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How to make a phone call in another language

4 min read

Write down what you need in a few short sentences, have every reference and date in front of you, and check the time where you're calling. Or choose a persona who speaks the language, and your simp makes the whole call in it from your AI number and sends you a summary in English. Besides English, personas speak French, Spanish, Japanese, German, Turkish and Arabic.

What your simp can't do hereYour simp holds the whole call in your persona's language and doesn't switch mid-call. It calls only in its calling hours, in the time zone of the business it's calling, and never an emergency number. Your simp waits on hold for up to 6 minutes, then lets you know so you can take over. Any call your simp is handling ends after 10 minutes.
Poppy

What you can do yourself.

Living somewhere new, sorting something out abroad, or calling while you're on holiday: the same habits help.

  1. Step 1Write it down first

    Three or four short sentences: who you are, what happened and what you'd like. Read them out if it helps.

  2. Step 2Have the details in front of you

    Booking references, dates, an order number and how to spell your name.

  3. Step 3Check the time there

    Look up the local time and opening hours before you dial, especially in another country.

  4. Step 4Dial the full number

    To a number in another country, dial + and the country code first, then the number.

  5. Step 5Ask them to slow down

    It's fine to ask them to speak slowly, repeat a number or spell a name.

  6. Step 6Ask for it in writing

    Ask for an email confirming what was agreed, so you can read it at your own pace.

The catch: a phone call gives you no time to look a word up, and numbers, names and dates are the easiest things to mishear.

How a simp does it.

Alex moved here last year and finds fast phone conversations in English hard. Poppy called a heating engineer, explained the fault Alex had written down, and booked a visit inside Alex's times.

PoppyPoppy - Book a boiler repairOutgoing - AI number - 0:34
Example call
  1. 00:02 - EngineerHello, heating and plumbing.
  2. 00:04 - PoppyHi, I'm Poppy, calling for Alex. Alex's boiler stopped working this morning. There's a red light on the display and no hot water. Could someone come and look?
  3. 00:16 - EngineerWe can come Thursday between 8 and 12, or Friday afternoon.
  4. 00:21 - PoppyThursday morning, please. The address is 14 Mill Road. Alex said I can share that for this call.
  5. 00:29 - EngineerBooked. Thursday between 8 and 12 at 14 Mill Road.

Booked - Thursday, 8am to 12pm. An engineer will look at the boiler.

Pick the language. It makes the call.

Choose a persona who speaks the language you need, tell your simp who to call and what you need, and it makes the whole call in that language from your AI number. It never calls without your say-so, and your simp only calls between 8am and 9pm, in the time zone of the person or business it's calling. Calls to a toll-free number follow these hours in your own time zone. You can listen live, and its summary comes back in English.

What it can't doIt speaks one language a call, its persona's, and won't switch if the other person does. It can't call emergency numbers, at home or abroad, and a few countries can't be called. You can mark any detail as sensitive, and your simp asks you every time before using it.What your simp is allowed to do

Questions about calling in another language.

Which languages can my simp speak?

Personas speak English, French, Spanish, Japanese, German, Turkish and Arabic. Each persona speaks one language, so you choose the language by choosing the persona, and the whole call stays in it.

What your simp is allowed to do
I live here and it isn't my first language. Can Simp help?

Yes. Tell your simp what you need and it calls the local business and does the talking for you. You can listen live, and its summary comes back in English.

What your simp is allowed to do
Can my simp call a business in another country?

Yes. Your simp can call a number in another country from your AI number, though a few countries can't be called. The call uses your AI minutes like any other, and it goes out only in the calling hours of the place it's calling. Choose a persona who speaks the language there.

What your simp is allowed to do
Can I use it while I'm on holiday?

Yes. You set up calls in the Simp app, and your AI number works over any internet connection, so Wi-Fi is enough. Your simp can call a business at home or where you are, in that business's calling hours. It can't call emergency numbers: call the local one yourself.

What your simp is allowed to do
Does it use my AI minutes?

Yes. The whole call counts towards your monthly AI minutes, time on hold included. Your simp waits on hold for up to 6 minutes, then lets you know so you can take over. You can top up in the app if you run low.

Compare the plans
Poppy

Let your simp do the talking.

Every plan comes with a simp that makes the call in the language you choose.

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