How to reply to app reviews in other languages (with examples in 5 languages)
Answer App Store and Google Play reviews in the reviewer's language without speaking it, with one reply in Spanish, German, Portuguese, Russian and Japanese.
Your app is on sale in 175 countries, so your reviews come in Spanish, German, Japanese and Portuguese. Many developers answer only the English ones, or answer everyone in English. Both leave money on the table: the reviewer often can't read your reply, and everyone browsing your store page in that country sees an unanswered complaint.
Why reply in the reviewer's language
- It works. Google says that responding to a negative review can increase that rating by an average of +0.7. That only happens if the person understands your reply.
- Local store pages show local reviews. A German user deciding whether to install sees German reviews, and your German replies.
- It's rare. Most developers don't do it, so a reply in someone's own language stands out.
How to do it without speaking the language
- Translate the review first, carefully. Machine translation is good enough to understand the problem. Check the app version and device too: they often matter more than the words.
- Write your reply in plain English first. Short sentences, no idioms, no jokes. “Fixed in version 2.4” translates well; “we're all over it” doesn't.
- Translate the reply, then translate it back. If the back-translation says what you meant, it's safe to post.
- Mind the length. Google Play allows 350 characters. German and Russian run about 20–30% longer than English, so start short.
- Keep support in English if you must. It's fine to add “You can write to us in English at support@…”. The reply itself should still be in their language.
The same reply in five languages
A bug report, already fixed in version 2.4:
Hola, gracias por avisarnos y perdona las molestias. Ya lo hemos corregido en la versión 2.4. Actualiza la app y cuéntanos si te sigue pasando.
Hallo, danke für den Hinweis und entschuldige die Probleme. Das ist in Version 2.4 behoben. Bitte aktualisiere die App und schreib uns, falls es noch auftritt.
Olá! Obrigado por avisar e desculpe o transtorno. Corrigimos isso na versão 2.4. Atualize o app e fale com a gente se o problema continuar.
Здравствуйте! Спасибо, что написали, и извините за неудобства. Мы исправили это в версии 2.4. Обновите приложение и напишите нам, если проблема останется.
ご報告ありがとうございます。ご不便をおかけして申し訳ありません。バージョン2.4で修正しました。アップデート後も問題が続く場合はお知らせください。
For other situations (feature requests, pricing complaints, angry users) start from our 30 reply templates and translate the one you need.
Written by Ernist IsabekovSoftware engineer and the developer of Starquill