Languages
Supported languages and Arabic dialects
The languages and Arabic dialects the agent works in, what each is typically used for, and why dialect decides whether a service call works.
On this page
Your customers talk to you in the language they are most comfortable in. In the Gulf, that usually means a dialect of Arabic, English, or both in the same sentence. The agent holds full conversations in English and Modern Standard Arabic, speaks Gulf Arabic as it is spoken in the region, and understands Egyptian and Levantine Arabic. It also works in many other languages, including Urdu, Russian, Chinese and Spanish, configured during implementation where your customers need them.
The languages the agent works in
| Language | What the agent does | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| English | Full conversation, spoken and written | Expatriate and international customers, business customers, and the product terms many Arabic speakers use in English |
| Modern Standard Arabic | Full conversation, spoken and written | Formal communication, such as written confirmations, and customers linked to government who expect the formal register |
| Gulf (Khaleeji) Arabic | Understands it and speaks it | Emirati, Saudi and other Gulf customers on calls, voice notes and WhatsApp messages. The everyday Arabic of the region |
| Egyptian Arabic | Understands it | Customers from Egypt, a large community in both the UAE and Saudi Arabia |
| Levantine Arabic | Understands it | Customers from Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Syria |
| Many other languages, including Urdu, Russian, Chinese and Spanish | Configured during implementation | Residents raising facilities requests, travellers booking trips home or pilgrimage packages, employees asking about their health cover |
Which variety of Arabic the agent uses in its replies, on each channel, is agreed with you during implementation as part of its tone. A hotel group might choose Gulf Arabic on calls and Modern Standard Arabic in written booking confirmations. See Tone, voice and brand.
Why dialect decides whether a service call works
Modern Standard Arabic is the Arabic of writing, news and government. Almost nobody speaks it when they call a hotel, a developer or an insurer. They speak their own dialect, and the dialects differ in everyday words, in how numbers and dates are said, and in pronunciation.
That difference matters in two directions. A system that only understands formal Arabic mishears the details a service call depends on, such as a date, an amount or a unit number. A system that only replies in formal Arabic sounds like a letter from a government office, which is the wrong register for a question about a booking. The agent is built for the Arabic people in the region actually speak.
How the agent handles each language
Every part of a conversation is set up for the languages you use. Speech recognition (the technology that turns spoken words into text) is chosen for how well it handles the dialects your callers speak. The language model (the AI component that interprets the conversation and composes the reply) understands the request in whichever language it arrives.
Voice synthesis (the technology that speaks the reply) uses a voice chosen for each language. See Voices.
On written channels, such as WhatsApp, SMS, email and web chat, customers write in dialect too. The agent understands the request and replies in the language and register agreed for that channel. Message templates (the pre-written WhatsApp messages used to start a conversation) are written in each language you use, usually Arabic and English.
If a customer writes in a language your deployment is not configured for, the agent replies in your default language and offers a person.
The technical detail
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| How are dialects recognised on calls? | Through speech recognition and voice models that handle Gulf, Egyptian, Levantine and Modern Standard Arabic, English, and many other languages, including Urdu, Russian, Chinese and Spanish |
| How are providers chosen for my languages? | Per deployment, with you, during implementation, based on how well each handles your customers' languages and dialects. See Models and providers |
| Where does language processing run? | All processing for your deployment runs in the region you choose, unless you explicitly choose a language model provider outside it. Speech recognition and voice synthesis always run in your chosen region |
| Which providers are available for each language in my region? | Which providers and models are available in your region is confirmed during implementation, and named in your agreement |
| How is language handling tested? | Your industry test set (the conversations the agent is tested against before every release) includes conversations in the languages and dialects your customers use, and your team tests the agent in each language before go-live |
Adding another language
Other languages, including Urdu, Russian, Chinese and Spanish, are configured during implementation for the channels that need them. Each one follows the same steps:
- Confirm the need. Discovery shows which languages your customers use, on which channels and for which conversations.
- Choose providers. Speech recognition and voices are chosen for that language from providers running in your region.
- Write the content. Templates, approved answers and the greeting are written in the language, and reviewed by a native speaker on your team.
- Test. Native speakers on your team hold test conversations before customers reach the agent in that language.
In practice
A Riyadh tour operator, Nakhla Travel, takes booking calls from customers across the region.
- Discovery shows most callers speak Gulf Arabic, a large group speak Egyptian Arabic, and many expatriate customers speak English. Nakhla also sells pilgrimage packages to customers from Pakistan, many of whom prefer Urdu.
- Nakhla chooses Gulf Arabic for spoken replies and Modern Standard Arabic for written booking confirmations.
- Speech recognition is chosen for its Gulf and Egyptian Arabic coverage, from providers in the Saudi Arabian region.
- Yasmin calls and asks, in Egyptian Arabic, whether her Luxor tour includes the hotel. The agent understands her, finds her booking and confirms the hotel nights in Arabic.
- Urdu is configured for the pilgrimage line. Two of Nakhla's Urdu-speaking staff review the greeting and templates and test the agent before it goes live.
What your team controls
- Which languages the agent uses, on which channels.
- Which variety of Arabic it replies in, on each channel.
- The default language for customers whose language is not yet known.
- The voice for each language.
- The wording of templates and approved answers in each language.
Related
- Switching languages mid-sentenceLanguages
- Language detection and preferenceLanguages
- VoicesLanguages
- Models and providersAgents
- Tone, voice and brandAgents
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