A PRACTICAL IMPORT GUIDE

Keep the IDs.
Change the translation.

Shopify’s translation export already contains the keys needed to put text back in the right place. Preserve them throughout your workflow.

1. In Shopify, go to Settings → Languages → Export. Choose the target languages and export untranslated content where appropriate.
2. Keep the original file as a backup. Preserve Type, Identification, Field, Locale and Market. Treat identifiers as text; a spreadsheet may round long numbers.
3. Check the file. Duplicate keys need attention before translation. LocaleBatch’s pilot processes only product titles and search snippets. HTML descriptions remain unchanged.
4. Add exact protected terms for brand names and model numbers. The checker also looks for missing numbers and placeholders. It does not judge translation fluency.
5. Review each proposed translation. A blocked row remains unchanged in the import. Use the separate spreadsheet-safe review copy if you want to inspect results in spreadsheet software.
6. Import the reviewed CSV through Settings → Languages → Import. Decide whether to overwrite existing translations using Shopify’s import option, and check its import report. LocaleBatch keeps pre-existing translations unchanged.

When the free option is enough

Shopify Translate & Adapt offers automatic translation into two languages and supports manual editing. Use it first if those languages cover your needs. A separate batch workflow only makes sense when it saves work your existing setup does not already handle.

A field is not a product

A product title, SEO title and SEO description in three languages can occupy nine rows. Count the actual export fields when comparing prices. This pilot’s row limit is not a promise to translate 500 complete products.

Source

Workflow checked against Shopify’s localization and translation documentation and the Translate & Adapt listing on 18 September 2026. Shopify controls its import format and language capabilities.