Prism Linguistics provides Hindustani interpreters and certified translation across Canada. Hindustani is the shared everyday speech of northern India and Pakistan that sits behind both Hindi and Urdu; the spoken language is largely the same, but it is written in two different scripts, Devanagari for Hindi and the Perso-Arabic Nastaliq style for Urdu. These are among the largest language communities in the country, concentrated in the Greater Toronto Area and the Lower Mainland of British Columbia.
Last reviewed September 6, 2026 by the Prism Linguistics editorial team
For spoken work, an interpreter comfortable in Hindustani serves speakers who identify with either Hindi or Urdu, because casual conversation in both draws on the same core vocabulary. The registers pull apart in formal settings, where Hindi reaches for Sanskrit-derived terms and Urdu for Persian and Arabic ones, so for a technical or legal appointment we confirm which the speaker uses and assign accordingly rather than assuming.
Hindustani interpreters attend Canadian court and tribunal hearings, IRCC and IRB interviews, hospital and clinic appointments under PHIPA and PIPEDA privacy rules, and school and settlement meetings. In healthcare the interpreter renders a patient's account in full rather than summarising, which matters for consent and history-taking with older speakers. Sessions run in person across the major centres and by telephone or video anywhere in Canada, usually available the same day for urgent needs.
Common settings include legal and court interpreting, medical and hospital interpreting, IRCC and Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) interviews, and police and enforcement work. See all on-site interpreting options or start a free quote.
Document work is where Hindi and Urdu must be handled separately, because the two scripts are written and read differently. Tell us whether a certificate is in Devanagari or in the Perso-Arabic script and we assign a translator who reads that one, transliterating names to match the passport spelling so a file is not queried over an inconsistent name. We deliver a full English or French translation with a signed Certificate of Translation Accuracy, or a sworn affidavit before a commissioner of oaths where required.
The documents we see most are birth, marriage and death certificates, divorce and family-court records, police clearance certificates, and education records such as secondary board certificates and university transcripts for credential assessment. Records from India and Pakistan arrive with a range of stamps and endorsements that are translated in full. Acceptance ultimately depends on the receiving institution, so confirm what IRCC, the courts or a Canadian evaluator require before ordering.
For documents rather than spoken interpreting, see certified Hindustani translation, our full Hindustani translation services, or general document translation. Every translation moves through our TEP workflow — translation, editing and proofreading by separate linguists — with free revisions.
An interpreter attends in person for hearings, medical appointments and meetings. On-site interpreting
Same-day, often within minutes, for calls, intake and urgent situations. Phone interpreting
Telehealth, remote hearings and sign language, anywhere in Canada. Video interpreting
Simultaneous interpreting for events and multilingual meetings. Conference interpreting
Legal consultations, settlement services and private appointments. Private interpreting
ASL and LSQ interpreting for accessible appointments and events. Sign language
We arrange Hindustani interpreters in cities across every province and territory — on site in the major centres and by telephone or video everywhere else:
Need documents translated locally? We provide certified Hindustani translation in the same cities:
Or browse every city we cover.
Hindustani is the historical and linguistic name for what is now usually called either Hindi or Urdu - two standardized forms of essentially the same spoken language, distinguished primarily by their writing systems and registers (Hindi uses Devanagari and draws on Sanskrit; Urdu uses Perso-Arabic Nastaliq and draws on Persian and Arabic). Around 500 million people speak some form of Hindustani as a first or second language. For Canadian translation work, "Hindustani" requests are usually resolved to either Hindi or Urdu based on the source document's script - see those pages.
In everyday speech they overlap almost completely, which is what Hindustani names. They diverge in formal vocabulary and, crucially, in writing: Hindi uses Devanagari and Urdu the Perso-Arabic script. We match spoken work broadly and document work to the exact script.
It matters for translation. Devanagari and the Perso-Arabic Nastaliq script are read differently, so tell us which your certificate uses, or send an image and we identify it, then assign a translator who reads it.
Yes. We provide certified translation of civil-registry certificates, court records, police clearances and education documents from both, with a Certificate of Translation Accuracy or a sworn affidavit. Acceptance depends on the receiving institution.
Telephone interpreting is usually available the same day, often within minutes. On-site bookings in the main centres typically need two to three business days; tell us the city, date and setting.
Tell us the language, the setting and the date through our quote form or by phone. We return a written quote with the exact price and turnaround, usually within 60 minutes during business hours, before you commit.
Tell us the setting, the city and the date, and we will confirm a qualified Hindustani interpreter and a firm price.