Shopify Translation Apps for a Bilingual Store: Free or Paid?
Shopify translation apps for a bilingual store: Translate & Adapt vs paid apps, URL structure and hreflang, currencies, and what to translate first.
Author: Mousa Alhelo · Published · 6 min read
Translating a Shopify store into Arabic and English does not require two stores: Shopify supports multiple languages within one store through Markets, a translation app adds the text, and each language appears on its own path with the same products, inventory and orders. The real question is not “should I translate?” but “with which tool, which URL structure, and what do I translate first?”. This guide compares the free Translate & Adapt with paid apps, explains hreflang and currencies, and gives a realistic work order for a Gulf store whose customers switch between the two languages.
How languages work in Shopify
Three layers work together:
- Shopify Markets: define the markets (for example Saudi Arabia, UAE, international) and the languages and currencies for each.
- Published languages: add a language in store settings and publish it, which automatically gives you a path such as
/enor/ar. - The translation app: fills in translated text (products, collections, theme, policies, emails) and stores it in Shopify itself through the Translations API.
The important point: translations are stored in Shopify, not in the app, so if you change apps later the translations remain. The theme must support RTL for the Arabic version, which is the subject of our Shopify Arabic RTL theme guide.
Translate & Adapt versus paid apps
| Criterion | Translate & Adapt (free, by Shopify) | Paid apps |
|---|---|---|
| Manual translation | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Machine translation | For a limited number of languages (see Shopify’s documentation for the current number) | For more languages with multiple translation engines |
| Managing thousands of products | Possible but manual | Review workflows, bulk translation, exceptions |
| Translating other apps’ content | Limited | Some translate third-party app text |
| Language and currency switcher | Through the theme or Shopify’s Geolocation app | Custom switchers |
| Speed impact | None; text is served by Shopify directly | Depends on the app; avoid anything that translates the page after load |
| Cost | Free | Monthly subscription |
Our recommendation: start with Translate & Adapt. Most Arabic-English stores we build run well on it. Move to a paid app when you have thousands of products changing constantly, need more than two languages for international selling, or want a review workflow for a team. In all cases, avoid apps that “translate the page in the browser” after it loads, because they cause a flash, hurt speed and index poorly.
URL structure and hreflang: the decision that is hard to reverse
Shopify offers three structures for the second language: a subfolder (store.com/en), a subdomain (en.store.com) or a separate domain. The subfolder is the simplest and strongest for SEO for most stores, because it keeps domain authority in one place.
The key decision: which language sits on the root? Make it the language your audience searches in most. In Saudi Arabia that is usually Arabic on the root; in the UAE it may be English depending on the customer segment. Changing this later means redirects and ranking fluctuations.
Hreflang tags tell Google that /en/products/x is the English version of /products/x, and Shopify generates them automatically for published languages. Your job is to make sure every page is actually translated, because a half-translated page confuses Google and the customer alike. Details in the Shopify SEO complete guide.
Currencies: do not confuse them with language
Language and currency are separate decisions in Markets. A UAE store may show English in dirhams to a customer in Dubai and Arabic in riyals to a customer in Riyadh. The common mistake is tying language to currency automatically, so a Saudi customer who prefers English sees prices in dirhams. Set the currency by market (country) and the language by the customer’s choice. If you sell beyond the region, the topic widens in selling internationally from a Gulf store.
What to translate first: a realistic order
A catalog of thousands of products is not translated in a day. The order that delivers the most impact first:
| Priority | What to translate | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Navigation, header, footer, theme strings | Seen by every visitor on every page |
| 2 | Checkout, email and notification templates | An error here stops the purchase |
| 3 | Policy pages (shipping, returns, privacy) | Trust and legal compliance |
| 4 | Collection names and descriptions | Appear in search and navigation |
| 5 | Product titles and SEO fields | What Google and the ads see |
| 6 | Long product descriptions | Last because they are the largest; start with best sellers |
Tip: translate the top 20% of products that make 80% of sales manually and to a high standard, and leave machine translation with a quick review for the rest.
The Gulf Arabic-English mix: practical rules
A Gulf customer types “عطر Dior Sauvage”, reads sizes in English and prefers the description in Arabic. Therefore:
- Brand and model names stay in English in the Arabic version (Anker, iPhone, Lattafa); do not transliterate them.
- Sizes and volumes in one format in both languages (100 ml) to keep search consistent.
- Translate the benefit, not the words: “long-lasting” becomes the natural Arabic phrase for lasting performance, not a literal rendering.
- Western digits in Arabic text (100, not ١٠٠) to unify search and filters.
- The Arabic product title carries the term the customer actually searches, which is often mixed: “عطر Asad من Lattafa للرجال 100 مل”.
The wider guide to these decisions is the bilingual Arabic-English online store guide.
Common store translation mistakes
- Machine-translating the entire catalog with no review, producing odd descriptions that drive customers away.
- Forgetting to translate app text (reviews, the WhatsApp button, the countdown timer), so English appears inside the Arabic page.
- A language switcher hidden in the footer; put it in the header.
- Forced geolocation redirects that stop the customer choosing their language.
- An Arabic version on a theme without RTL support, so icons and tables flip incorrectly.
From our experience
We have built Arabic and English stores for different brands: Cliqat with more than 15,000 products launched bilingual in 60 days, Fragrance Hub on a customised Kalles theme in Arabic and English, and Noor Alhuda in English and Arabic priced in US dollars for the USA, Canada and Australia. The shared lesson: the primary language and URL structure are decided before the first product is uploaded, and translation is done in order, not all at once. This is part of our Shopify store development service.
Conclusion
Translating a Shopify store into Arabic and English starts with two decisions: the primary language on the root, and a subfolder for the second language with automatic hreflang. Then a tool: Translate & Adapt to begin, a paid app at thousands of products. Then an order: navigation, checkout, policies and collections before product descriptions. And keep brand names in English while translating the benefit. If you would like us to review your store’s language structure or build a bilingual store for you, send us your store link on WhatsApp.
Want this applied to your store?
E-SAFQA builds and runs Shopify stores and their ads. Message us on WhatsApp for a free audit.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need two stores for an Arabic and English version on Shopify?
No. Shopify supports several languages in the same store through Markets; content is translated with a translation app, and each language appears on its own path such as /en with the same products, orders and inventory.
Is Translate & Adapt enough?
For a store with dozens or hundreds of products, usually yes: unlimited manual translation plus machine translation for a limited number of languages. Stores with thousands of products, or that need high-quality machine translation and a review workflow, usually move to a paid app.
Which language should be the primary one: Arabic or English?
The language most of your customers search in. In Saudi Arabia that is usually Arabic on the root and English on /en. In the UAE it may be the reverse depending on the audience. The decision affects SEO and is hard to change later.
Does translation affect my Google rankings?
Positively if done properly: each language gets its own URLs, hreflang tags and translated titles and descriptions. Negatively if pages are machine-translated without review or half the pages are left in one language.