Platform UpdatesOctober 27, 20263 min read

Auto‑Sync Translations in Translate & Adapt: Up to 8 Languages Now Updated Weekly

Shopify’s Translate & Adapt now auto‑syncs new content for up to eight languages, keeping storefronts fresh without manual re‑translation. Learn who’s affected, how to enable it, and best practices for merchants and developers.

Phú TrịnhWritten byPhú Trịnh
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Auto‑Sync Translations in Translate & Adapt: Up to 8 Languages Now Updated Weekly
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Keeping product descriptions, policies and marketing copy consistent across languages is a perennial pain point for merchants expanding into the US and Canada. Shopify’s latest Translate & Adapt update eliminates the manual re‑translation loop by introducing Auto‑sync – a weekly, behind‑the‑scenes translation refresh that works for up to eight published languages.

What’s New in Translate & Adapt?

  • Auto‑sync toggle – Turn it on per language in the Translate & Adapt app. When enabled, Shopify scans newly published or edited content (product titles, descriptions, metafields, pages, etc.) and pushes fresh translations every week.
  • Eight language slots – The platform now supports eight automatically translated languages instead of the previous two. Each language you auto‑sync or manually translate counts toward the eight‑slot limit.
  • Rename of “Auto‑translate” button – The button is now called “Translate now” for on‑demand translations, while the weekly background process remains “Auto‑sync.”

    • Who Is Affected?

  • Merchants – Store owners in the United States and Canada who rely on Translate & Adapt to serve bilingual or multilingual shoppers will see their storefront content stay current without extra clicks.
  • Developers – Theme developers and app builders don’t need to change any code for the Auto‑sync itself, but they should be aware of the new locale handling and ensure custom content (e.g., sections, metafields) is marked translatable so the auto‑sync engine can pick it up.

    • How to Enable Auto‑Sync for a Language

  • Open Translate & Adapt from your Shopify admin.
  • Click the language you want to manage (e.g., French – Canada).
  • Toggle Auto‑sync on. The switch is off by default.
  • (Optional) Click Translate now if you need an immediate update instead of waiting for the weekly sync.
  • Repeat for each additional language, up to eight slots.

    • What About Your Existing Manual Translations?

    Shopify guarantees that any translation you entered manually—whether via the app UI, CSV import, or API—will never be overwritten by Auto‑sync. The engine only writes to fields that are empty or flagged as auto‑generated, preserving the integrity of your custom copy.

    Best Practices for Developers

  • Mark custom metafields as translatable. Add the translatable: true flag in your metafield definition so the auto‑sync service knows to include it.

    • {

    "namespace": "custom",

    "key": "product_features",

    "type": "json",

    "description": "Feature list for product pages",

    "translatable": true

    }

  • Avoid hard‑coding locale strings. Use Shopify’s {{ shop.locale }} or the request.locale object in Liquid so your theme automatically picks up the correct language variant when Auto‑sync updates the content.
  • Test the weekly sync. After enabling Auto‑sync, edit a product description, publish the change, then check the translated version after 24‑48 hours (Shopify may batch updates). This helps you verify that custom sections are being captured.

    • Conclusion & Next Steps

    The Auto‑sync enhancement removes the “out‑of‑date translation” risk for US/CA merchants and gives developers a predictable, hands‑off way to keep multilingual content fresh. Turn on Auto‑sync for the languages you serve, audit your custom metafields, and leverage the new eight‑language capacity to broaden your market reach. Need help configuring Translate & Adapt or troubleshooting a sync? Reach out to Shopify Support or drop a comment below—we’re here to help you go global, faster.

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