Auto translate for Notifications not working for the second language

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Topic summary

A user is experiencing an issue where Shopify’s auto-translate feature successfully translates store content to Spanish and Catalan, but notification emails remain in English.

Root Cause:
Shopify’s auto-translate function covers theme content and product descriptions but does not automatically translate notification templates (order confirmations, shipping updates, abandoned cart emails).

Solutions Provided:

  1. Manual Translation:

    • Navigate to Settings → Notifications in Shopify Admin
    • Select each notification template
    • Click “Edit Code” and manually translate content to Catalan
    • Save changes

  2. Third-Party Apps:

    • Use apps like Langify or Translate & Adapt to automate notification translations

The issue remains unresolved pending the user’s implementation of one of these solutions.

Summarized with AI on November 1. AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
1

I have run the auto-translate, but it doesn’t translate the notifications of the second language. I have English as shopify admin default, all the original data is imported in English, and then I ran auto-translate to Spanish and Catalan. All the other text is translated to Catalan, except for notifications.

2

Hi @gogamar

I’ve gone through your question carefully and totally get the issue you’re facing. You’ve set English as your Shopify admin default language, imported all original data in English, and then used the auto-translate feature for Spanish and Catalan. However, the problem is that notifications remain in English instead of translating into Catalan.

Why is this happening?

Shopify’s auto-translate function primarily works for theme content, product descriptions, and certain store text, but notifications (such as order confirmations, shipping updates, and abandoned cart emails) follow a different translation process. Shopify doesn’t auto-translate notification templates by default—you have to manually update them.

How to fix it?

You’ll need to manually edit the notification templates for Catalan in your Shopify settings. Here’s how:

  1. Go to Shopify Admin → Click Settings.
  2. Select Notifications.
  3. Click on the specific notification you want to edit (e.g., Order Confirmation, Abandoned Cart, etc.).
  4. Look for the “Edit Code” button and open it.
  5. Translate the content manually into Catalan. If needed, you can use a reliable translation tool to assist.
  6. Click Save after making changes.

Alternative: Use a Third-Party App

If you have many notifications and don’t want to translate them manually, you can use an app like Langify, or Translate & Adapt, which support translating notifications.

Let me know if you need more help. I’m happy to guide you through any step.

Best regards,
Daisy.