Updated August 2026: This article reflects the Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025, notified by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology on 13 November 2025.
India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP Act) sets rules for how organisations collect and use personal data.
For businesses, compliance will involve new notices, consent forms, customer emails, account settings and support processes. People need to understand these materials before they can make choices about their data.
That is where translation matters.
A privacy notice may meet the requirement in English but still fail to help a customer who prefers Hindi, Tamil, Bengali or another Indian language. Clear, accurate translation helps organisations explain their data practices in a way people can understand and use.
What is the Digital Personal Data Protection Act?
The DPDP Act regulates personal data in India. Digital personal data includes information that an organisation collects online as well as information it collects offline and later converts into digital form.
The Act gives people control over their personal data. It also sets responsibilities for organisations that collect or use it. The Act uses two terms:
- Data Principal: The person whose data an organisation collects or uses.
- Data Fiduciary: The organisation that decides why and how it will use that data.
For example, when a company collects a customer’s name, email address and phone number to create an account, the customer is the Data Principal and the company is the Data Fiduciary.
Which organizations does India’s DPDPA apply to?
The Act applies to organisations that process digital personal data in India.
It can also apply to businesses outside India when they offer goods or services to people in India and collect their personal data. For example, a US-based streaming service that accepts subscribers in India and stores their account or payment information may need to comply with the Act.
The Act does not cover personal data that an individual uses for personal or domestic purposes. It also excludes data that a person makes publicly available, or that another person must make public under Indian law.
Are you looking for DPDPA compliant translations?
Our native translators with legal expertise can accurately translate your requests, notices, and other relevant documents into all 22 official Indian languages.
When do the main requirements take effect?
The Act and the Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025 follow a phased implementation timeline.
The main duties for businesses will come into force on 13 May 2027. These duties include requirements for privacy notices, consent, data-principal rights, children’s data, security safeguards, breach notifications and significant Data Fiduciary obligations.
Businesses should use this period to review how they collect and use personal data, identify gaps in their privacy content, and prepare the documents, systems and teams needed for compliance.
Also read: User Agreement Translation: Why Should Companies Do It?
Language requirements as per the DPDP Act
As per the DPDP act, The Data Fiduciary, who is responsible for handling personal data, must provide the Data Principal with the option to access notices and requests in either English or any language specified in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution.
The Act requires organisations to give people the option to access notices and consent requests in English or a language listed in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution.
These languages include Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu and 13 others. Below is the list of all languages covered:
The law also requires plain language. People should understand:
- What data an organisation collects
- Why it needs that data
- How they can withdraw consent
- How they can ask for access, correction or deletion
- Who they can contact with a question or complaint
The final Rules spell this out further. A privacy notice should give people the information they need in one place. They should not have to move between several pages or decode dense legal wording.
Need for translation in achieving compliance with the DPDP Act
To comply with data protection laws, it is essential to take a holistic approach that emphasizes clear communication, especially in languages that Data Principals can understand. If you’re a Mac user, device security is just as important as safeguarding personal data for example, knowing what to do when your Mac camera light is on unexpectedly can help prevent potential breaches.
The law mandates Data Fiduciaries to offer notices and requests to Data Principals in English or the 22 languages recognized in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution.
Translation services are crucial for complying with the language requirements of the DPDP Act. This is further emphasized in the Draft Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025, which specify that notices must be presented in ‘clear and plain language’ and should be ‘standalone and self-explanatory.’ Properly translated notices and consent requests ensure Data Principals can understand their rights and make informed decisions about their personal data.
This can help build trust and foster transparency in the data collection and processing activities of businesses.
Also read: Legal Translation: Importance, Challenges & Best Practices
How to get started with the translation process to comply with DPDPA?
A clear translation plan helps you identify the right content, languages and review process before work begins.
1. Define the content and languages
List the notices, consent requests, forms and user communications that need translation. Then prioritise languages based on your users and markets.
2. Choose a legal translation partner
Work with a provider that has legal translation experience, native-language linguists and a clear quality-assurance process.
3. Build consistency into the project
Provide source files, timelines and reference material. A glossary and style guide help keep key privacy terms consistent across every document and language.
Also read: Legal Translation – 6 Practical Tips for Translating Legal Documents
GET your documents translated by professional legal translators
Milestone Localization translates privacy notices, consent requests, customer communications, and legal content for Indian audiences.
Factors affecting the cost of translation
Translation costs depend on the language combination, word count, legal complexity and turnaround time.
Documents such as privacy notices, consent requests and legal forms may need specialist translators and independent proofreading. This adds time and cost but helps protect accuracy and consistency.
A clear project scope, realistic timeline and approved terminology can help teams manage costs and avoid rework.
Translation process at Milestone Localization
1. Understanding the Project Scope
We review the project scope, content, languages, file formats, deadlines and client requirements before work begins. This helps us create a project plan that fits the work.
2. Initiating the Project
Our team sets clear communication channels, timelines and delivery milestones. We also create a translation style guide and glossary to maintain consistent terminology and tone across all files.
3. Team of Expert Linguists
A dedicated project manager selects native linguists with legal expertise and at least five years of translation experience. They translate and proofread the content according to the project requirements.
4. Internal Quality Assurance
A second legal linguist reviews the translation for accuracy, terminology, grammar, style and context. Our quality checks help identify errors and inconsistencies before delivery. As we follow quality assurance processes and provide a certificate of translation with the translated documents.
5. Delivery and Review
We deliver the completed files for client review and incorporate feedback where needed. This helps us make sure the final content meets the agreed requirements.
Prepare before May 2027
The DPDP Act gives businesses a defined timeline to prepare. Now is the right time to audit privacy content, identify language gaps, and build a process for multilingual updates.
Clear privacy communication helps users understand their rights and helps businesses meet their responsibilities with confidence.
Contact Milestone Localization to discuss translation support for your DPDP-related notices, consent requests and legal communications.
Get in touch with us for a free consultation on translations for DPDPA compliance.
