Shopify Multi-Language: How to Make Your Online Store Multilingual?

Better. More informed. Consistent. Highly personalized. arguably the four pillars of eCommerce marketing & management, they set up the essence of your entire campaign.

However, theres one specific pointer in the list that can hinder your growth over different regions.   

Are you one of those Shopify vendors who aspires to cover vast geographies to sell their products/ services?

If yes, you must know how difficult things can get when you plan your expansion beyond one state/ region. Creating highly personalized content can be a huge deal if your store is not adaptive to multiple languages. 

Dont you think its time to lift language barriers from your Shopify store and welcome better reach?

We know that you are; lets have a look at what a multi-language store is from its core…    

Multi Language store – Basics

What is a Multi-Language Store? 

A Multi-language store allows its visitors to view the content of the site in their native language. One can translate the contents to the native language of the area, depending on the region where it is being used.

Confusing right? Let’s have a look at some examples of multi-language Shopify stores: 

• Metropolism Cart English and Spanish Shopify Store
• Suture.ch German and English Shopify Store
• Gourmet Mondial French and English Shopify Store
• Bilingual Coffee Demo Store Spanish and English Shopify Store
• Elucx English and French Shopify Store

Now that you have a better idea of a few Shopify-based multi-language stores, let’s look at the added advantages of owning one in the next section.

Benefits of Using Multi-Language Store in Shopify

Be honest, don’t you feel a bit secure when you have a store in one’s own language?  

Yes, there is just one of the benefits of using a multi-language store in Shopify.

When you run a multilingual Shopify store, you are at a better chance of increasing your market share in terms of customers, followed by increased popularity and brand recognition on a global scale. 

No, the benefits don’t end here when you use a multi-language Shopify store, you are at a higher chance of topping the charts of Google SEO over more than one language, improving the credibility of your brand, and ultimately offering improved revenue.

While these were some of the benefits in terms of revenue, you also have a higher chance of improving customer retention and decreasing cart abandonment rates.

Ways of Adding Multi-Language Options to Your Shopify store

There are no second thoughts that Shopify is an excellent platform in terms of providing business. However, the lack of support for multilingual storefronts counts as a drawback that cannot be dealt with efficiently. 

But, what if we told you that you no longer need to stick to one language at all times? Yes, its possible to add a multi-language option to your Shopify store with the suggested solutions:

1. Create Multiple stores – one store for one language

The idea to create multiple stores might be enticing, provided that you have a vast bandwidth at your disposal. Even after that, maintaining and managing various storefronts can be a mundane task and is the most resource-consuming solution in terms of bandwidth, time, and money. 

Further, even if you can manage the funds required to run multiple stores, update multiple website databases with new products, and run updates, working stock levels will only make things HARD. 

Your struggles don’t end there; when you open multiple storefronts, you will also have to translate your websites for every content and product that you offer over your Shopify store.

Considering all the hustle with no assured returns, it’s better to ignore the possibility of this solution. 

2. Using Shopify multilingual theme

Another common misconception that users come across while setting up their multi-language Shopify store is that all their problems will get sorted if they pick a theme that’s multilingual-ready. No, not even the presence of a language switcher does the work for you. 

While it might appear to be a good idea to use such themes at first, it won’t be fruitful in the long run. When you select one of those themes with a language switcher, you risk your Shopify store with limited functionality. Further, some of those themes only translate the text content and not the systems’ messages. 

Further, this specific solution also requires technical assistance as you’ll have to translate the standard text, HTML, and be very cautious while translating your store’s template language. 

The templating language, Liquid, offered by Shopify monitors your on-screen appearance; therefore, it limits your translations to text. You can’t do much with the Liquid filters, tags, or objects. 

Yes, you can use a multilingual theme, which looks simple but is technically tough to do. It might be an option for you if you have HTML expertise, then things might work for you.

3. Using Multilingual Shopify apps 

The easiest option in the list that ultimately translates your Shopify store’s contents is to install a multilingual app on your platform. It saves you from the troubles of opening multiple Shopify stores or from the efforts of using a multilingual theme either. 

Adding multiple languages to your store with the help of applications is simple; all you need to do is install hundreds of languages over your Shopify store in a matter of minutes. 

Moreover, some of these automation tools help in automatic translation and translate the system generated messages over your store (including email notifications and checkout).

Considering the flexibility offered, opting for software for your Shopify store counts as the best option.

Are you wondering what next? Which apps to select?

Relax, we have you covered for that with our curated list of the best Shopify Multi-language apps.

List of Best Shopify Multi-Language Apps

Suggested below is a curated list of the top 5 Shopify multi-language apps that make the job easier for you:

1. LangShop

Developed by DevIT, LangShop is a platform that allows easy translation over multiple languages. Interestingly, to use LangShop, vendors don’t need to have any coding skills. 

Further, this plugin also offers comprehensive support to cater to the needs of its international customers. Interestingly, LangShop is renowned for successful translation support for Chinese users.

Its multifunctionality and ease of use make LangShop the notable suggestion over the top of the list. 

Pros

• Supports auto-translation over Shopify stores.
• Allows users to use multiple currency switchers.
• Supports advanced formats of SEO features, similar to the multilingual sitemap.
• LangShop supports API for developers.
• Allows extended documentation over their website.

Cons

• The billing amount of $17.99 per month might prove to be a bit costly for small shop owners.
• Advanced membership package holders can only use the custom API interface available over LangShop.

2.Transcy

Transcy is an ideal localization solution that can help you provide a localized shopping experience to customers all over the world.

Transcy from FireApps is a top 1 Shopify translation app, and it’s a powerful tool for accelerating your e-commerce business’s growth and achieving cross-border selling.

It allows you to translate your whole store content multilingual in minutes, and manage all translations in one place. Transcy also converts 160+ local currencies, making payment processing simple and convenient for your customers.

Let’s take a look at some pros and cons of Transcy:

Pros

• Translate your whole Shopify store content website in unlimited words
• Use Google API & Shopify API to increase high-quality translations
• Edit content manually and manage them easily
• Navigate with UI/UX and easy to set-up
• Translate content from 3-rd apps such as Review Widget, Notifications, Free Shipping Bar, etc,…
• Auto-update content translations in real time whenever you are
• Translate meta tags, multilingual SEO optimization
• Convert and display over 160 local currencies
• Integrate with Shopify Payments on the Check-out page
• Auto-switch languages & currencies based on visitor’s location
• Customize a switcher to fit your store theme and make your store shine
• Dedicated customer support

Cons

• The Glossary translation feature hasn’t been published yet.

3. Multi Lingo

Another reliable translation tool for your Shopify store, Multi Lingo changes, allows translations over static content for an existing theme. Further, this specific plugin is also compatible with the Yandex translation engine, supporting automatic translations based on per-items. 

The ease of operations at Multi Lingo makes it a reliable option where you select a theme that needs to be translated, and you receive a multi-language copy for the given theme, allowing you to enter translations.

Let’s have a look at its Pros and Cons:

Pros

• Supports advanced SEO by allowing the users to keep their SEO-related content on their localized page.
• Allows automatic translations based on a per-item basis.
• Compatible with Yandex translation engine
• Responsive customer support

Cons

• Multi Lingo doesn’t support sub-domains

4. Multilingual Shop – GTranslate

Another reliable tool for successfully translating their Shopify stores, Multilingual shop – GTranslate is known for its flexibility to translate into a vast number of languages. 

A plugin integrated with Google Translate, a Multilingual shop, allows automatic translation. 

Further, this plugin also offers multiple membership levels to cater to different shop owners’ needs to varying scales of operations.

Pros

• Multilingual shop – GTranslate covers the basic need of shop owners with a free membership.
• The plugin supports URL translation.
• Allows a fifteen-day trial to let users experience the performance of the plugin.
• Offer advanced SEO support as a paid feature.

Cons

• It doesn’t permit the import/ export function
• The free version hinders usage 

5. Weglot Translate

Weglot Translate is another reliable plugin for translation over your Shopify store. This plugin allows users to access and add multiple languages to their store. 

It also helps with the automatic detection of the website’s content through different source codes and enables automated translations. 

Besides, this powerful plugin can also detect the preferred browser languages of the visitors and redirect them. Lastly, Weglot Translate also allows advanced SEO functions for your Shopify store.

Pros

• Allows easy redirection for customers, based on their preferred browser language.
• The editor tool present over this platform helps you translate your content simultaneously, inside your website design.
• It offers varying levels of membership to cater to businesses of every type.

Cons

• Weglot Translate does not provide sub-domain support.
• This plugin fails to provide users with an import/export function.
• The basic membership package is limited and doesn’t support unlimited language options.

6. Langify

One of the widely popular plugins used in Shopify stores, Langify allows a wide selection of integration options and theme support to its users. 

This plugin comes with a host load of features, ranging from translation suggestions to advanced analytics.  

The array of functionalities offered by Langify makes it a reliable suggestion of our list and a highly rated plugin over the Shopify app store. 

Listed below are its Pros and Cons.

Pros

• Automatic language detection and redirection.
• Easy import and export in various formats (CSV, XLIFF, PO/MO (gettext), and JSON).
• Image translation support.
• Allows easy integration over Cross-Sell, Recomatic Products, Gift Reggie, Searchanise, Store Pickup + Delivery, and Instant Search +.

Cons

• Langify limits the products’ translations, custom shipping/payment notifications, and notifications over the checkout page.
• Doesn’t help with auto-translation.
• It was billed at $17.50 per month which might be a bit costly for shop owners.

Now that we have covered the different software, you must be thinking of the possibilities. We understand the curiosity well; therefore, let’s have a look at a step-by-step guide to translate your Shopify store, say LangShop, for example.

Step by Step guide to Translate your Shopify store Multilingual

Step #1: Log in to your Shopify store admin account

To begin with the process of translating, you need to log in to your Shopify account, with the initials of the shop that needs a translation.

Step #2: Install this Shopify app LangShop: Translate $ Currency

Once you have successfully logged into your Shopify store, its time you move to the admin dashboard and further navigate the menu to reach Apps, followed by a click on Visit Shopify App store. 

Post the click, the page is directed to the app store over Shopify, from where you need to search for the LangShop: Translate $ Currency application and click on the Add app tab, followed by the installation process.

Step #3: You can add languages at the first step of the setup process

Post the installation of the LangShop application in your store, it’s time that you configure the settings for your multilingual store with the following:

LangShop supports over 241 languages that you can translate. All you need to do is select the additional wording you would prefer to showcase over your store. 

Note: As per the API policy over Shopify, vendors are limited to adding five languages to their online store. However, the Shopify Plus merchants are allowed to add up to 20 targeted languages.

Step #4: Select categories that you want to translate and click Next to launch auto-translation

Now that you are finally done with the categories that you want to translate, it’s time that you amend those changes over to your content. Select the desired types of objects.

Note: We recommend you translate all your categories as it allows your store to be market-ready. Moreover, you can always edit your content post its formation.

Step #5: When the multilingual content is ready, publish the language

Post the selection of the categories that need to be translated; it’s time you allow LangShop to work in the background on the server. 

Note: The app usually takes some time before it’s ready with the translation as it uses Google, Yahoo, Bing, and other integrations.

Step #6: you can now introduce your Shopify store to new foreign markets and increase sales

Now that your settings are finally applied, Volia, you are ready to hit the international markets and reap the benefits of improved sales and conversions for your brand.

Now that you have seen the process in detail, there might be doubts regarding the available languages or the steps to add some additional Shopify language to your store. 

Dont worry; such questions are common. Let’s have a look into the detailed process of adding languages to your Shopify store in the following section.

How can I add additional Shopify language to my store?

Are you wondering how to add two or more languages to your Shopify storefront? 

Guess we have the answer!

To begin with, you need to visit the installed Shopify app LangShop: Translate $ Currency. This is the application that allows you to add languages. Listed below is a step-by-step process; check it now:

1. Log in to your Shopify store admin account

Access the Shopify platform with the initials of your store. 

Note: Use the credentials of the store over which you want to change the translation settings.

2. Go to the Langshop app

Now that you are over your Shopify platform, head for the admin dashboard, and navigate to the Langshop app to begin the process of adding different languages to your Shopify store. 

3. Navigate to the Language section

Once the application is open, its time to go to LangShop admin => Settings => Languages, where LangShop provides you with a total of 241 languages. 

Note:  Shopify has limited the total language options to 5 for regular users and 20 for the Shopify Plus Merchant.

4. Select the desired language options

Once LangShop provides you with the list of languages, it’s time you select the languages by clicking on add language. Then you choose the categories that you want to translate and click Next to launch auto-translation.

5. Then you select categories that you want to translate and click Next to launch auto-translation

Once you decide to translate your Shopify store, you must change your target languages. To do the same, you have to delete or unpublish all the active target languages. You can do the same by simply clicking on it. 

You can find the Unpublish button in the upper right corner of your Shopify app.

6. When the multilingual content is ready, publish the language

Post the selection of the desired language translations, Langshop takes some time to process your content in the background. Once done, you are ready to expand your business across geographies.

Didn’t translating your Shopify store just got easier? 

Now that you have the option to translate your content as per region, you can efficiently strategize your campaigns. With Shopify translation being in your toolkit, the sky’s the only limit for your eCommerce store. 

Conclusion

You can come across some other method that would allow you to translate your Shopify store. However, it should be understood that an optimal solution can only be found via the trial and error method; what works for your store might not work for the other. 

And the fact is

There is no greater growth opportunity for eCommerce vendors than going international.

Thus, making use of your Shopify store translation to reach new latitudes with your eCommerce business is only a matter of time with the right Shopify app.