Language Selector

Enable multi-language support for your store with the Avenue Luxe language selector.

Prerequisites

Shopify Plan Requirements

• Shopify Plus — Full translation features (recommended)
• Basic / Shopify / Advanced — With translation app (limited to 5 languages)

Required Apps (Non-Plus)

• Shopify Translate & Adapt (Free, recommended)
• Or third-party: Weglot, Langify, GTranslate

Shopify Admin Setup

Step 1: Configure Markets

1. Go to Settings > Markets
2. Click Add market or edit existing
3. Select target countries/regions
4. Save

Step 2: Enable Languages

1. In Settings > Markets, click on a market
2. Scroll to Languages section
3. Click Add language and select from the list
4. Save

Step 3: Install Translation App (If Needed)

Search for “Translate & Adapt” in Apps, add it, and start translating.

Theme Configuration

Enable Language Selector

1. Go to Online Store > Themes > Customize > Theme Settings
2. Scroll to Header section
3. Check Enable language selector
4. Choose display options:
   • Show country flags — Display emoji flags next to language names
   • Style — Dropdown (best for 3+ languages) or Inline (for 2-3 languages)

RTL Language Support

Automatic right-to-left support for Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, and Urdu. Text direction and layout adjust automatically.

Footer Localization

In the Footer section settings, configure:

• Display mode — Dropdown, Inline, or Modal
• Show country selector — Enable currency switching
• Show locale selector — Enable language switching

Adding Translations

Using Shopify Translate & Adapt

1. Go to Apps > Translate & Adapt
2. Select target language
3. Choose content to translate (products, collections, theme content, etc.)
4. Use Auto-translate for quick setup or translate manually
5. Review and publish

Translation Priorities

High Priority: Navigation, product titles/descriptions, checkout flow, contact forms

Medium Priority: Blog content, about pages, FAQ, footer links

Low Priority: Legal pages (may need professional translation)

Testing

Desktop

1. Locate language selector in header
2. Click to open dropdown
3. Select a different language
4. Verify page reloads with new language and translations are accurate

Mobile

1. Find language selector in header icons
2. Tap to open
3. Select language and confirm page translates
4. Test in portrait and landscape

RTL Languages

• Text flows right-to-left
• Layout mirrors correctly
• Navigation reverses
• Forms align right

Best Practices

Language Strategy

• Start with 2-3 key languages, expand based on demand
• Use professional translators for key content
• Review machine translations before publishing
• Update all languages simultaneously

User Experience

• Place selector prominently in header
• Show language names in their native form
• Remember language preference (automatic via cookies)
• Don’t auto-switch based on IP

SEO

• Hreflang tags are implemented automatically
• Translate meta titles and descriptions
• Use language-specific URLs
• Create separate sitemaps per language

Troubleshooting

Language selector not appearing: Check at least 2 languages are enabled in Markets, verify setting is enabled in Theme Settings > Header.

Translations not loading: Verify translations are published in Translate & Adapt, check locale file exists, clear CDN cache.

Flags not displaying: Check “Show country flags” is enabled, verify device supports emoji flags.

RTL not working: Verify language code is correct (ar, he, fa, ur), clear cache, test in incognito mode.

FAQ

How many languages can I add? Basic/Shopify/Advanced: Up to 5 per market. Shopify Plus: Up to 20.

Will this slow down my site? No. The selector is under 3KB and translations are lazy-loaded.

How do I handle different currencies? Use the localization form in the footer which combines language AND country/currency selection.

What about SEO? Shopify automatically adds hreflang tags. Translate meta titles, descriptions, and alt text for best results.