One of the most interesting features of the PrestaShop 1.7 platform is the ability to add other languages to your online store so you can expand your business internationally. Although the default language on this platform is Spanish, it is possible to add other languages.
Thanks to this, if you receive a visit from outside our country, the client will be able to perfectly understand your catalogue, thus increasing the chances of making an effective purchase.
Add Languages PrestaShop 1.7: STEP BY STEP
1. Add PrestaShop language(s)
In order to add a language to your store, you will need to go to your e-commerce administration panel and look for the word "International" in the menu. When you place your mouse over this screen, a submenu will open where you will find the word "Translations". Click on this word and a panel will open with different language options.
You will have to go down in the new screen and look for the block called "Add/Update a language" and in this option you will be able to see which languages are compatible and available in this ecommerce hosting .
Ultimately, this will be the first step in translating your digital store files. However, if you work with a template or with an additional module or modules, you will have to translate each of them separately.
So, your first task will be to manually translate your products, categories, CMS and pages. Finally, we should highlight that in each text field that can be translated, you will find a drop-down menu at the top right where you can select the language you want in the installed packages.
2. Translation of modules into other languages in PrestaShop 1.7
Another important part of your store are the different modules you have installed. In order for these to be translated, you will have to go to your own administration panel and follow the same steps that we have indicated above.
That is, you will have to go to the "International" menu and click on the "Modify Translations" block. Once in this submenu, you will have to select the specific module in the translation type and in the drop-down menu choose the language you want to translate it into.
In this same block you can also configure the language in the back office, themes, emails and modules. In these cases you will have to do it one by one, making it impossible to automatically modify modules and themes.
Once you have modified it, you will be able to see the fields that are not translated. The ideal way to avoid mismatches is to expand all the fields with the corresponding option and do a general review to make sure that the translations are correct.
3. Back office translation
This can be interesting, especially if you have developers whose native language is not Spanish. It will allow them to correctly understand all the options available in the administration panel. However, if you are the one in charge of all this, you do not have to change it.
In fact, many people translate the entire "visible" part of their ecommerce, leaving the back office in the default language.
4. Translation of templates and themes
Another of the most used features in PrestaShop 1.7 are templates and themes. These allow you to customize your digital store quickly and easily, providing intuitive and eye-catching designs for buyers.
To translate these elements, in the translation type you will have to choose the option "Theme translations", after this, you will have to select the theme you are using whose name will appear in the "Select your theme" submenu and, finally, you will have to indicate the language you want to translate it into.
In this case, the operation is similar to that of modules. The main difference is that it is ordered according to the pages that make up PrestaShop. Therefore, it is best to deploy them all, one by one, and correct those that you think are wrong, as well as adding those that are not configured.
5. Translation of emails
To finish this article, we must explain that you have the option of translating any email you send to your clients. In the same way as in the previous cases, you will have to choose the "Email translations" option in the "Translation type".
This will bring up a series of options where you can select the part you want to be translated, whether it is the subject or the content of the email. In addition, of course, you will have to choose the language to which it should be translated.
One of the benefits of this option is that the translation is very visual and will allow you to control the HTML elements in a simple and intuitive way. You can also choose to view the result in plain text to see the result with total fidelity.
If you want to add customer data, amounts or other variable elements, you will only have to include the commands between the curly brackets ({ }) and these sections will be managed as dynamic content. This way, you will be able to modify it in each email you send.
6. The rest of the translations
Now that you know the most obvious translations, we can't miss the opportunity to remind you of those that aren't so obvious. Many errors related to e-commerce translation are due to forgetting or forgetting to change the language in labels, messages or order statuses.
Although this is obviously not a serious flaw, it can give an unprofessional image to the foreign client. For this reason, you should pay close attention to which section you choose to translate and what language you set. And of course, you should not forget to save and update all changes by deleting the cookies to properly ensure that the modifications have been successfully applied.
Add Languages to PrestaShop – Translate and Expand!
Now that you know how to translate your online store created with PrestaShop 1.7, you should not hesitate to do so. This will allow you to increase the audience you can reach, which will surely lead to an increase in sales and greater awareness of your brand. So, go for it!
