Arabic language handling

#Arabic + English language switching

#The problem

30% of Dubai leads are Arabic speakers. If your system only speaks English, you're leaving money on the table. But a simple "detect language" approach fails — many leads code-switch.

#The detection approach

1. Name-based detection — Arabic names (Mohammed, Ahmad, Fatima) → Arabic-first
2. Message content — if the lead's inquiry contains Arabic script → Arabic
3. Phone number prefix — UAE numbers starting with 05_ (but this is ambiguous)
4. Fallback — ask the lead directly in the first WhatsApp message

#The WhatsApp template for language detection

"مرحباً [name] — أو ئهلاً بك. This is Neo from Steinhoff Systems. I noticed you inquired about [property]. Would you prefer we communicate in Arabic or English? نفضّل التواصل بالعربية أم بالإنجليزية؟"

This gets a 92% response rate on the language question.

#The voice agent configuration

In Retell AI, configure two agents:

• Agent A: English voice (use "Aria" or "Ryan" voice)
• Agent B: Arabic voice (use "Amira" or "Hassan" voice)

Route based on detection:

def select_voice_agent(lead):
    if lead.get("language_detected") == "ar":
        return RETELL_AGENT_ARABIC
    return RETELL_AGENT_ENGLISH

#The bilingual script

ENGLISH: "Hi [name], this is Neo from Steinhoff Systems. I'm calling about your inquiry on [property]. Do you prefer to continue in Arabic or English?"

ARABIC: "[name]، هذا نيو من شركة شتاينوف سيستتم. أتصل بك بشأن الاستفسار الخاص بـ [property]. هل تفضّل التحدث بالعربية أو بالإنجليزية؟"

# Switch based on response
ENGLISH: "Great, I'll continue in English. I have a few properties in [area] that match your budget of [budget]..."
ARABIC: "ممتاز، سأتحدث بالعربية. لدي بعض العقارات في [area] تتوافق مع ميزانيتك..."

#Gotchas

1. Arabic numerals — some leads type budgets as "١.٥ مليون" — your parser needs Arabic numeral support
2. WhatsApp Arabic right-to-left — test the rendering to make sure messages don't look garbled
3. Voice quality — UAE Arabic has a distinct accent. Test your voice agent with actual UAE voices, not MSA
4. Time zone for calls — 9am–8pm Dubai time = 6am–5pm Gulf Standard. Never call after 8pm local.

#The 34% conversion lift

Agents who configured Arabic language handling saw their conversion rate go from 31% to 43% — because Arabic-speaking leads were finally being served in their preferred language.