How to provide an audio guide in Hindi
A Hindi guide is added to a guide that already exists rather than built from nothing. The English stops are translated, reviewed by someone who reads Hindi, and narrated, and the Hindi version then sits behind the same QR code the English version already uses. Nothing on the wall changes, and no second sign is printed.
In practice a venue works through it in this order, and the review step is the one most often skipped and most often regretted.
- Settle the regional variant and register before any translation starts
- Translate the English stops, keeping the source text locked while that happens
- Have a Hindi reader review it, ideally someone who knows the collection
- Narrate the reviewed text, checking proper nouns and place names first
- Publish it behind the QR codes already on the wall, with no reprinting
What Hindi needs from your layout
Hindi in Devanagari runs longer than English, commonly 15 to 25%.
Devanagari joins letters under a headline stroke and stacks conjunct consonants, with marks sitting above and below the line. It needs more vertical room than Latin text and suffers badly from tight line height.
Hindi, Urdu, and how much Sanskrit vocabulary
Spoken Hindi and Urdu are largely mutually intelligible, but they are written in different scripts, so publishing Devanagari does not serve an Urdu-reading visitor.
Written Hindi ranges from heavily Sanskritised formal registers to everyday usage full of English loanwords. Visitor information reads best in the middle, formal enough to be respectful and plain enough to be understood quickly.
Getting the Hindi narration right
Narration in Hindi raises questions that do not exist in English, and they are far cheaper to answer before a voice records anything than after.
- Aspirated and unaspirated consonants are distinct sounds and are frequently flattened by generic voices.
- Retroflex consonants are a common weakness in synthetic Hindi.
- English loanwords are usual in speech, so an overly Sanskritised script can sound stilted when read aloud.
Where Hindi fits in your language plan
Across the New Zealand museums using Journey Pal, between 50% and 60% of guide use is in English. That is our own usage data, and it is worth knowing before committing to a long list of languages: local-language listening is usually the largest share, and translations extend a guide rather than being the reason for one.
That makes Hindi an addition to a working guide rather than a prerequisite for launching. Get the source script right, publish it, then add Hindi where your visitor numbers justify the translation and, just as importantly, where you have someone who can review it.
Frequently asked questions
Can we provide an audio guide in Hindi at our museum?
Yes. The Hindi version is translated from your English stops, reviewed, narrated, and published behind the QR codes you already have on the wall, so adding it does not mean new signage, a new app, or new hardware.
Do we need a separate Hindi version of our signage as well?
Usually not. The physical sign can stay short and carry a QR code, with the full Hindi text and audio behind it, which avoids reprinting signage every time the content changes.
How much longer will the Hindi version be?
Hindi in Devanagari runs longer than English, commonly 15 to 25%.
Do visitors need an app to hear the Hindi guide?
No. The guide opens in the visitor's phone browser from a QR code, and phone-language detection can take a Hindi-speaking visitor straight to the right version when it exists.
Make this easier for your visitors
Journey Pal helps museums, heritage sites, zoos, and attractions deliver audio guides and translations through QR codes, with no app download required.