A caller rings, says a few words in halting English, and then goes quiet. You try to help, they try to explain, and after a minute of "sorry?" on both sides they say thank you and hang up. You don't know whether they wanted a booking, a price or directions, and they've probably rung someone else. Multilingual phone answering is about making that call go differently. For a small business, it rarely means hiring a team of linguists. It means knowing which languages your callers actually speak and picking the cheapest way to serve the ones that matter.
This post sets out what the census data says, the options available to a small business, what each one costs you in time and money, and where an AI receptionist fits, including the languages it doesn't cover.
Who is calling you: what the census data shows
Before choosing anything, find out whether you have a language gap, and in which language. National figures give a sense of scale; your own area may look very different.
England and Wales
The ONS Census 2021 bulletin on language, published in November 2022, found that 91.1% of usual residents aged three and over had English (or Welsh, in Wales) as their main language. That leaves 8.9%, about 5.1 million people, whose main language was something else.
The most common other main languages were:
| Main language | Share of residents | Number |
|---|---|---|
| Polish | 1.1% | 612,000 |
| Romanian | 0.8% | 472,000 |
| Panjabi | 0.5% | 291,000 |
| Urdu | 0.5% | 270,000 |
Source: ONS, Census 2021.
The more useful figure for a business is how many people struggle with English. The same bulletin found that 1.5% of residents (880,000) could not speak English well and 0.3% (161,000) could not speak English at all. Among people whose main language wasn't English, most said they spoke English well or very well. So a second main language doesn't automatically mean a caller needs help, but for a minority it decides whether they can use your phone line at all.
United States
The US Census Bureau's Language Use in the United States: 2019 report, based on the American Community Survey and published in 2022, found that 67.8 million people spoke a language other than English at home, almost one in five of the population. A Census Bureau summary of the findings adds that Spanish accounted for 62% of those speakers. Chinese, Vietnamese, Tagalog and Arabic followed. The share who spoke English less than "very well" varied by language: 39% of Spanish speakers, 35% of Arabic speakers, 52% of Chinese speakers and 57% of Vietnamese speakers.
Your own area
National averages hide large local differences. Both the ONS and the Census Bureau publish local-area language data. Better still, look at your own customers:
- Which languages do people use when they visit in person?
- Do you get calls where the caller gives up or asks someone else to ring for them?
- Are there languages on your reviews, social media messages or WhatsApp chats?
- Do local competitors advertise "we speak Spanish" or "Polish spoken"?
If one language comes up again and again, that's your priority. If nothing does, you may not need to do anything beyond speaking slowly and clearly.
Your options for multilingual phone answering
There are five realistic approaches for a small business. Most end up combining two.
1. Bilingual staff
If someone on your team speaks the language, route those calls to them. It's the best experience for the caller, because a person who knows your business can handle anything.
Limits: it works only when that person is in and free. If they're off, at lunch or with a customer, the caller hits the same wall.
2. Telephone interpreting services
Commercial interpreting services connect a three-way call with an interpreter, usually charged per minute.
Limits: the caller has to get through to you first, and someone on your side has to set up the interpreter. It suits long, important calls (legal, medical, financial) better than quick booking calls. For regulated work, it's often the right answer regardless of cost.
3. A recorded menu option
"For Polish, press 2" sends callers to a voicemail in that language, which someone who speaks it listens to later.
Limits: it's a message, not a conversation. Callers wait for an answer, and someone still has to call them back in that language.
4. Written channels
Many people who find phone calls hard in a second language are comfortable typing, where they can take their time or use a translation app. A website chat or WhatsApp line gives them that route. The AI chatbot for small business page covers the website side.
Limits: some callers ring because they want to speak, not type, and older customers in particular may not use chat.
5. An AI receptionist that speaks the language
An AI receptionist can answer in a chosen language at any hour, answer from your information, take bookings and take messages. It doesn't get tired of explaining your opening hours.
Limits: it covers only the languages it supports, it can mishear names and addresses like anyone, and it shouldn't be used for conversations that need a qualified interpreter.
Comparing the options
| Option | Available out of hours | Handles full conversations | Ongoing cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bilingual staff | No | Yes | Staff time | Your main second language, during opening hours |
| Interpreting service | Depends on provider | Yes | Per minute | Long or regulated calls |
| Recorded menu option | Yes | No | Low | Taking messages |
| Chat and WhatsApp | Yes, if automated | Yes, in writing | Varies | Callers happy to type |
| AI receptionist | Yes | Routine calls only | Monthly plan | Bookings, questions and messages at any hour |
What Klugon's AI receptionist covers
If you're considering Klugon's AI receptionist for this, here's exactly what it does with languages on the phone.
Supported languages on calls
You can set the phone language for each assistant to one of these:
- English (US or UK)
- German
- French
- Spanish
- Italian
- Portuguese (Brazilian)
- Dutch
- Japanese
- Arabic
That's all of them. Polish, Romanian, Panjabi and Urdu, the four most common non-English main languages in England and Wales, are not on the list. Neither are Chinese, Vietnamese or Tagalog from the US figures. If your callers mostly speak one of those, a bilingual member of staff, an interpreting service or a written channel will serve them better than Klugon on the phone.
How the language setting works
- One language per assistant. You choose the language the assistant speaks to callers. We don't promise that it switches language mid-call on its own if a caller speaks something else, so plan around the language you set.
- Write the greeting in that language. The default greeting is in English and isn't translated automatically. Write your own greeting in the language your callers speak. Our post on business phone greeting examples has templates you can translate.
- Your knowledge base carries over. The AI searches the same information whatever language it's speaking, so your prices, services and hours stay consistent. Check a few answers in the target language before going live.
- Multiple numbers. Voice Business plans include up to three phone numbers and Scale plans unlimited numbers, at $9 a month each. Plans include unlimited assistants. See the pricing page for the full allowances.
What it can do in any supported language
The tools are the same whatever the language. On a call, the AI can answer questions from your knowledge base, list services, check availability and book into Klugon's built-in calendar, cancel bookings, search products and save a caller's details as a lead with a note for your team. It can't transfer the call to a person, send texts or emails, or call anyone back. The AI voice agent page has the full detail.
Getting multilingual calls right, whatever you use
Names, numbers and addresses
Spellings are where language barriers do the most damage. A booking under a misspelt name or a wrong digit in a phone number is a lost customer.
- Ask the AI (or your staff) to read numbers back in groups.
- For unusual names, ask for the spelling letter by letter.
- For addresses, a postcode or ZIP code is easier to confirm than a street name.
Plain wording
Whatever language you answer in, short sentences and common words help callers who are less confident. Avoid idioms in your knowledge base, because they translate badly: "we're open bank holiday Mondays" is clearer than "we never take a bank holiday off".
Calls that need a qualified interpreter
Some conversations shouldn't depend on an AI or a staff member's school French. Medical histories, consent, legal advice and financial products need accurate, accountable interpretation. For these, take the caller's details and arrange a professional interpreter. Clinics and law firms should write this into their policy. The AI medical receptionist and AI receptionist for law firms pages cover the boundaries in those sectors.
When you can't serve a caller in their language
Even with the best setup, some callers will speak a language you don't cover. Plan a polite fallback rather than leaving it to chance:
- Give a slow, simple line in English offering an alternative: "I'm sorry, I can only speak English on the phone. You can message us on WhatsApp in any language, or I can take your number and someone will call you back."
- If you have a bilingual member of staff for that language, say when they're in.
- Put the alternative routes (WhatsApp, website chat, email) on your website contact page, ideally with a line in the main languages your area uses.
A caller offered a route they can use has a reason to come back. One who hits a wall doesn't.
Test with a native speaker
Before you put a non-English assistant live, ask a native speaker to call it and try:
- a normal booking
- a question about price
- a name with an unusual spelling
- a fast, colloquial request
- a request in a different language from the one you set
Note where it went wrong and fix the knowledge base or instructions.
Measuring whether it's working
- Count calls in each language for a month. If you see very few, the setup may not be worth the effort; if you see many, consider a dedicated number.
- Read the conversations. Look for misheard details and questions the AI couldn't answer.
- Track outcomes. Bookings and leads from those calls tell you whether they're worth serving, and Klugon's analytics page shows conversations by channel alongside bookings and leads over time.
- Ask customers. A quick "how did you find booking with us?" in person tells you more than any dashboard.
For a fuller picture of why missed calls matter in the first place, see our guide to missed calls and lost revenue. Language schools, which get a lot of multilingual calls, have their own page: AI receptionist for language schools.
Frequently asked questions
What is multilingual phone answering?
It means callers can speak to your business in a language other than English, whether through bilingual staff, an interpreting service, a recorded menu option or an AI receptionist that speaks their language.
Which languages does Klugon answer calls in?
English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Japanese and Arabic. Polish, Romanian, Panjabi, Urdu and Chinese are not offered.
Can one AI assistant answer in several languages?
Each Klugon assistant has one phone language setting. We don't promise automatic switching during a call, so set the language your callers speak most.
Does the greeting change language automatically?
No. The default greeting is in English. Write your own greeting in the language your assistant speaks.
Should a medical or legal practice use an AI receptionist for non-English callers?
For routine tasks such as booking and opening hours, it can help. For anything clinical, legal or financial, take details and arrange a qualified interpreter.
How do I find out which languages my customers speak?
Look at in-person conversations, messages and reviews, and the local-area census data from the ONS or the US Census Bureau. If one language keeps coming up, start there.
Is chat a good alternative to phone for non-English speakers?
Often, yes. Typing gives people time and lets them use translation tools. A website chat or WhatsApp line works well alongside a phone option.
Start with the one language your callers use most, test it with a native speaker, and add more only when the calls justify it.