How to translate a Shopify store

To translate a Shopify store, add the language under Settings > Languages, translate your content with the Translate & Adapt app, a CSV file or a compatible app, review the result, then publish the language. Each published language gets its own URLs, and a language selector lets customers switch.

What do you need before you start?

Three things, according to Shopify’s requirements for selling in multiple languages:

• A compatible theme. All of Shopify’s free themes are compatible. For a third-party theme, ask its developer.
• A language selector. Most Shopify themes include one that you turn on in the theme settings.
• A way to add translations. That means Translate & Adapt, a compatible third-party app, or a file you import.

The six steps

1. Add the language. Go to Settings > Languages, click Add language, select it, choose the domains it should appear on, and confirm. Nothing is visible to customers yet.
2. Pick a translation method. The table below compares them.
3. Translate your content. Start with what customers read before buying: product pages, collections, menus and your shipping and returns information.
4. Fill the gaps by hand. The next section lists what automatic translation leaves out.
5. Publish. On the Languages page, open the menu next to the language and click Publish, as described in Shopify’s guide to managing languages.
6. Browse it like a customer. Switch language with the selector, then go from a product to the cart and on to checkout. Look for leftover text in your default language and for buttons that break on longer words.

Which translation method should you use?

Automatic translation depends on where your store is based. Shopify’s documentation gives up to 8 languages plus your default language in listed countries such as the United States, Canada and Germany, with a Translate now button and a weekly Auto-sync. Elsewhere, you get up to 2 languages and an Auto-translate button, without Auto-sync. Removing a language does not reset this limit, so choose carefully.

What does automatic translation leave to you?

• Legal policies. Shopify cannot translate them automatically. Translate them manually, and consider a professional translator.
• URL handles. You add them by hand for each language. Sitemaps then include the translated handle, and a redirect is created from the default-language URL.
• Text inside images. If an image contains words, upload a separate version for that language.
• Accuracy. Shopify itself says to review translations before you publish them. Sizes, materials and care instructions deserve a careful read, ideally by someone who speaks the language well.

Good source text helps too. Our guide to writing a product page covers what each page should say before you translate it.

Three mistakes that are hard to undo

• Changing your default language casually. Shopify warns that this deletes your existing translations for the language you switch to. Export them first.
• Publishing an empty language. Where a translation is missing, the store shows your default language, so customers get a mix of both.
• Unpublishing without redirects. Links in that language then return a 404 error. Your translations are kept, but you should create redirects for those URLs.

What comes after the translation?

A translated store is one part of selling internationally on Shopify. Shipping, currencies and taxes each need their own setup. Search engines also need to know which version suits which customer, which is the job of hreflang tags on Shopify.

If you are building a store from scratch, Forgefont writes it in the language you choose, out of seven. Starter includes 1 language, Pro 2 and Premium 5, and extra languages start at $17, paid once. Configure your store to see the exact price with the languages you need.