Interpreters of Afghan Languages: What No One Is Talking About

For the past 20 years, American, British and European peacekeeping troops in Afghanistan have communicated with the Afghan government and civilians by means of local interpreters. These interpreters have worked tirelessly since 2001, to not only help the troops achieve their goals, but to also afford the locals direct access to the foreign resources they need. They have protected diplomats and troops from harm by helping them to navigate culturally sensitive situations and all aspects of life in Afghanistan.

As Afghan interpreters have become increasingly imperiled by the abrupt departure of the troops, they have received support from the same troops they assisted, human rights organizations, fellow Afghans overseas, and translator associations such as the American Translator’s Association. Their supporters are working feverishly toward the safe extraction of the interpreters from Afghanistan and/or are being vocal about the importance of prioritizing the evacuation of these interpreters.

With its treacherous terrain of over 252,000 square miles, a population of 39,941,121 as of August 30, 2021, according to Worldometer (1), and some 15 recognized ethnic groups, Afghanistan is a multilingual country. According to World Atlas (2), Dari (also known as Afghan Persian or Farsi) is the official language of Afghanistan utilized by government, its administration, and mass media outlets. The primary ethnic groups that speak Dari as a first language include Tajiks, Hazaras, and Aymaqs. Pashto, the native language of the Pashtuns, the majority ethnic group, is the second official language spoken in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan also has regional languages such as Nuristani, Hazaragi, Pashayi, Balochi, Turkmen, and Uzbek, along with minority languages such as Sindhi, Tajik, Kyrgyz, Urdu, Arabic and English. Communicating with Afghans therefore requires a skilled and knowledgeable team of interpreters.

Invariably, a seasoned Afghan interpreter can facilitate effective communication across multiple local languages. During times of unrest, accurate interpreting and translation services are of the essence for refugees and those providing them with assistance, which is why it is so important to seek the best translation services.

Throughout the years, The Language Shop has forged relationships with interpreters who are equipped and available to provide reliable translation and interpreting services in any combination of the Afghan languages mentioned above.

The Language Shop offers sight translation, consecutive and simultaneous interpretation, as well as remote interpreting services in various language pairs and specialty areas such as science and technology, finance and banking, business, law and medicine, and film and entertainment, among others. Contact us today for any Afghan language translation or interpreting services you need.

1. https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/afghanistan-population/
2. https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-languages-are-spoken-in-afghanistan.html