Bengali Languages and Translations

Bangladesh's official language is Bangla, also known as Bengali. Bangla is spoken by some 98% of the population of Bangladesh whilst thousands of individuals speak Urdu.

Bangladesh's Bangla language has quite a tumultuous past. On 21 February 1952, several Bangalees gave up their lives to protect Bangla from Pakistani oppressors who were trying to make Urdu the state language. This great language movement began in September 1947 when students, intellectuals and cultural activists along with patriotic community members brought about an upsurge. This lead to the events of February 1952 and ended in the 1971 war of Liberation. In 1999 UNESCO named 21 February International Mother Language Day in honor of the Bangalee martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the establishment of Bangla.

But how did Bangla come about? Bangla is derived directly from a form of Middle Indo-Aryan which itself was born out of Sanskrit. Bangla hence evolved chiefly from Sanskrit. Other languages that had an influence on Bangla were Hindi, English, Urdu and Farsi. The Bangla alphabet was influenced by the Brahmi alphabet and took on its current form when printing types came into use in 1778.

You can be certain that the locals will greatly appreciate it if you can utter a few words of Bangla when visiting Bangladesh. Why not get hold of a Bangladesh translation program or book. Many free online Bangladesh translators can be found on the internet. We have provided you with a few Bangla words and phrases we are sure you will find helpful during your visit to Bangladesh below.

Hello – asalaam alaykum (Muslim)
Hello – nomaashkaar (Hindu)
Goodbye – khudaa hafiz
Excuse me – maaf korun
Yes – ji
No – na
What is your name? - aapnaar naam ki?
I don't understand – aami bujhi naa
Where is ...? - ... kotaai?