Localization

About

Localization is the process of adapting your online store so it feels native to visitors from different countries and language backgrounds. This includes translating your storefront text into other languages, showing prices in local currencies, and adjusting the shopping experience based on a visitor's region.

Shopify has a built-in localization system that handles language and country/region switching. When a visitor picks a different language, Shopify serves translated versions of your theme text, product descriptions, and other content. When they choose a different country, Shopify can display prices in that country's currency (if you have enabled it in your Markets settings).

The Boardwalk theme takes full advantage of this system and ships with a set of components that make it easy for visitors to switch languages and regions. It also includes built-in translations for all of the theme's interface text — buttons, labels, form fields, navigation cues, and more — so your storefront looks polished from the moment you enable a new language.

How Localization Works in Shopify

Shopify's localization system is made up of two main parts: languages and markets (countries/regions). Understanding how these work together will help you set up your store correctly.

Languages

Every Shopify theme contains translation files — these are text files that hold all of the words and phrases used throughout the theme's interface. When you add a language to your store, Shopify looks for a matching translation file and uses it to display theme text in that language. This covers things like "Add to cart," "Search," "Sold out," and other labels that are part of the theme itself.

Your own content — such as product titles, descriptions, collection names, blog posts, and pages — needs to be translated separately. You can do this manually in the Shopify admin or by using a translation app from the Shopify App Store.

Markets (Countries and Regions)

Shopify Markets let you define which countries or regions your store sells to and how each one is configured. Each market can have its own currency, language options, pricing adjustments, and even a custom domain or subfolder. When a visitor selects a different country, Shopify updates the currency and available languages to match that market's settings.

For example, you might set up a market for France that shows prices in euros and defaults to French, alongside a market for Brazil that shows prices in Brazilian real and defaults to Portuguese.

Note: Languages and markets are configured in your Shopify admin, not in the theme editor. Go to Settings → Languages to add or remove languages, and Settings → Markets to configure your selling regions and currencies.

Built-In Translations

Boardwalk includes pre-written translations for all of the theme's user-facing text. This means buttons, labels, form placeholders, error messages, accessibility text, and navigation cues are already translated and ready to use the moment you enable a supported language in your Shopify admin.

The following languages are included out of the box:

Supported Languages

English (EN)

The default language. All theme text is authored in English and used as the base for all other translations.

French (FR)

Français

Italian (IT)

Italiano

German (DE)

Deutsch

Spanish (ES)

Español

Brazilian Portuguese (PT-BR)

Português (Brasil)

Japanese (JA)

日本語

Dutch (NL)

Nederlands

Swedish (SV)

Svenska

Danish (DA)

Dansk

Norwegian Bokmål (NB)

Norsk bokmål

Korean (KO)

한국어

Note: These translations cover theme interface text only — things like button labels, form fields, and system messages. Your own content (product titles, descriptions, blog posts, pages, etc.) must be translated separately in Settings → Languages or by using a translation app.

How to Set Up Localization

Follow these steps to enable multiple languages and countries on your store and display the localization controls in the Boardwalk theme.

1

Add Languages in Shopify Admin

In your Shopify admin, go to Settings → Languages. Click Add language, choose the language you want to offer, and click Add. Once added, the language will appear as "Unpublished" until you click Publish to make it live on your storefront.

Note: You must publish a language before it will appear as an option for your visitors. Unpublished languages are only visible to store admins.

2

Set Up Markets

Go to Settings → Markets in your Shopify admin. Here you can define which countries or regions your store sells to. Each market can have its own currency, languages, and pricing rules. Add or edit markets to match the regions you want to serve. Shopify creates a "Primary" market by default based on your store's home country.

3

Assign Languages to Markets

Inside each market's settings, you can choose which languages are available for that region. For example, you might assign both English and French to a Canadian market. Only languages that have been published in Settings → Languages can be assigned to markets.

4

Open the Theme Editor

In your Shopify admin, go to Online Store → Themes, find Boardwalk, and click Customize. Navigate to the page where you want to display the localization button (most commonly the header or footer).

5

Add a Localization Button Block

In the Theme Editor sidebar, click into the section where you want the localization control to appear (such as your header or footer). Click Add block and choose Localization Button. This adds a button that visitors can click to open the language and region selector.

6

Configure the Localization Button

Click on the Localization Button block to open its settings. Choose what information to show on the button — such as the country name, currency code, language, and icon style. You can also set the alignment of the button within its container.

7

Translate Your Content (Optional)

While Boardwalk's theme text is already translated for supported languages, your own store content needs to be translated separately. Go to Settings → Languages, click on a published language, and you'll see options to translate products, collections, pages, blog posts, and more. You can translate these manually or use a translation app.

Note: If you skip this step, visitors who switch languages will see the translated theme interface (buttons, labels, etc.) but your product names, descriptions, and other content will remain in the original language.

8

Save and Preview

Click Save in the Theme Editor. Visit your storefront and click the localization button to confirm that your languages and countries appear correctly. Try switching between options to verify that everything updates as expected.

Localization Button Block

The Localization Button is a block you can add to any section that supports blocks — most commonly your header or footer. It displays the visitor's current country and/or language selection and opens the localization drawer when clicked.

Localization Button Settings

Icon

Choose the icon displayed to the left of the button text. Options: None, Globe, or Flag. The globe shows a generic globe icon, while the flag shows the flag image of the currently selected country.

Show country name

Displays the full name of the visitor's currently selected country (e.g., "United States" or "France").

Show currency code

Displays the currency code of the selected country next to the country name (e.g., "USD" or "EUR"). When the country name is also visible, the currency code appears in parentheses.

Show language

Displays the name of the currently active language in its native form (e.g., "Français" instead of "French"). This option is automatically hidden if your store only has one published language.

Show arrow

Adds a small chevron arrow to the right side of the button, giving visitors a visual cue that clicking the button will open a panel.

Horizontal alignment

Controls the position of the button within its container. Options: Left, Center, or Right.

Note: The Localization Button automatically hides itself when your store has only one published language and one selling country. There is nothing for the visitor to change in that scenario, so the button is not displayed.

Localization Drawer

When a visitor clicks the Localization Button, a slide-out panel (called a "drawer") opens from the right side of the screen. This drawer is where visitors choose their preferred language and country/region.

Language Section

If your store has more than one published language, the drawer displays a list of available languages at the top. The currently active language is highlighted with a checkmark. Visitors can tap any language to select it. Languages are shown using their native name (for example, "Deutsch" instead of "German") so that visitors can easily identify their preferred language.

Country/Region Section

Below the language list, the drawer shows all available countries and regions. Each option displays the country's flag, name, and currency code. The currently selected country is highlighted with a checkmark.

When a visitor selects a different language, the country list automatically updates to show only the countries that support that language. Countries that don't offer the selected language are dimmed and cannot be selected. This prevents visitors from choosing an invalid combination of language and country.

Update Button

At the bottom of the drawer, an Update button confirms the visitor's selections. Clicking it submits the new language and country choice to Shopify, which reloads the page with the updated locale and currency. This means the visitor's choices are applied instantly without navigating to a different page first.

Built-In Features

The localization system in Boardwalk includes several features that work automatically once you've set up languages and markets in your Shopify admin.

Feature Overview

Smart country filtering

When a visitor selects a language in the drawer, the list of available countries automatically updates to show only countries that support that language. Countries that don't support the selected language are dimmed and cannot be chosen, preventing invalid combinations.

Automatic country reassignment

If a visitor switches to a language that their currently selected country doesn't support, the drawer automatically selects the first available country that does. This ensures the visitor always has a valid language and country combination.

Auto-hide when not needed

The Localization Button block automatically hides itself when your store has only one language and one selling country. No need to manually remove the block — it simply won't display until there's something for the visitor to change.

Country flags

Each country in the drawer displays its flag image alongside its name and currency code. This makes it easy for visitors to visually scan and find their country. The Localization Button can also be configured to show the currently selected country's flag instead of the globe icon.

Native language names

Languages in the drawer are always displayed using their native name (e.g., "Deutsch" for German, "日本語" for Japanese). This ensures visitors can identify their language even if they don't read the store's current language.

Currency display

Each country option in the drawer shows the associated currency code (e.g., USD, EUR, JPY). The Localization Button can also display the currency code, so visitors can see their active currency at a glance without opening the drawer.

Accessible navigation

The drawer and all of its controls are fully keyboard navigable and include proper screen reader labels. The drawer traps focus while open, uses correct ARIA roles, and supports closing with the Escape key or by clicking the backdrop.

Reduced motion support

For visitors who have enabled "reduce motion" in their device settings, all drawer animations and transitions are automatically disabled for a more comfortable experience.

Frequently Asked Questions

Languages must be published before they appear on your storefront. In your Shopify admin, go to Settings → Languages and check that the language shows as "Published" (not "Unpublished"). If it's still unpublished, click the language and then click Publish. Also make sure the language is assigned to at least one market in Settings → Markets.

No. Boardwalk's built-in translations only cover theme interface text — buttons, labels, form fields, navigation, and system messages. Your own content (product titles, descriptions, collection names, blog posts, and pages) needs to be translated separately. You can do this in Settings → Languages by clicking on the language and translating each piece of content, or by installing a translation app from the Shopify App Store.

Yes. You can add any language that Shopify supports. However, if it isn't one of Boardwalk's 12 built-in languages, the theme interface text (buttons, labels, etc.) will fall back to English for any phrases that haven't been translated. You can manually translate the remaining theme strings in Settings → Languages by editing the theme content section for that language.

The Localization Button automatically hides itself when your store has only one published language and one selling country. In that case, there's nothing for visitors to change, so the button isn't displayed. To make it appear, either publish a second language in Settings → Languages or add another country/region to your markets in Settings → Markets.

Countries are dimmed (greyed out) when they don't support the currently selected language. For example, if a visitor selects Japanese but a certain country isn't configured to offer Japanese in your Markets settings, that country will appear dimmed and can't be selected. To fix this, go to Settings → Markets, open the relevant market, and add the language to that market's configuration.

Yes, as long as you have configured the currencies for each market in Settings → Markets. When a visitor selects a different country, Shopify automatically converts and displays prices in that country's currency. You can also set specific fixed prices per market if you don't want to use automatic currency conversion.