Afghanistan is a landlocked multiethnic country. It is located in the heart of South-central Asia. Afghanistan is present in a very important strategic location. Therefore, it provides important trade routes that connect Southern and Eastern Asia to Europe and the Middle East. Around 35 million people reside in Afghanistan.
The people of Afghanistan speak the language Dari which is also known as Farsi, Afghan Persian, and Pasto. Moreover, there are many indigenous languages spoken in Afghanistan.
Although traveling to Afghanistan is not safe but still if you want to visit Afghanistan then you must take the services of professional Farsi translation services. It will help you to avoid any unfavorable circumstances.
Official Language of Afghanistan
Pashto and Dari which are also known as Afghan Persian/Farsi are the two official languages of Afghanistan. Pashto was declared the official language of the country during the beginning of King Mohammad Zahir’s reign.
On the other hand, Dari has been used for conducting business and government transactions. Both these languages belong to the Indo-European group of languages. According to a recent US government report, 35% of the Afghan population speaks Pasto and around 50% speak Dari.
People living in Afghanistan also speak Turkic languages, Uzbek and Turkmen. The other languages spoken in Afghanistan are Baluchi, Nuristani, and Pashai. Because of the different languages spoken in the country, Afghanistan is called a bilingual country.
The important thing to note is that Pashto and Dari are written in the Arabic alphabet. To differentiate Pashto and Dari from the Arabic language, you can take the assistance of Farsi translation services.
Pashto has seen tremendous growth in its literature in the 17th century because of its poets like Khushal Khan Khattak who is the national poet of Afghanistan. Other famous poets in history are Rahman Baba and the leader of the modern Afghan nation Ahmad Shah Abdali.
Dari language also has rich literature. The greatest poets in the world are written in the Dari language. Dari poems that are written by Jalaluddin Rumi is been translated into many other languages. These poems are massively read in the West. In the Mughal era in the sub-continent, the Dari language is used in royal court proceedings.
What Is the Difference Between Farsi and Dari?
In 1964, the people of Afghanistan started speaking Persian and it was officially given the name Dari. It is called court language and its original name is Farsi. There are two different accents of the same language. In the English language, Farsi is also known as Persian. The accent of Afghanistan is called Dari whereas this accent in Iran is called Farsi.
Is the Pashto Language Similar to Arabic
Pashto and Arabic are entirely different languages regarding linguistics. Therefore, if you don’t speak these languages then you can easily make mistakes in Pashto and Arabic languages because they are written using the same script.
The Pashto language consists of 44 letters whereas, in the Arabic language, only 28 letters are used. You should not confuse yourself in Pashto and Arabic language. The best way to solve the confusion is to go for professional Arabic translation services
The Other languages Spoken in Afghanistan
There are many other minority languages spoken in Afghanistan. Some languages are too rare that you must not have heard about them before. Let’s have a look at these languages.
Ashkunu: Around 4,000 people from the Pech Valley and some areas of Nuristan province speak the Ashkunu language.
Kamata-viri: Approximately 60,000 people of different tribes in Afghanistan and Pakistan speak this language.
Vasi-Vari: Around 8,000 people in the Prasun valley spoke this language.
Kalasha-ala: This language is called Waigali. Around 10,000 Kalasha people in Afghanistan speak this language in Wiagal Valley.
Tregami: Around 3,500 people in the Nuristan province speak this language.
Pamiri: Pamiri is the Eastern Iranian language. People living in Badakhshan province in Northeastern Afghanistan speak this language.
Brahui: Brahui is a Dravidian language. People living in Pakistan and some other parts of Afghanistan speak this language.
Hindi-Urdu: Hindu and Urdu are the native languages of India and Pakistan. Both languages are understood by a large number of Afghani people that are living in Kabul. Hindi is popular in Afghanistan because of Bollywood movies. Therefore, if you are planning to visit Afghanistan then despite taking translation services of a rare language, you can go for professional Hindi translation services.
Arabic: An Arabic is a dialect spoken in Afghanistan called Asian Arabic but it is getting extinct. If you come across any situation in Afghanistan where you need to communicate in Arabic then you must go for Arabic translation services.
Wrapping Up
You can not understand the Afghanistan culture if you don’t have an idea of the languages spoken there. Afghanistan has gone through many ups and downs because of the US military invasion. To keep peace in the region, you must understand the languages spoken there so that you can help the Afghan people to come out of political instability. If you are living in the subcontinent then Hindi translation services are of great help to you.
Many professional translation services are working around the world. Hire a translation company that employs native Afghan translators so that you can get seamless translation services without any prejudice.
