Translate & Adapt / New App Feature

"Auto-sync" Comes to Translate & Adapt
No more re-translating every time you edit a product description

For merchants in 12 European countries. Turn on Auto-sync for each published language, and Shopify automatically translates new and updated content every week. The number of languages Shopify can translate for you also increases from 2 to 8.

On this page
  1. What's changing (30-second overview)
  2. How it works: from content update to published translation
  3. Eligible countries (12)
  4. Before vs. now
  5. How the "8 language slots" are counted
  6. Setup (3 steps)
  7. 5 key points for developers
  8. 3 practical use cases
  9. One-line summary for proposals

1What's changing

Previously, every time you edited store content such as product descriptions,you had to go back to the app and re-translate it yourself.
Now, if you turn on Auto-sync for each language, new and updated content is automatically translated by Shopify every week.

① Auto-sync added

Can be turned on for any published language. New and updated content is translated automatically every week.

2 8

② Languages: 2 → 8

The limit on languages Shopify translates for you has been raised from 2 to 8.

NOW

③ Button renamed

The "Auto-translate" button has been renamed to "Translate now". Use it when you want to translate immediately instead of waiting for the next sync.

The problem being solved : Because re-translation was manual, translated storefronts fell behind the original, and buyers ended up seeingoutdated contentin their own language.

2How it works: from content update to published translation

Merchant Product descriptions, etc. Created or updated Just edit the original Auto-sync Every week, new and updated content is auto-translated On/off per language Overwrite check Manually written translations → Not overwritten All other new and updated content → Auto-translated Translated storefront Buyers in each language see the latest content in their own language Prevents stale translations Need it live right away? Use "Translate now"
The sync frequency is described only as "each week."There are no details on which day or time it runs, or exactly which content types are covered. For urgent updates (like sale announcements), it's safest to plan on using Translate now for immediate translation.

3Eligible countries (12)

The article lists merchants in the following countries as "EU merchants."

Austria
Belgium
Denmark
France
Germany
Ireland
Italy
Netherlands
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
United Kingdom
The list also includes Switzerland and the UK (orange).There is no information on availability for merchants in other countries, such as Japan. Eligible plans and pricing are not mentioned either.

4Before vs. now

ItemBeforeAfter this update
When you update the source text Manual Go back to the app and retranslate yourself Automatic With Auto-sync ON, translations run automatically every week
Languages Shopify can translate 2 languages 8 languages
Instant translation button Auto-translate Translate now(renamed)
Manually written translations Not overwritten Stillnot overwritten
Default state — OFF Turn on per language yourself

5How the "8 language slots" are counted

Using Auto-sync, Translate now, or both for a language uses 1 slot Language A Auto-sync = 1 slot Language B Translate now = 1 slot Language C Uses both = 1 slot (not 2) Languages D–H Same way 1 slot each Manual translation only Shopify translation Unused Slot limit 8 / 8 * Not stated whether languages with only manual translations use a slot

6Setup steps (3 steps)

1
Text A

Open Translate & Adapt

Launch the app from the admin.

2

Choose a language

Choose which of your published languages to auto-sync.

3

Turn the Auto-sync toggle ON

From then on, new and updated content is translated automatically every week.

Off by default. You can switch it on or off per language at any time, so you can try it with one language first and then expand.

75 key points for developers

1. Sync runs as a weekly batch

Syncing happens weekly, not in real time. Plan for a lag of up to about a week between a source update and the updated translation. For updates that need to go out right away, also use Translate now.

2. Manual translations are protected

Translations you write by hand are never overwritten. If you finalize copy that a person is responsible for, such as taglines or legal text, as manual translations, machine translations won't replace them.

8 slots

3. Slots are used per language

Each language that uses Auto-sync, Translate now, or both takes up 1 slot. You can't cover 9 or more languages with Shopify's translation, so you'll need to prioritize languages.

API ?

4. No mention of API control

The announcement doesn't say whether you can toggle Auto-sync or control sync timing through the Admin API, or whether a webhook tells you when a sync finishes. If you plan to automate this, test it first.

RENAME

5. "Auto-translate" is renamed "Translate now"

If your operations manuals, internal procedures, or client training materials use the old name, update them.Spelling out the different roles of "Auto-sync (scheduled)" and "Translate now (immediate)"keeps your operations team from getting confused.

83 practical use cases

USE CASE 1

Fixing outdated translations in multilingual European stores

Challenge
The store publishes several languages for its target countries, but re-translation can't keep up with every product description update, so outdated information lingers in each language version.
Approach
Turn on Auto-sync for your published languages, starting with the ones that change most often.
Result
Source updates reach each language automatically every week, so fewer buyers see outdated content.
Technical note
Shopify's translation covers up to 8 languages. Decide up front which languages get a slot.
Manual Copy / legal Auto Everything else
USE CASE 2

A hybrid of human-written and machine translations

Challenge
You want brand taglines and key wording translated by people, but having people keep all content up to date takes too much work.
Approach
Finalize only the key parts as manual translations and leave the rest to Auto-sync.
Result
Since manual translations are never overwritten, you can automate keeping translations current while protecting the parts where quality matters most.
Technical note
Documenting in advance which scope to finalize manually (page types and fields) keeps things consistent even when operators change.
SALE announcement Translate now
USE CASE 3

For campaigns, use a two-layer approach: scheduled + immediate

Challenge
Sale and limited-edition product pages need to look right in every language from the moment they go live, but waiting for the weekly sync is too slow.
Approach
Let Auto-sync handle day-to-day updates, and add a step to the release procedure to run Translate now for immediate translation only when a campaign goes live.
Impact
Routine operations stay hands-off, while time-critical updates are reliably reflected the same day.
Technical note
Using both for the same language still consumes only 1 slot. Adding immediate translation doesn't use up more of your quota.

9One-line summary for proposals

"Translate & Adapt nowautomatically keeps translations in up to 8 languages in sync with source updates every week(for 12 European countries).
Manual translations aren't overwritten, sync can be turned on or off per language, and Translate now handles urgent updates.
An update that brings the effort of fixing outdated translations in multilingual stores close to zero."