Hindi
Hindi is an Indo-Aryan language and one of the two official languages of India (alongside English), spoken as a first language by approximately 600 million people and understood by hundreds of millions more across the Indian subcontinent. Written in the Devanagari script, Hindi is the fourth most spoken language in the world and serves as the lingua franca across much of northern and central India.
In Australia, Hindi speakers number approximately 159,000 according to the 2021 Census, making it one of the fastest-growing community languages in the country. Unlike many of Australia's established migrant communities, the Hindi-speaking population has grown most dramatically in the twenty-first century, driven by skilled migration in technology, healthcare, engineering, and professional services. This means the community profile is distinctly different from earlier migration waves — predominantly young, highly educated professionals and their families.
Hindi is written in Devanagari, an abugida script where consonant characters carry an inherent vowel that can be modified with diacritical marks. The script reads left-to-right and is distinguished by its characteristic horizontal line (shirorekha) connecting the tops of characters. Devanagari is also used to write Sanskrit, Marathi, Nepali, and several other languages, making familiarity with the script broadly useful.
The language shares a high degree of mutual intelligibility with Urdu at the colloquial level, though the two languages use different scripts (Devanagari for Hindi, Nastaliq/Arabic for Urdu) and draw on different prestige vocabularies — Hindi from Sanskrit and Urdu from Persian and Arabic. This relationship has practical implications for translation, as some content may reach both Hindi and Urdu audiences with appropriate adaptation.
Hindi-speaking Australians are predominantly concentrated in Sydney and Melbourne, with growing communities in Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide. The community is characterised by high English proficiency, strong educational attainment, and active participation in professional and economic life. However, Hindi-language communications remain important for community engagement, cultural events, and reaching family members who may be newer arrivals.
For organisations, Hindi represents a growth language in Australia — its community is expanding rapidly and increasingly influential in business, technology, and professional services. Government services, healthcare providers, and financial institutions are recognising the need to offer Hindi-language options as the community grows and matures.
Devanagari Script
Hindi uses the Devanagari script, which requires full Unicode support for correct rendering. The script includes conjunct consonants (combined character forms) that must render properly — poor font support can make these illegible. The shirorekha (headline) connecting characters means line-breaking must occur at word boundaries, not mid-character. Font selection should prioritise clarity and include the full conjunct character set.
Hindi-Urdu Considerations
Spoken Hindi and Urdu are largely mutually intelligible, but written forms diverge significantly due to different scripts and vocabulary sources. For content targeting both communities, two separate translations are typically required. However, understanding the overlap can help organisations plan their language strategy efficiently, potentially sharing research and messaging frameworks across both languages.
Register and Formality
Hindi has distinct formal and informal registers, with the formal "aap" and informal "tum" and very informal "tu" forms carrying significant social weight. Government and professional communications should consistently use the formal register. The choice of Sanskrit-derived versus Perso-Arabic vocabulary also signals formality and cultural positioning — highly Sanskritised Hindi can feel inaccessible to everyday speakers.
Text Expansion
Hindi text in Devanagari typically runs 15-25% longer than equivalent English content. The script's vertical space requirements are also greater due to vowel marks above and below the baseline. Layouts must accommodate both horizontal expansion and increased line height for comfortable reading.
Regional Variation
Standard Hindi is based on the Khariboli dialect of the Delhi region, but vocabulary and expression vary across Hindi-speaking states. Most Hindi-speaking Australians use standard Hindi, but awareness of regional vocabulary differences is useful. The influence of English on contemporary Hindi (Hinglish) is significant and increasingly acceptable in informal communications.
NAATI Certification
NAATI-certified Hindi translators and interpreters are available in Australia, with growing supply reflecting the community's expansion. All standard certification levels are offered, and the pool of qualified practitioners continues to increase.