Expanding globally isn’t just about shipping products overseas or translating your website. For small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) looking to reach international audiences, one often overlooked challenge is how your data is presented. Your dashboards—the heart of your analytics—can either empower teams worldwide or create confusion if they’re locked in a single language.
Imagine a marketing manager in Madrid trying to interpret KPIs that are all in English. Or a sales team in São Paulo trying to understand website conversions without a Portuguese option. Suddenly, “real-time insights” aren’t so real, and decisions slow down. That’s where multi-language dashboards come in.
Key Takeaway
Creating dashboards that can switch languages enables your global team to interpret metrics accurately, reduces miscommunication, and accelerates decision-making. With Looker Studio, you can build interactive dashboards that serve your entire international audience—without building separate reports for every language.
Why Multi-Language Dashboards Matter for SMBs
Most SMBs start by reporting in their native language and assume everyone can adapt. But as companies grow, the lack of language flexibility becomes a bottleneck:
Decision Lag: Teams spend extra time translating metrics manually or asking colleagues for clarification.
Inconsistent Reporting: Different interpretations of metrics lead to conflicting business decisions.
Limited Adoption: International employees may avoid using dashboards if they don’t understand them fully.
Multi-language dashboards aren’t just a nice-to-have—they’re a strategic advantage. They allow every stakeholder, from marketing to finance, to work off the same numbers without ambiguity.
Step 1: Plan Your Languages and Metrics
Before jumping into Looker Studio, map out the languages you need. Common languages for SMBs expanding globally include:
English (default)
Spanish
French
German
Portuguese
Mandarin (for some markets)
Next, identify which metrics and KPIs are critical for all audiences. For example:
Website Metrics: Users, Sessions, Bounce Rate
E-commerce Metrics: Transactions, Revenue, Conversion Rate
Marketing Metrics: Paid Search ROAS, Email Clicks, Social Engagement
Not all metrics need translation (e.g., numeric values, charts), but labels, titles, and descriptions do.
Step 2: Structure Your Dashboard for Language Flexibility
Design your dashboard layout to accommodate multiple languages without clutter:
Top Row: KPI scorecards for global metrics
Second Row: Interactive charts for trends, segmented by region if needed
Language Toggle: A visible dropdown at the top right for switching languages
This structure keeps your dashboard familiar, regardless of which language is selected.
Step 3: Create Translated Labels in Looker Studio
Looker Studio doesn’t automatically translate text, but you can set up your dashboard to display different languages using parameters or calculated fields:
Create a Parameter for Language
Resource → Manage Variables (Parameters) → Create Parameter
Name: Language
Data Type: Text
Allowable Values: English, Spanish, French, etc.
Set Up Conditional Fields
For each chart title, KPI label, or table header, create a calculated field that changes based on the language parameter.
Example (for “Revenue”):
CASE WHEN Language = "English" THEN "Revenue" WHEN Language = "Spanish" THEN "Ingresos" WHEN Language = "French" THEN "Revenus" END
Apply Fields Across Charts
Replace static labels with these dynamic fields. Each chart updates automatically when the language parameter changes.
Step 4: Make the Toggle Interactive
Once the parameter is set up:
Add a drop-down control for the Language parameter.
Users can select their preferred language, instantly updating all conditional labels in the dashboard.
Test each language thoroughly to ensure all fields, charts, and tables update correctly.
Step 5: Consider Regional Formatting
Numbers, dates, and currencies often differ across regions:
Currency Symbols: USD vs. EUR vs. GBP
Date Formats: MM/DD/YYYY vs. DD/MM/YYYY
Decimal/Thousand Separators: 1,000.50 vs. 1.000,50
Looker Studio allows formatting rules per field. Create calculated fields or duplicated metrics for regional formatting when needed. This ensures that international teams read metrics in the style they’re used to.
Step 6: Blend Data Carefully
Global dashboards often pull data from multiple sources: GA4, Shopify, CRM, email platforms, and more. When blending data:
Ensure consistent metric definitions across regions
Include language-specific dimensions where necessary
Avoid duplicating KPIs unnecessarily—use calculated fields to create global aggregates
Proper blending ensures that your dashboard is accurate and interpretable across all languages.
Step 7: Test With Your International Team
Before rolling out the dashboard:
Invite team members from different countries to test it.
Verify translations and formatting.
Ensure interactive controls, like filters and language toggles, work as expected.
Collect feedback and refine as needed.
Step 8: Maintain and Update Translations
Business metrics evolve, so dashboards need updates:
When adding new charts or KPIs, always update language fields.
Use a shared translation sheet (Google Sheets is perfect) connected via Looker Studio for easy management.
Keep the language parameter consistent across all dashboards to reduce confusion.
Best Practices for Multi-Language Dashboards
Start Small: Begin with your most critical metrics before translating every label.
Leverage Templates: Build a base dashboard and duplicate it for each region if needed.
Use Clear Visuals: Icons, color coding, and chart types reduce dependence on text.
Document Conventions: Keep a guide for translations, formatting, and KPI definitions.
FAQ Section
Q: Can Looker Studio auto-translate my dashboard?
A: No, Looker Studio doesn’t automatically translate text. You’ll need to use parameters and calculated fields to create dynamic labels.
Q: Can I use Google Translate or Sheets integration?
A: Yes, you can maintain translations in a Google Sheet and connect it to Looker Studio using a data connector. This allows easy updates without changing the dashboard itself.
Q: Will numeric metrics change with the language?
A: The numbers themselves don’t change, but formatting may. Use regional formatting fields to match local conventions for dates, currencies, and numbers.
Q: Is this approach suitable for small teams?
A: Absolutely. Multi-language dashboards scale with your business. Even SMBs with small teams benefit by reducing misinterpretation and improving collaboration.
Q: Can I include multilingual charts and tables in the same dashboard?
A: Yes. Conditional fields let you switch labels dynamically while keeping all charts on the same report. Users just change the language parameter.