Languages & Translation

9 articles Manfred

By Manfred

9 articles Manfred

By Manfred

What are multi-language emails?

Smart Emails currently supports 33 interface and email-content languages. You design the emails once in a primary language. Every selected additional email language inherits the same visual design and receives its own translated content. One shop design set can contain up to 20 email languages in total, including the primary language. Primary vs secondary editor - Primary editor — full control over design (style, fonts, layout) and text. This is your main language. - Secondary editors — text editing only. Design controls are hidden. You see a blue banner: "Text editing only." What gets translated All text fields are translated automatically: - Intro text, closing text - Button labels - Footer text (legal, copyright, free text) - Section headings - Marketing section text (discounts, products, etc.) - Message banner text - FAQ questions and answers Smart Emails installs the translated email body for supported, translatable primary templates already present in Shopify. Shopify currently exposes 44 of the 52 Smart Emails templates for this automatic localized-body installation. Notification subject lines are managed separately and are not automatically translated by Smart Emails.

How do I add a language?

1. Open the Smart Emails app. 2. On the Home page, select Add Language. 3. Select one or more languages from the list. 4. Confirm the selection. Smart Emails creates a design set for each selected language, copies the primary design, translates supported text with Google Cloud Translation, enables and publishes the Shopify locale, and installs the translated email body for every primary template that is already installed. You do not export secondary languages manually. If a primary template has not yet been installed, there is no Shopify email resource for Smart Emails to translate. Install that primary template first, then use the translation-status prompt to synchronize the missing language. You can choose from all 33 supported languages. One shop design set can contain no more than 20 email languages in total, including the primary language. Important: Shopify notification subject lines are separate from the email body. Smart Emails currently installs the translated body_html; subject lines are not translated automatically.

How does auto-translation work?

Smart Emails uses Google Cloud Translation for supported text fields. The primary-language design is the source; each secondary language keeps its own translated text while inheriting the primary design. How it works 1. You edit text in the primary editor (e.g. change the intro text) 2. Smart Emails detects the text change 3. Google Cloud Translation translates the new text into all secondary languages 4. Locale-specific live text is synchronized to Shopify Metafields 5. When generated HTML has changed, Smart Emails refreshes the installed secondary body_html translation automatically Manual overrides If you manually edit a translated text in a secondary editor, Smart Emails keeps that locale-specific value instead of replacing it with primary-language text during design synchronization. Google translation applies to registered text properties, including nested FAQ questions and answers. Liquid variables, links, and structural HTML are protected while the visible text is translated. Current limitation: Notification subject lines are not part of this process. Smart Emails currently registers Shopify's body_html translation only.

How do I edit translations manually?

1. On the Home page, select a secondary-language design set. 2. Select Edit to open the secondary editor. 3. Select a section in the canvas to open its text fields. 4. Edit the text and wait until the saving indicator has finished. In the secondary editor, only text fields are visible. Design controls (colors, fonts, layout, images) are hidden because they are managed in the primary editor. Important: A manual value belongs to that secondary language. Review it after changing the corresponding primary-language text. Clear the field only when you intentionally want to restore the inherited or automatically translated value supported by that control.

Can I set different date formats per language?

Yes. The date format can be set separately for each language. 1. Open the secondary editor for a language 2. Click on the Order Number & Date section in the canvas 3. Choose the date format that matches the locale (e.g. "24.12.2025" for German, "12/24/2025" for US English) Available formats: 24.12.2025, 24/12/2025, 12/24/2025, 2025-12-24, December 24 2025, 24. December 2025

Available Languages

Smart Emails currently offers 33 languages. The same language set is available for the Smart Emails interface and email-template content. The interface can be switched to any available language. For outgoing email content, one shop design set can contain up to 20 languages in total, including its primary language. The 20-language shop limit does not reduce the 33 interface languages available in Smart Emails. Current language list - العربية - Български - 中文 - Hrvatski - Čeština - Dansk - Nederlands - English - Eesti - Suomi - Français - Deutsch - Ελληνικά - हिन्दी - Magyar - Bahasa Indonesia - Italiano - 日本語 - 한국어 - Latviešu - Lietuvių - Norsk Bokmål - Polski - Português - Română - Русский - Slovenčina - Slovenščina - Español - Svenska - ไทย - Türkçe - Tiếng Việt Adding a language Choose Add Language on the Smart Emails Home page. Google Cloud Translation creates the initial translated content, and Smart Emails installs the translated body for primary templates already installed in Shopify. There is no additional fee per available language on the paid plan. Add only the email languages the shop actually needs; unused interface languages are not installed as outgoing email languages. The available language list is expanded over time. This article and the application language registry are checked together by the Smart Emails localization audit.

How Does Shopify Choose a Customer's Email Language?

Shopify, not Smart Emails, chooses the locale used when a notification is sent. Smart Emails supplies the translated body_html that Shopify can select. What Shopify uses Depending on the notification and checkout flow, Shopify can use the customer's recorded locale or the language of the storefront and checkout where the customer completed the action. For Shopify to send the localized body: - the locale must be enabled and published in the shop - the relevant primary notification must be installed - a body_html translation must exist for that locale and notification When these conditions are met, Shopify chooses the matching localized body. If a matching translation is unavailable, Shopify can fall back to the shop's primary language. Changing the Smart Emails interface language The interface language switch changes the Smart Emails controls. It does not change a customer's Shopify locale and does not determine the language of an outgoing notification. Testing language selection Use a test customer or checkout with the desired storefront language and trigger the real Shopify notification. A Smart Emails preview email checks the design but does not reproduce every customer-locale decision made by Shopify. A customer can interact with the store in more than one language. Shopify's locale stored for the relevant event determines which installed translation it selects.

Are Email Subject Lines Translated?

Smart Emails currently translates and installs the notification email body. Shopify stores the subject line as a separate translatable field, and Smart Emails does not currently register subject-line translations. What is translated automatically Google Cloud Translation translates supported visible text collected from the Smart Emails primary editor. Smart Emails then generates and registers the localized Shopify body_html for every installed primary template. What is not translated automatically The Shopify notification subject line is not part of the generated Smart Emails HTML and is not currently included in the automatic installation process. If a localized subject is required, maintain it separately through Shopify's supported translation tools or notification-language controls. Test the real notification for each important language. Why the preview is not enough A Smart Emails test checks the generated body and design. A real Shopify notification is required to verify the final subject, event data, and customer-language selection together. This article describes the current implementation. It will be updated if automatic subject-line registration becomes available in Smart Emails.

Troubleshooting Missing or Outdated Translations

Use these checks when an email is missing a translation or Shopify sends the primary language unexpectedly. 1. Check the primary template Open Email Status and confirm that the primary template is installed. Smart Emails can only register a secondary body_html translation for a Shopify notification resource that already exists. 2. Check the language in Smart Emails The language must appear as a design set on the Home page. If it does not, choose Add Language and wait for installation to finish. 3. Check Shopify locale status The Shopify locale must be enabled and published. Smart Emails attempts this automatically when the language is added, but Shopify can reject a locale operation or a merchant can later change the language settings. 4. Run the offered synchronization When Smart Emails detects missing or outdated translations, it shows a synchronization notice. Keep the app open until the operation reports completion, then refresh Email Status. 5. Check whether the change was structural Text and supported locale-specific live settings can synchronize automatically. Adding, removing, or moving sections changes the HTML structure. Re-export the primary template first; secondary bodies can then be regenerated from the new structure. 6. Test the customer's actual Shopify locale The Smart Emails interface switch does not control outgoing customer emails. Trigger a real Shopify notification using a customer and storefront locale that match the language being tested. 7. Separate body and subject problems Smart Emails currently installs translated email bodies only. A primary-language subject with a translated body is therefore not evidence that the body installation failed. If the issue remains, contact support with the shop URL, template name, primary language, expected customer language, Email Status screenshot, and the received message.