Why English to Urdu is harder than it looks
Respect has to be chosen, and it is visible. Aap is expected for elders, in-laws and anyone senior; tum between friends. English “you” makes no distinction, so the tone you set decides something the reader will notice immediately.
Verbs change with the speaker’s gender. “I went” is main gaya from a man and main gayi from a woman. Nothing in English says which, which makes it the first thing to check in the preview on personal messages.
Kinship terms are used for people who are not relatives. Beta, baji, bhai and uncle are everyday forms of address in Urdu. An English message using a bare first name can come out colder than intended, and adding the right term is what makes it sound natural.
The script joins up and runs right to left. Letters take different forms at the start, middle and end of a word, and an English name or number inside an Urdu sentence reverses direction. Letting the keyboard produce the text avoids mixed-direction mistakes.
Written by Hardik Vegad, Co-founder, Translatify. Last updated .
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