How to Translate a Shopify Store Without Apps

By 9 min read

You want to translate your Shopify store, but the App Store search for “translation” returns page after page of subscriptions and an old forum thread tells you to duplicate your theme for every language. Neither has to be your path. Shopify now ships the plumbing for multilingual stores in the admin itself and for many small shops the built-in tools plus a bit of discipline are enough. This guide walks you through the options that work without third-party apps or theme copies, what each one costs you in time and where the limits are.

Why bother translating your Shopify store at all?

Because shoppers buy in the language they read. In CSA Research’s 2020 “Can’t Read, Won’t Buy” survey of 8,709 consumers in 29 countries, 76 % preferred product information in their own language and 40 % said they never buy from websites in other languages. The earlier 2014 edition had found that 75 % preferred to buy in their native language. One caveat worth knowing: these surveys describe people who already shop online, not the whole population. For a shop that ships abroad, though, that is exactly the audience you care about.

If you are still deciding whether a second language is worth it, our overview on how to translate your website in five steps covers the groundwork before you touch any settings.

Why duplicating your theme is the wrong move

For years, a common tip was to copy your theme, translate the copy and somehow route visitors to it. Some tutorials still recommend it, describing the duplicate as the simple way to add a new language. The catch shows up a week later: every product, banner and section edit now has to happen twice, by hand.

Merchants who mix old workarounds with the newer Markets setup report exactly that kind of drift. One shop owner described language versions that showed a different version of the store, missing most of the elements already added. Another, on Shopify Plus, ended up with theme JSON templates being duplicated on every save for a secondary market.

Shopify’s own model is different: one theme, one set of products and translations stored alongside the original content. That is what the rest of this guide builds on.

What you need before you start

Shopify lists a few requirements for selling in multiple languages:

  1. Your store is on the Basic plan or higher.
  2. Your active theme is compatible with multiple languages. All free Shopify themes are; for a paid third-party theme, ask its developer.
  3. Your theme has a language selector, usually a toggle in the header or footer section of the theme editor.
  4. Translations come from Shopify’s Translate & Adapt app, a compatible translation app or a direct import.

Translate & Adapt deserves a quick note, since this article promises “no apps”. It is Shopify’s own tool and, according to Shopify, it is installed automatically when you add a new language. You are not shopping for it, paying a third party or granting a new vendor access to your store. That is the line this guide draws.

Option 1: Shopify’s built-in languages and Translate & Adapt

This is the native route and for most small stores it is the first one to try.

Add and publish a language

In your admin, go to Settings, then Languages, add the language and publish it once the translations are ready. Shopify then gives every translated page its own address. If your domain is example.com and you publish French and German, your store URLs become example.com/fr and example.com/de. You can also use subdomains such as de.example.com or separate international domains through Shopify Markets.

That matters for search. Google recommends separate URLs for each language version instead of swapping the language on a single URL and it advises against redirecting visitors automatically based on their browser language. Shopify follows that model and, according to its help center, adds hreflang tags and includes published languages in your sitemap.

Translate the content

Translate & Adapt covers products, collections, blog posts, policies and pages. You can translate by hand, which also lets you swap images or wording for a specific market or let Shopify’s AI translation fill in a first draft. Once a language is published, checkout and email notifications switch to the customer’s language as well, which saves you from the classic mistake of a translated shop with an English checkout.

Know the limits

Automatic translation has historically been capped. In 2022 a Shopify staff member confirmed that automatic translations in Translate & Adapt are limited to two languages, with no paid upgrade. Merchants still described the same two-language limit in reviews from 2026, so check your own admin before planning a five-language launch around it. You can still add further languages and translate them manually.

A few other gaps come up regularly. Shopify’s help center notes that product, article and blog tags cannot be translated and Shopify staff have confirmed in the community that JSON metafields are not handled by Translate & Adapt. If your theme leans heavily on metafields for size charts or specs, test those pages first.

Option 2: Export, translate and import CSV files

If you work with a translator or you simply prefer a spreadsheet, Shopify lets you move translations in and out as CSV. The export and import buttons sit under Settings, then Languages, not inside Translate & Adapt and they only appear once you have added at least one language.

The workflow is straightforward:

  1. Export the languages you want. The file is emailed to you and you can filter it to untranslated or outdated content only.
  2. Fill in the Translated content column. Leave every other column as it is.
  3. Save the file with commas as the delimiter, not semicolons. Spreadsheet apps set to a German or French locale often default to semicolons.
  4. Import it under Settings, then Languages and decide whether to overwrite existing translations.

The pain point is identification. Rows reference Shopify’s internal IDs, so one merchant complained that the export only gives internal product IDs, which makes mapping to SKUs a headache. Within one store that is fine. Moving translations between stores needs a lookup on product handles first.

CSV works best as a batch tool: translate your catalog once, then use Translate & Adapt for small fixes. It is not great for a shop where products change daily, because every new product means another export round.

Option 3: Translate the theme’s own text

Product data is only half the store. Buttons like “Add to cart”, “Sold out” or “Free shipping over…” come from the theme, not from your products, so check them separately after you publish a language.

If you or your developer have hard-coded English text into custom sections, that text has no translatable source and stays English. Shopify’s developer documentation on supporting multiple languages in themes explains how theme strings should be set up so they can be translated. Fixing hard-coded strings once is far cheaper than discovering them in a customer’s screenshot later.

Option 4: One script tag instead of an app

There is a third way that is neither a Shopify app nor a theme copy: a translation script you paste into your theme’s layout file. It detects text on the live page, translates it and shows the visitor’s language. Because it works on whatever is rendered, it also catches text the native tools miss, such as metafield content, hard-coded theme strings or widgets from other apps.

This is how heylingo works: one script tag, AI translation backed by a translation memory so repeated phrases stay consistent, more than 30 languages and corrections you make inline on your live store. Pricing is a flat EUR 20 per 1,000,000 translated characters per month.

Be clear about the trade-off, whichever tool you pick. A script translates in the visitor’s browser, so ask the vendor how translated pages are exposed to search engines and whether each language gets its own URL. Remember Google’s guidance on separate URLs per language. For many stores the sensible mix is native Shopify languages for SEO-critical collection and product pages and a script where speed and coverage matter more.

Which option fits your store?

Here is how the four approaches compare on the points that usually decide it:

Approach Setup effort Ongoing effort Covers theme and metafield text Own URL per language
Duplicate theme High Very high, every edit twice Only what you copy by hand Depends on your workaround
Translate & Adapt Low Medium, manual beyond the auto-translation limit Translatable theme strings, not JSON metafields Yes
CSV import Medium High for changing catalogs Whatever the export contains Yes
Script tag Very low Low, corrections on the live page Yes, anything rendered Ask the vendor

The pattern is clear: duplicating themes loses on every line and the native tools win on SEO structure. CSV is a strong one-off tool for big catalogs. A script wins on coverage and upkeep, which is why many small teams combine it with Shopify’s languages rather than choosing just one.

Whatever you use, review the result like a customer would. Our list of common website translation mistakes is a good checklist for that final pass and if you are unsure how much to trust machine output, read manual vs. automatic translation.

FAQ

Can I translate a Shopify store for free?

Partly. Translate & Adapt is included with your plan and you can translate manually into the languages you add. Automatic translation has been limited to two languages according to Shopify staff, so larger language sets mean manual work, CSV imports or a paid tool.

Does Shopify translate the checkout?

Yes. Once you publish a language, Shopify switches checkout and email notifications to the customer’s language. You can edit and preview the email translations per language.

Will translated Shopify pages rank on Google?

Native Shopify languages get their own URLs under subfolders or subdomains, which is the structure Google recommends. Whether a page ranks still depends on the translation quality and on demand for your products in that market.

Do I need a different theme per language?

No. Use one theme with a language selector. Duplicate themes double your maintenance and tend to drift out of sync.

The short version

You can translate a Shopify store without apps and without cloning your theme. Start with Shopify’s built-in languages and Translate & Adapt, use CSV for big batches and clean up hard-coded theme text once. If you need more languages than the auto-translation limit allows or want to cover every string on the page with almost no upkeep, add a single translation script on top. Pick one language, launch it properly and expand from there.

Ready to add your next language with one line of code? See heylingo pricing.

Sources

JE

Written by

Jermaine builds and runs heylingo single-handedly from Germany and answers every support email personally.

More from the blog

Information pursuant to § 5 DDG (German Digital Services Act).

Jermaine J. Ernst
c/o Block Services
Stuttgarter Str. 106
70736 Fellbach
Germany

Email: info@heylingo.io
VAT ID: DE370296865

Responsible for content pursuant to § 18 (2) MStV: Jermaine J. Ernst, address as above.

Consumer dispute resolution

We are neither willing nor obliged to take part in dispute resolution proceedings before a consumer arbitration board.

Liability for content

As a service provider we are responsible for our own content on these pages under general law, pursuant to § 7 (1) DDG. Under §§ 8 to 10 DDG we are not obliged to monitor third-party information that is transmitted or stored, or to investigate circumstances that indicate illegal activity. Obligations to remove or block the use of information under general law remain unaffected. Liability in this respect is only possible from the moment we become aware of a specific infringement. As soon as we learn of such an infringement, we will remove the content immediately.

This website links to external websites of third parties whose content we cannot influence, so we cannot accept any liability for that content. The respective provider or operator of a linked page is always responsible for its content. The linked pages were checked for possible legal violations when the link was set, and no illegal content was apparent at that time. Permanent monitoring of linked pages is not reasonable without concrete indications of an infringement. If we become aware of an infringement, we will remove the link immediately.

The content and works created by the site operator on these pages are subject to German copyright law. Reproduction, editing, distribution and any kind of use beyond the limits of copyright law require the written consent of the respective author or creator. Where content on this site was not created by the operator, the copyrights of third parties are respected and such content is marked as such. If you nevertheless become aware of a copyright infringement, please let us know. As soon as we learn of an infringement, we will remove the content immediately.

Last updated 10 October 2026

Privacy policy

This privacy policy explains which personal data we process when you visit heylingo.io, contact us or buy heylingo. It also explains how data is handled when one of our customers uses the heylingo translation service on their own website.

Controller

The controller within the meaning of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is:

Jermaine J. Ernst
c/o Block Services
Stuttgarter Str. 106
70736 Fellbach
Germany

Email: info@heylingo.io

Please use this address for any question about data protection and to exercise your rights.

Overview

heylingo.io is a static website. When you browse it:

Personal data is processed only in the cases described below: delivery of the website by our host, images in blog posts, YouTube videos you choose to play, contact by email and the purchase of heylingo through Stripe. A separate section covers the heylingo translation service.

Hosting and server logs

heylingo.io is hosted by Cloudflare, Inc., 101 Townsend St., San Francisco, CA 94107, USA. Each time you open a page, Cloudflare processes the following server log data:

Cloudflare uses this data to deliver the website to you and to protect it from attacks and misuse. We do not use it to identify you or to create user profiles.

The legal basis is Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. Our legitimate interest is the secure and reliable delivery of our website.

Cloudflare may process data outside the European Union, including in the USA. Cloudflare, Inc. is certified under the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework, so transfers to it are based on the adequacy decision of the European Commission (Art. 45 GDPR). Where the Data Privacy Framework does not apply, transfers are based on the EU standard contractual clauses (Art. 46(2)(c) GDPR).

More information: Cloudflare privacy policy.

Blog images and videos

Images

Images in our blog posts are loaded from assets.seobotai.com, an external image host. When you open a blog post, your browser requests these images directly from that host. The host thereby receives your IP address and the technical information that is part of every request, such as the requested file, the address of our website and your browser’s user agent.

The host needs your IP address to deliver the images. We have no influence on how the host processes this data.

The legal basis is Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. Our legitimate interest is showing images in our blog posts.

YouTube videos

Some blog posts contain YouTube videos. They are not loaded when you open the page. No data is sent to YouTube until you click “play”. Only then is the video loaded from youtube-nocookie.com.

YouTube is operated by Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland. Once the video is loaded, Google receives at least your IP address and the address of the page. Google may also store information on your device or read it from your device, for example cookies, and may process data about how you use the video. Google may process data in the USA; Google LLC is certified under the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework.

The legal basis is your consent, which you give by clicking “play” (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR and, for storing and reading information on your device, § 25(1) of the German Telecommunications and Digital Services Data Protection Act, TDDDG).

Your consent applies only to the video you start. You can withdraw it at any time with effect for the future: do not start any further videos and close or reload the page. You can delete cookies set by Google in your browser settings.

More information: Google privacy policy.

Contact by email

If you email us, we process your email address, your message and any other information you provide, such as your name or company. We use this data only to answer your request.

If your request relates to a contract with us or to concluding one, the legal basis is Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR. Otherwise the legal basis is Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR; our legitimate interest is answering requests sent to us.

We delete the data once your request has been fully dealt with, unless statutory retention obligations apply (see “Retention”).

Purchasing heylingo via Stripe

You sign up for heylingo through Stripe Checkout, which you reach via a payment link on heylingo.io. Invoices, your payment method and cancellation are managed in the Stripe Customer Portal. There is no user account on heylingo.io.

The payment provider is Stripe Payments Europe, Ltd., 1 Grand Canal Street Lower, Grand Canal Dock, Dublin, D02 H210, Ireland. Stripe processes the data you enter during checkout and in the customer portal. This includes your name, email address, billing address, company name and VAT ID if you provide them, your payment details, and transaction and invoice data.

You enter your payment details directly with Stripe. We do not receive your full card or account details.

We receive from Stripe the data we need to manage your subscription and bill your usage, such as your name, email address, billing details and payment status. To bill you, we report your usage (the number of translated characters) to Stripe.

The legal basis is Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR, because the processing is necessary to conclude and perform the contract. We keep invoices and accounting records to meet our retention obligations under German commercial and tax law. The legal basis for this is Art. 6(1)(c) GDPR.

Stripe also processes some data under its own responsibility, for example to prevent fraud and to meet its legal obligations as a payment provider. Stripe may transfer data to Stripe, Inc. in the USA, which is certified under the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework.

More information: Stripe privacy policy.

The heylingo translation service

This section is for our customers and for visitors to websites that use heylingo.

Our role

heylingo makes a customer’s website multilingual. When a customer uses heylingo, we process the content of the customer’s website on the customer’s behalf. For any personal data of visitors to that website, the customer is the controller and we act as a processor (Art. 28 GDPR).

If you visit a website that uses heylingo, please read that website’s privacy policy and send requests about your data to its operator.

Customers can request a data processing agreement under Art. 28 GDPR at info@heylingo.io.

In the visitor’s browser

The customer adds the heylingo script to their website. The script shows a language switcher and picks the visitor’s preferred language. It stores the chosen language in the visitor’s browser (localStorage) so the website appears in that language on later visits. The script sets no cookies.

The entry stays in the browser until the visitor deletes it. Storing it is limited to what is strictly necessary for the language function the visitor uses (§ 25(2) no. 2 TDDDG).

Translation

To translate a page, the script sends the page’s text to our translation service. Because the visitor’s browser connects to the service, the service also receives the visitor’s IP address and the technical information that is part of every request.

Page text usually contains no personal data. If a page does contain personal data, for example names on a team page or text shown only to a logged-in user, this text is sent to us as well. The customer decides on which pages the script runs.

Text that is translated for the first time is translated by AI. For this we use a large language model of Anthropic PBC, USA, through its API, as a sub-processor. Transfers to Anthropic are based on the EU standard contractual clauses (Art. 46(2)(c) GDPR).

Each translation is stored in a translation memory for that website. Later visitors receive the stored translation, so the same text is not sent to the AI provider again.

The translation service and the translation memories run on servers of netcup GmbH in Germany.

Inline editing

Customers can correct translations directly on their live website. This edit mode can only be used by the site owner. Corrected sentences are stored in the translation memory and are never re-translated.

Deletion

When a customer cancels, the script stops translating and the website shows its original language. The website’s translation memory, including manual corrections, is deleted 30 days after the cancellation takes effect.

Retention

We keep personal data only as long as it is needed for the purpose it was collected for, unless a statutory retention obligation applies. While such an obligation applies, we use the data only for that purpose.

Your rights

You have the following rights regarding your personal data:

To exercise your rights, email info@heylingo.io. If your request concerns a website that uses heylingo, please contact the operator of that website first, as it is the controller. We support our customers in answering such requests.

Right to object

Where we process your data on the basis of Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR, you can object to the processing at any time on grounds relating to your particular situation (Art. 21 GDPR). We will then stop processing your data, unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds that override your interests, rights and freedoms, or the processing serves to establish, exercise or defend legal claims.

Right to lodge a complaint

You can lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority (Art. 77 GDPR), in particular in the EU member state of your habitual residence, your place of work or the place of the alleged infringement. The authority responsible for us is Der Landesbeauftragte für den Datenschutz und die Informationsfreiheit Baden-Württemberg (the State Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information of Baden-Württemberg).

No automated decision-making

We do not use automated decision-making, including profiling, within the meaning of Art. 22 GDPR. The AI used by heylingo translates text; it does not make decisions about people.

Changes to this policy

We update this policy when our services or the legal requirements change. The current version is always available on heylingo.io. The date of the last update is shown at the end of this policy.

Last updated 10 October 2026

Terms of service

These terms of service govern the use of heylingo, a service that makes websites multilingual. heylingo is offered to businesses only.

1. Scope and parties

These terms apply to all contracts for the use of heylingo between Jermaine J. Ernst, c/o Block Services, Stuttgarter Str. 106, 70736 Fellbach, Germany, email info@heylingo.io (“we”, “us”) and our customers (“you”).

heylingo is offered exclusively to entrepreneurs (Unternehmer) within the meaning of § 14 BGB. These are natural or legal persons or partnerships with legal capacity who conclude the contract in the exercise of their commercial or independent professional activity. Consumers are not our target group. By concluding a contract, you confirm that you are acting as an entrepreneur.

Your own terms and conditions do not apply, even if we do not expressly object to them, unless we have agreed to them in text form.

2. The service

heylingo makes your website multilingual. You add one script tag to your website. The script shows a language switcher, selects the visitor’s preferred language, stores the chosen language in the visitor’s browser, sends the page’s text to our translation service and replaces it with the translation.

Text that has not been translated before is translated by AI (a large language model) and stored in a translation memory for your website. Later page views receive the stored translation.

All languages supported by heylingo are included. The currently supported languages are listed on heylingo.io.

You can correct translations directly on your live website, in an edit mode that only you as the site owner can use. Sentences you have edited manually are never re-translated.

There is no user account or dashboard on heylingo.io. Invoices, your payment method and cancellation are managed in the Stripe Customer Portal.

For the term of the contract, you receive a non-exclusive, non-transferable right to use the heylingo script on your website. All other rights to heylingo remain with us.

We may use subcontractors to provide the service, in particular for hosting and AI translation. We may develop heylingo further and change its features, provided the core function described in this section is preserved and the change is reasonable for you.

3. Conclusion of the contract

The description of heylingo on heylingo.io is not a binding offer.

You sign up through Stripe Checkout, which you reach via the payment link on heylingo.io. By completing the checkout, you make a binding offer to conclude the contract. We accept it by activating your subscription, which normally happens immediately after checkout.

The contract language is English. These terms can be viewed, saved and printed on heylingo.io at any time.

4. Prices and billing

heylingo has one pricing model: pay per use. The price is a monthly price per one million translated characters, as listed on heylingo.io (currently EUR 20 per 1,000,000 characters per month). It includes all supported languages.

The characters counted for a month are the characters of the translated text that heylingo keeps for your website in its translation memory, across all target languages. Page views and the number of visitors do not affect the price.

Billing runs through Stripe as a metered subscription. Your usage is billed monthly in arrears and charged to the payment method you stored with Stripe. Invoices are available in the Stripe Customer Portal.

All prices are net prices. VAT is added where applicable.

We announce price increases by email at least 30 days before they take effect. A new price applies from the first billing month after it takes effect. As you can cancel at any time, you can avoid a price increase by cancelling before it takes effect.

If a payment fails, we may suspend the service after notifying you until the outstanding amount has been paid. During a suspension, your website shows its original language.

5. Your obligations

You must hold all rights needed to have the content of your website translated, stored and displayed, including in translated form.

You grant us a non-exclusive right to process, translate, store and deliver your content and its translations, to the extent necessary to provide heylingo. This includes the right to have our subcontractors do so. The right is limited to the term of the contract and the deletion period in section 8.

You must not use heylingo for unlawful content, in particular content that infringes the rights of third parties or violates criminal law.

You are responsible for integrating the script correctly, as described by us, and only on websites that you operate or are authorised to operate.

You must not misuse heylingo. In particular, you must not:

If a third party asserts claims against us because of content on your website or because you breached these terms, you indemnify us against these claims, including the reasonable costs of legal defence. This does not apply if you are not responsible for the breach.

6. AI translations

Translations are produced automatically by AI. We do not review them before they are shown on your website.

Machine translations may contain errors, omissions or wording that does not fit the context. We provide machine translation, not a reviewed or certified translation.

You should review translations, especially where errors can have legal or financial consequences, such as legal texts, prices, product information and safety notices. You can correct any translation in the edit mode on your website.

You are responsible for all content published on your website, including its translations.

7. Availability

We aim to keep heylingo available and working, but we do not guarantee a specific availability or uptime. Interruptions can occur, for example due to maintenance, updates or disruptions at our subcontractors.

If heylingo is unavailable, your website shows its original language. As you pay only for translated characters, no charges arise for text that is not translated.

8. Term and cancellation

The contract starts when it is concluded and runs for an indefinite period.

You can cancel at any time in the Stripe Customer Portal or by email to info@heylingo.io. Usage up to the effective date of cancellation is billed.

We can cancel the contract with 30 days’ notice by email.

The right of both parties to terminate for good cause without notice remains unaffected. Good cause for us exists in particular if you are in default of payment despite a reminder, use heylingo for unlawful content or seriously breach your obligations under section 5. In these cases, we may instead suspend the service for your website.

After the contract ends, the script stops translating and your website shows its original language. We delete your website’s translation memory, including manual corrections, 30 days after the contract ends. We recommend removing the script tag from your website.

9. Data protection

We process personal data in accordance with the GDPR and our privacy policy.

When you use heylingo, we process the content of your website on your behalf. For any personal data of visitors to your website, you are the controller and we act as your processor. A data processing agreement under Art. 28 GDPR is available on request at info@heylingo.io.

You are responsible for meeting your own data protection obligations towards the visitors of your website, in particular for informing them about the use of heylingo in your privacy policy.

10. Liability

We are liable without limitation for intent and gross negligence, for injury to life, body or health, where we have given a guarantee, and under the German Product Liability Act (Produkthaftungsgesetz).

For slight negligence, we are liable only for breach of an essential contractual obligation. This is an obligation whose fulfilment makes the proper performance of the contract possible in the first place and on whose fulfilment you may regularly rely. In that case, our liability is limited to the damage that is typical for this type of contract and foreseeable when the contract was concluded.

Otherwise, liability for slight negligence is excluded. Strict liability for defects that already existed when the contract was concluded (§ 536a(1) BGB) is also excluded.

These limitations also apply in favour of our vicarious agents and subcontractors.

11. Changes to these terms

We may change these terms for a valid reason, in particular because of changes in the law or case law, or changes to heylingo. We will notify you of changes by email at least 30 days before they take effect.

You can object to the changes within this period. If you do not object, the changed terms are deemed accepted. We will point this out specifically in our notice. If you object, the contract continues on the previous terms, and we may cancel it in accordance with section 8.

This procedure does not apply to changes to the main obligations of either party. Price changes are governed by section 4, changes to the service by section 2.

12. Final provisions

German law applies, excluding the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG).

If you are a merchant (Kaufmann), a legal entity under public law or a special fund under public law, or if you have no general place of jurisdiction in Germany, the exclusive place of jurisdiction for all disputes arising from this contract is the competent court for Fellbach, Germany. We may also bring an action at your general place of jurisdiction.

If any provision of these terms is or becomes invalid, the remaining provisions remain valid. The invalid provision is replaced by the statutory provisions.

Last updated 10 October 2026