Translating in the editor

One field or everything

Choose a foreign language at the top. Every field now has a translate button that carries the text over from the primary language. In the primary language, the globe button translates a field into every language at once; “Translate all” in the action bar translates the whole entry.

Both translate the saved text. If you changed something in the primary language and have not saved it yet — a field, an alt text or a metafield — they stay locked until you save; the hint on the button says so. Otherwise the later save would remove the translations they had just written.

Ctrl+click (Mac: Cmd+click) on a language button takes that language out of such runs — for example when you have it translated by hand.

What gets translated

Titles, descriptions, SEO texts, handles, alt texts, product options and their values, metafields, metaobject fields, menus, theme text and system text. Which additional product metafields are included is set under Settings → Metafields — including fields owned by other apps.

Saved means confirmed

A translation counts as saved only once Shopify echoes it back. If Shopify does not accept a translation, you see it on the affected field — instead of a success message about something that never arrived.

The same applies to clearing: a translation counts as removed only once Shopify confirms it; otherwise it stays visible, the field stays marked as changed so you can save again, and you are told. For product options and metafields, a language Shopify refused is named in the task, which then shows “completed with errors”.

“Clear All” in a foreign language also removes, on a product, the translations of its option names, option values and metafields in that language — with a market selected, only that market’s. On a collection or an article it also removes the translation of the featured image’s alt text (without a market selected).

While “Translate All” is still running for one language, you can switch to another language and keep working there or use “Clear All” — the result arrives later only in the language you started it for. “Clear All” in that same language is available again once its translation has finished; until then you see a short note. While “Translate All” runs for every language, this applies to every language. In the other direction, “Translate All” cannot be started while a save or clear you just sent for the same language (or the main language) is still on its way — you see a note and start it again a moment later; for “Translate All” into every language, this applies to any language. If you press Save in a language that is being translated, the save waits until the translation is done. AI and copy buttons that save at once are blocked during that time — in a foreign language only while a translation into exactly that language runs, in the main language during any translation of this item. You see a note; translating and copying then do not start at all. When you pick a category on a product, the product type is translated into the other languages automatically; if a translation or save of this item is still running, that is skipped and you see a note that you can do it later with the field’s translate button. An AI suggestion you accept, or an AI result that arrives just then, lands in the field as an unsaved change — you save it with the Save button after the translation.