Most bots sold as "Arabic" were built in English and translated. They handle formal Arabic well and fall apart the moment a customer writes the way they speak: "how much is this?", "got a bigger size?", "how long is shipping?".
Why translation fails
- The same want, three words. «عايز» in Egypt, «أبغى» in the Gulf, «بدي» in the Levant — a translated bot usually knows one.
- People write in Franco. "3ayez a3raf el se3r" is Arabic in Latin letters and digits, and a translated bot reads it as noise.
- The reply repels. A customer writing casually and getting a stiff formal answer knows instantly they are talking to a machine.
Five questions to try before you buy
Send these exactly as written to any bot before you pay. The answers sort it out immediately:
| Send | Tests | Bad answer |
|---|
| «بكام ده؟» | Does it guess? | A made-up price |
| «3ayez a3raf el se3r» | Franco | "I do not understand" |
| «فيه مقاس أكبر من كده؟» | Can it see your stock? | "Please contact support" |
| «طلبي فين؟» | Wired to orders? | Asks for an order number it already has |
| «عايز أرجّع المنتج» | Knows your policy? | A generic policy, not yours |
The most important answer: a bot that says "I am not sure, let me get a colleague" is far better than one that invents a price. Customers forgive "I do not know"; they do not forgive a wrong price.
What actually matters: your data
The real difference is not the model — it is whether the bot can see your products, prices and policies while it answers. A connected bot says "size L is in stock at 450" because it just read that. A disconnected one says "please contact support" — which is not automation, it is deferral.
Frequently asked
Why does the bot reply in formal Arabic?
Because its instructions are written in English or formal Arabic, so it mirrors that register. Write the instructions in the dialect you want and give it real examples from your own chats — the model copies the tone it is shown.
What is the fastest test for a bad bot?
Type "how much is this?" with no context. A bad bot invents a price or replies "Hello, how may I assist you". A good one asks which product, or says plainly that it does not know.
Is the strongest model always better?
No. What matters more is whether the bot can see your real products and prices. A mid-tier model with your data beats the strongest model guessing.
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Where to go next
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