Managing Bulk English Language Adaptations for US and UK Markets

[Makeit]

We're facing a challenge with managing English adaptations for different markets (US and UK). Specifically, we need to adjust content in bulk to reflect differences like "color" vs. "colour," and other regional variations.

Shopify's native Translate & Adapt feature allows for "Adapting English for the United States," which works great for individual edits. However, we're struggling to find an efficient way to make these adaptations in bulk across my store.

Has anyone dealt with this issue before? Are there any tools, apps, or workflows you’d recommend for managing bulk updates to English content across different markets?

Would really appreciate any advice or tips. 

[DaisyVo · Accepted solution]

Hi @Makeit 

I totally get where you're coming from. Managing bulk language adaptations between US and UK English can be a real headache, especially when Shopify’s Translate & Adapt feature only supports manual changes. The good news is, there are some efficient ways to tackle this in bulk.

Solution: Using CSV Exports & Bulk Editing

One of the best ways to update text across your store is by exporting your product, collection, and page content via CSV, making the necessary changes, and re-uploading it.

1-Export Your Store Data:

• Go to Shopify Admin > Settings > Languages and ensure you’ve enabled English (UK) as a secondary market.
• Head to Settings > Export and download your Products CSV (or Pages, Collections, etc.).

2-Edit the CSV for Language Variations:

• Open the CSV in Google Sheets or Excel.
• Use Find and Replace to quickly swap out US English words for UK English.
• Ensure the "locale" column is updated correctly (e.g., en-GB for UK and en-US for US).

3-Re-upload the Edited CSV:

• Go back to Settings > Import and upload your modified CSV file.

Solution: Third-Party Apps for Bulk Translation

If you prefer an automated solution, apps like:

• Langify – Supports bulk language modifications with custom translations.
• ConveyThis – Offers AI-assisted translation with manual adaptation.

These tools allow you to bulk-edit translations between US and UK English without doing everything manually.

Solution: Shopify API for Developers

If you're comfortable with some coding, you can use Shopify's Translation API to automate language changes in bulk. Here’s a quick example of how you can retrieve and modify translations using Shopify’s API:

{

  "translations": [

    {

      "locale": "en-GB",

      "key": "color",

      "value": "colour"

    },

    {

      "locale": "en-GB",

      "key": "favorite",

      "value": "favourite"

    }

  ]

}

You can run this through a Shopify app or script to update all content automatically.

Final Thoughts

If you’re looking for a quick, no-code fix, the CSV method works best. For a more automated approach, consider third-party apps or a custom API solution if you have development resources.

Hope that helps! If you need extra help, just let me know asap.
Thanks,
Daisy.

[Makeit]

Thanks @DaisyVo !

I ended up going VERY old school and used to native Shopify import/export "tool"🤣. 

The only reasonable path for now: not even the most loud marketed translations apps (the main suspects on app store) can not handle this rather simple task. 

[JS312]

Hi,

I am trying to do the same thing and found this thread. We are based in the US and English is our default language. I want to localize English for UK and other countries with the CSV export method, but I can't figure out how to "ensure you’ve enabled English (UK) as a secondary market". See attached screenshot of my language settings page. If I try to add another language, English is not available in the drop down list of options. Am I missing something?

[Makeit]

Hello @JS312 

In Shopify, you can only have one core English language—you should not (and cannot) add a second English language.

If you're looking to create UK-specific content, the process is called “Adapting English for United Kingdom” within the Translate & Adapt app (see attached image for reference).

The import process for this can be a bit unintuitive at first, but here’s a step-by-step guide:

---

Step 1: Export a CSV file

Go to Settings > Languages > Export.

Since you can’t export the default language (which I assume is English in your case), you’ll need to export any other available language—it doesn't matter which one.
This step is just to get the correct content key identifiers (column B in the exported CSV).

---

Step 2: Prepare the CSV

• Clear all the values in the "Locale" column (column D), and replace them with en (for English).

• In the "Market" column (E), enter the exact name of your UK market (e.g., United Kingdom).

• Then, in the relevant content columns (like titles, descriptions, etc.), input your UK-adapted English (H)

Refer to the image I attached for how the final format should look. And as always, do a few  test-run imports first with just a few lines at a time to see it works as intended.

Good luck!

[JS312]

Got it, thanks! And just to clarify, the Market column should have the market name, not the market handle, correct?

[Makeit]

Yes, market name not handle.