Business calls in a foreign language
Reading business text in a foreign language and holding a live phone conversation are two different skills. The second can be practised out loud and without consequences.
This page describes training: practising a call with an AI client. DIRI AI does not evaluate employees, and the outcome of a call is not a basis for decisions about people.
The situation: the first call to a German or English-speaking client
The language itself is not the problem, but a business conversation in a foreign language adds pressure: the other person's speed, unfamiliar phrases and a fear of mistakes that leads to answers that are too short.
- The client speaks fast or with a dialect and you do not understand one sentence.
- You need to explain a price or terms in a language you do not use every day.
- Polite phrases sound different in a foreign language than in your own.
Typical mistakes
These are common patterns when speaking in a non-primary language, not a lack of knowledge.
- Answers that are too short, out of fear of making a mistake.
- Translating from your own language sentence by sentence.
- Polite phrases that sound too direct or too formal in the foreign language.
- Pretending you understood instead of asking the other person to repeat.
- Not distinguishing the formal and informal forms of address in German.
How you practise it in DIRI AI
You can hold the call in Czech, Slovak, Polish, German or English. The call language is chosen separately for each call and does not have to be the same as the interface language.
- Pick a scenario and set the call language.
- Set the difficulty and the client type, for example impatient or fast-speaking.
- Lead the call in the foreign language and try asking for a repeat when you do not understand.
- The report after the call quotes moments from the transcript and suggests one change to practise.
- Repeat the call and compare how smoothly you handled the same situation.
A sample from practice
A short opening of a call in German, with an English translation for orientation.
- You
- Guten Tag, hier spricht Peter Novak von der Firma Beta. Haben Sie kurz Zeit? (Good day, this is Peter Novak from the company Beta. Do you have a moment?)
- AI client
- Ja, aber nur kurz. Worum geht es? (Yes, but only briefly. What is it about?)
- You
- Es geht um Ihre Lieferketten. Darf ich zwei Fragen stellen? (It is about your supply chains. May I ask two questions?)
- AI client
- Bitte, aber schnell. (Please, but quickly.)
- You
- Danke. Wie planen Sie heute Ihre Lieferungen aus Tschechien? (Thank you. How do you plan your deliveries from the Czech Republic today?)
- AI client
- Wir haben dafür eine Tabelle. Das funktioniert so lala. (We have a spreadsheet for that. It works so-so.)
This example is fictional. It is not a transcript of a real call and not a sample of an evaluation output.
Frequently asked questions
In which languages can I practise a business call?
In Czech, Slovak, Polish, German and English.
Is a score in German or English comparable to one in Czech?
No. Czech is the reference language. Scores for calls in other languages are marked as preliminary and must not be mixed into averages or compared across languages.
Will the AI client correct my grammar mistakes?
The AI client reacts to the content of the call as a client, not as a language teacher. DIRI AI is business call training, not a language course.
Is practice suitable for native speakers?
Yes. A native speaker can practise business situations in their own language and use the report with quoted moments.
Can I use the formal form of address in German?
Yes, you can set formal address in the scenario. We recommend it for a first contact with a business partner.
Try the first sentence out loud
Try one call in German or English and read where the conversation stumbled. Free plan: one voice call a day, up to 5 minutes.