How to Reply to Google Reviews in Other Languages

Reply in the language the review was written in: the original, not Google’s translation. Google Maps and Search translate reviews into each reader’s language automatically, so a review you read in English may have been written in another language. When a review has been translated, find the original under it (review text often carries both versions, marked “(Translated by Google)” and “(Original)”) and answer that. A star rating with no text has no language to match, so reply in the language you usually answer reviews in. And never pick the language from the reviewer’s name: a name doesn’t tell you what someone reads.

The short version

What you see	Reply in	Why
A review written in one language	That language	It’s the language the reviewer chose
Text marked “(Translated by Google)” with an “(Original)” part	The original’s language	The translation is Google’s; the original is your customer’s
A star rating with no text	The language you usually reply in	There is no text to match
A review in English from a visitor	English	They chose English, so answer in it
A name that seems to hint at a country	The language of the text, not the name	A name says nothing about the language someone reads

How Google shows reviews in other languages

• Readers get a translation automatically. Since April 2017, Google Maps and Search have translated local reviews into the reader’s preferred language. Google’s announcement says most people see the translation first and the review in its original language below it.
• The reader’s settings decide which language they see. Google Maps Help says that to read reviews in another language, you change the language in your Google Account’s language settings and reload Maps.
• Translated text carries labels. When review text leaves Maps, in tools that read reviews from Google for example, a translated review often comes with both versions, marked “(Translated by Google)” and “(Original)”. The part after “(Original)” is what the customer wrote.

So the version you read may not be the version your customer wrote. A translation can soften a complaint, drop a name or blur a detail. Before you reply, find the original and answer what the customer actually said.

Why reply in the reviewer’s language

• The reviewer reads your reply first. Google notifies the customer when you reply, and they wrote in their language for a reason.
• It shows you read their words, not a summary of them. A reply in a language the reviewer didn’t use reads like a form letter, even when it’s specific.
• People who share that language read it as you wrote it. The next customer who reads reviews in the reviewer’s language sees your answer in your own words.
• It keeps you honest about the details. Working from the original stops you answering a point the translation invented or missed.

What to do with reviews that have stars but no text

There is no language to match, so use the language you usually reply in. If you haven’t replied to any reviews yet, use the language most of the location’s reviews are written in; if that’s unclear too, English. Keep it short: a rating with no text rarely needs more than two sentences.

Five stars, no text

Thank you for the five stars, [NAME]. We’re glad you came in, and we hope to see you again soon. — [YOUR NAME]

One or two stars, no text

Hi [NAME], I’m sorry we fell short. I’d like to know what happened so we can put it right: please reach me at [EMAIL]. — [YOUR NAME], [BUSINESS]

For everything else, the 15 templates in how to respond to Google reviews work in any language once you translate them carefully.

How to reply in a language you don’t speak

1. Find the original. Look for the “(Original)” part or the original text under Google’s translation, and note which language it is in.
2. Translate it into your language yourself with any translation tool, and list the specific points: what happened, what they liked, what went wrong.
3. Write the reply in your own language first. Thank them, answer the specific point, offer the next step. Two to four short sentences.
4. Translate your reply into the reviewer’s language. Keep sentences short and plain: idioms, jokes and wordplay are where translations break. Leave names, product names and prices as they are.
5. Check it by translating it back. Read the back-translation in your language. If it says something you didn’t mean, simplify your sentence and translate again.
6. Post it from your Business Profile, or approve it in your review tool.

A team workflow for reviews in several languages

Decide once	Why it matters
Who checks each language your customers write in	A teammate who reads the language catches what a back-translation misses
A shared glossary: business, product and service names that never get translated	The same name in every reply, in every language
Formal or informal address, per language	Languages such as German, French or Spanish have both; pick one and keep it
The same rules in every language	One response-time target, one “move it offline” step for complaints, no perks in exchange for edits
One reply, in the reviewer’s language	Clearer than the same reply stacked in two languages
Nobody posts a machine translation unread	The reply is public and carries your name

How ReputeMap drafts replies in the review’s language

ReputeMap drafts every reply in the language the review was written in. For a review Google translated, it uses the original’s language, not the translation’s. A star rating with no text gets the language the owner usually replies in, then the language of the location’s other reviews, then English. The language is never guessed from the reviewer’s name.

• The draft arrives inside the 1–3★ alert. The alert email quotes it, and a Telegram private chat shows it with ✅ Publish draft and ✏️ Edit & publish.
• No login to publish from the email. In the alert email and the Monday digest, Review & publish reply → is a personal, single-use, 7-day link to a page with the review, the draft you can edit (tone chips) and one Publish to Google button. More on that in how to reply to Google reviews from your email or phone.
• Auto-reply, only if you switch it on. On paid plans, Auto-reply to new reviews posts the draft for you, in the reviewer’s language, to reviews written after you switch it on (4–5★ by default): a new five-star review in Portuguese is thanked in Portuguese, one in Polish in Polish. Every other draft waits for a person to tap Publish.
• Trial and plans. On the 14-day free trial, replies are drafted inside the first 2 alerts; on paid plans, inside every alert.

It works the same for English, Spanish, French, German, Dutch, Portuguese, Italian, Polish, Ukrainian, Chinese, Japanese and many more. How the drafting itself works, and why automatic replies leave 1–3★ reviews to you by default, is on the AI review response generator page.

One location with an occasional review in another language doesn’t need a tool for this: a translation tool and the six steps above are enough. Drafts in the review’s language start to save real time when reviews in several languages arrive across several locations every week.

Sources (checked October 1, 2026)

• Google, Local reviews in your language–wherever you are (April 24, 2017): automatic translation of local reviews, with the translation first and the original below.
• Google Maps Help, Add, edit, or delete Google Maps reviews & ratings: reading reviews in another language through your Google Account’s language settings.
• Google Business Profile Help, Manage customer reviews: who can reply, and that the customer is notified of your reply.

This page is written by ReputeMap, which drafts replies in the reviewer’s language as described above. ReputeMap is not affiliated with Google or Telegram.

See the plans to get every reply drafted in the language of its review. Every plan starts with a 14-day free trial: card required, cancel anytime, plans from $19/mo for one location, and setup takes about 3 minutes.