjabi culture is being strengthened and expanded in the Western world (e.g. U.S., UK, EU, Canada and etc), the scope is huge, ranging from Punjabi Philosophy, poetry, spirituality, education, artistry, music, cuisine, architecture and etc.

Punjabi Culture
Punjabi Poetry is renowned for its extremely deep meaning, beautiful, exciting and hopeful use of words. The poetry is one of the deepest insights into the Punjabi mindset. The large number of Punjabi poetry masterpieces are being translated throughout the world into many languages.

Due to the long history of the Punjabi culture and of the Punjabi people there is a large number of dances. These dances are normally performed at times of celebration the most prominent being at Punjabi weddings, where the elation is usually particularly intense. The particular background of the dances can be secular or religious. The overall style can range from very high energy to more reserved, however the common elements make it particularly attractive to the viewers whether they be of Punjabi heritage or not, the allure is considered universal. Punjabi dances are designed for either men or women.

Punjabi wedding traditions and ceremonies are traditionally conducted in Punjabi and are a strong reflection of Punjabi culture. While the actual religious marriage ceremony, among Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims, Jains may be conducted in Sanskrit, Punjabi, Arabic, by the Pundit, Kazi, Granthi or Priest. There are commonalities in ritual, song, dance, food, dress. The Punjabi wedding has many rituals and ceremonies that have evolved since traditional times.

Punjabi cuisine can be non-vegetarian or completely vegetarian. One of the main features of Punjabi cuisine is its diverse range of dishes. Home cooked and restaurant Punjabi cuisine can vary significantly, with restaurant styles using large amounts of ghee (clarified butter), with liberal amounts of butter and cream while home cooking concentrates mainly on masalas (spice) flavourings. Though wheat varieties form their staple food, Punjabis do cook rice on special occasions. During winter a delicacy, Roh Di Kheer, is cooked using rice. Rice is cooked for a long time in sugar cane juice.

Within the state itself, there are different preferences. People in the area of Amritsar prefer stuffed parathas and milk products. In fact, the area is well known for quality of its milk products. There are certain dishes which are exclusive to Punjab, such as Mah Di Dal and Saron Da Saag (Sarson Ka Saag). The food is tailor-made for the Punjabi lifestyle in which most of the rural folk burn up a lot of calories while working in the fields. The main masala in a Punjabi dish consists of onion, garlic and ginger. Tandoori food is a Punjabi speciality especially for non-vegetarian dishes. Many of the most popular elements of Anglo-Indian cuisine include Tandoor, Naan, Pakoras and vegetable dishes.

Pulse, bean and / or lentil preparations:

• Dal makhani (Mah di dal)
• Dal maharani
• Dal amritsari
• Lobiya (Black eyed bean)
• Rajma (Red kidney bean)
• Choley (eaten with bhatoora or naan). (Whole Bengal gram e.g Bengal chickpeas)
• Punj ratani dal (mixtures of 5 lentils) etc...
• Saron (sarson) da saag te makki di roti

These are generally left overnight or for at least 8 hours and gently simmered on the embers of a tandoor. (A clay oven of the shape of a horizontally sliced pot) along with ginger, garlic and a few other garam masala (whole spices like cardamom, cinnamon, mace, and bay leaf).

These are then combined with a tangy masala base which could include tomato or dried mango (aam choor powder) or even pomegranate seeds (anar dana). The character typical to the bean or whole lentil preparation is that the shape is retained intact, but the gentlest pressure would make it into a paste.
Dollops of cream and butter provide for the rich finishing touch. Garnishing is usually with shredded coriander leaves and juliennes of ginger.
Other very popular Punjabi foods include:

• Samosas
• Shahi Paneer (Butter Chicken, but chicken replaced with Paneer
• Tandoori Chicken
• Tandoori Fish
• Paneer Pakora
• Pakoras
• Jalebi
• Gulab Jamun

The Punjabi breads are generally flat breads; only a few varieties are raised breads. The breads may be made of different types of flour and can be made in various ways:

1. Baked in the tandoor like naan, tandoori roti, kulcha, lachha paratha
2. Dry baked on the tava (Indian griddle) like phulka or chapati, jowar ki roti, baajre ki roti and the very famous makke ki roti (these are also smeared with ghee or white butter)
3. Shallow fried like paratha, aloo or mooli paratha
4. Deep fried like puri and bhatoora (a fermented dough)

The tandoor also allows for tasty chicken and meat preparations including seekh kebab, tandoori chicken, reshmi tikka and malai tikka.

These breads can be made by just about everyone, however it is often said that the best is only made with Punjabi hands. Punjabi people are especially skilled in the making of these various breads.

Total Language Solutions translates all types of material in all types of software into or out of Punjabi.

Translation projects undertaken include web site content, sales and marketing material, documentation requirements for engineering and manufacturing into and out of Punjabi.

Total Language Solutions are translation specialists in DTP, print ready and electronic forms of material, integrating text and diagrams and more besides into and out of Punjabi.

Total Language Solutions are translation experts in the relevance of text, drawings, colours and layout presentation and localisation to meet consumer expectations and norms, without causing offence.

Price Tariff For Total Language Solutions

Our language translation prices are from the translation service to or from English and is based on price per 1,000 words (pro rata).