Introduction
As ecommerce goes global, offering your Shopify store in your customers’ native languages is no longer a “nice-to-have”—it’s essential. Studies show that 75% of online shoppers prefer to buy in their own language, and 60% rarely or never purchase from English-only sites.¹ By leveraging Shopify’s built-in translation features, you can broaden your reach, boost conversion rates, and deliver a seamless, localized shopping experience. In this post, we’ll walk through every step—from choosing your languages and configuring settings to translating themes, products, and checkout—so you can launch a multi-language storefront that feels native to buyers around the world.
1. Understanding Shopify’s Native Translation Capabilities
What Shopify Offers Out of the Box
Shopify has progressively enhanced its localization toolkit. Key features include:
- Language Settings: Add up to 20 storefront languages.
- Theme Translation API: Expose all translatable text in your theme.
- Admin Translation Editor: A centralized UI for managing translations of products, collections, and checkout.
- Locale Files: JSON-based files housing your theme’s static copy.
Expert Insight: Shopify’s built-in tools cover 90% of common translation needs; third-party apps fill gaps for automatic machine translation or professional services.
Key Benefits
- SEO Optimization: Localized URLs and
<html lang>attributes signal search engines, improving regional rankings. - Consistent Branding: Centralized translations ensure your tone and messaging remain uniform across locales.
- Lower Friction: Native language navigation, product descriptions, and checkout steps reduce cart abandonment.
2. Planning Your Localization Strategy
Selecting Target Languages
- Analytics-Driven Decisions: Use Shopify Analytics or Google Analytics to identify top non-English traffic sources.
- Market Prioritization: Start with your highest-traffic regions or emerging markets where competitors are weaker.
- Cultural Nuances: Recognize dialects (e.g., European vs. Latin American Spanish) and local currencies for full localization.
Scope of Translation
Decide which elements to translate and when:
- Phase 1: Essential content—product titles, descriptions, navigation labels, checkout copy.
- Phase 2: Blog posts, email notifications, policy pages.
- Phase 3: Marketing assets—banner text, ads, social media creatives.
Pro Tip: Tackle translations in phases to align with your team’s bandwidth and budget.
3. Configuring Storefront Languages
- Enable Languages:
- In Shopify admin, navigate to Settings → Languages.
- Click Add language, select your target locale, and save.
- Verify Locale Codes:
- Ensure you choose the correct ISO 639-1 codes.
- Example:
frfor French (France),fr-CAfor Canadian French.
- Set Default & Fallbacks:
- Your store’s default language serves as the source for untranslated content.
- Shopify will automatically display default text when translations are missing—avoid user confusion by minimizing gaps.
4. Translating Theme Content
Exporting and Editing Locale Files
- Access Locale Files:
- Go to Online Store → Themes → Actions → Edit code.
- Under Locales, download the JSON file for your default language (e.g.,
en.default.json).
- Create New Locale Files:
- Duplicate
en.default.json, rename to your target code (e.g.,fr.json).
- Duplicate
- Translate JSON Keys:
- Each entry follows
"key": "Original text". Translate the value strings while preserving keys. - Example: jsonCopyEdit
{ "general": { "search.placeholder": "Search our store", "search.placeholder": "Recherchez dans notre boutique" } }
- Each entry follows
- Upload & Test:
- Save
fr.jsonin the Locales folder. - Switch your storefront preview to French, navigate pages, and verify all theme text updates accordingly.
- Save
Managing Dynamic Theme Strings
- Sections & Snippets: Any hard-coded text in Liquid templates must be refactored into locale variables.
- Example Conversion: liquidCopyEdit
<!-- Before --> <h1>Welcome to our Store</h1> <!-- After --> <h1>{{ 'general.welcome' | t }}</h1> - Add a Key: In each JSON file, add
"general.welcome": "Bienvenue dans notre boutique".
5. Translating Products, Collections, and Pages
Using the Shopify Admin Translation Editor
- Navigate to a Product: Open any product in the admin.
- Language Tab: Click the “Translate” tab next to the product details.
- Enter Translations: Provide localized titles, descriptions, and SEO metadata.
- Save & Review: Repeat for key products, collections, and individual pages.
Bulk Import via CSV
For large catalogs, use CSV to streamline translations:
- Export Products: In Products → Export, choose “All products.”
- Prepare CSV: Duplicate columns for each language, appending the locale suffix (e.g.,
Title (fr),Body (fr)). - Translate & Re-import: Fill in translations and re-import via Products → Import.
Efficiency Tip: Engage professional translators or vetted Crowdin and Lokalise integrations for consistent quality.
6. Localizing Checkout, Notifications, and Meta Fields
Checkout & System Messages
- Shopify automatically translates checkout based on your enabled languages, covering cart labels, form fields, and button text.
- To override specific strings, go to Settings → Checkout → Languages → Customize checkout language.
Email Notifications
- Navigate to Settings → Notifications.
- For each notification (Order confirmation, Shipping update), click … → Translations.
- Provide localized subject lines and body text in your added languages.
Meta Fields & Apps
- Ensure any custom app-injected text or metafield content is also localized.
- Use Shopify’s Metafields Translation API for programmatic updates.
7. Automating and Maintaining Translations
Integrations with Translation Services
- Lokalise, Crowdin, and Weglot: Automate extraction and injection of locale strings.
- Machine-Assisted Workflows: Use AI suggestions for initial drafts, then refine with human editors.
Ongoing Updates
- Version Control: Treat locale JSON files like code—track changes in Git for auditability.
- Review Cycle: Schedule quarterly audits to catch untranslated strings after theme updates.
- Fallback Monitoring: Use Shopify’s Translation Status report to identify missing entries.
8. SEO and UX Considerations
SEO Best Practices
- Localized URLs: Shopify appends
?locale=fror uses subdirectories (/fr/) based on your plan—ensure proper hreflang tags. - Unique Meta Tags: Translate title tags and meta descriptions for each locale to avoid duplication.
- Sitemap Inclusion: Verify that localized pages appear in your XML sitemap for search crawlers.
User Experience Enhancements
- Language Switcher: Add a visible toggle in your header or footer. Use flags + language names for clarity.
- Remember Choice: Implement cookies or local storage so returning visitors see their preferred language.
- Right-to-Left (RTL) Support: For languages like Arabic or Hebrew, ensure your theme handles RTL layouts gracefully.
9. Testing, Launch, and Post-Launch Monitoring
Pre-Launch Checklist
- Verify all theme, product, and checkout translations.
- Test on multiple devices and browsers.
- Run a focus group of native speakers to catch tone or context issues.
Post-Launch Metrics
- Conversion Rate by Locale: Compare average order value (AOV) and cart abandonment across languages.
- Engagement Metrics: Monitor time on site and bounce rates to assess content relevance.
- Support Requests: Track the number of language-specific customer inquiries to identify gaps.
Data Point: Brands that localize see a 10–15% uplift in AOV and a 20% decrease in bounce rate.²
Conclusion
Implementing multi-language support with Shopify Translations transforms your store into a global marketplace. By thoughtfully planning your strategy, using Shopify’s native localization tools, and combining automated workflows with human review, you’ll deliver a seamless, culturally resonant shopping experience. Remember to monitor performance by locale, iterate on your translations, and keep your content fresh—ensuring that customers everywhere feel at home in your store.
