How to Make WooCommerce Multilingual: A Step-by-Step Guide

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WooCommerce can’t run a store in several languages at once on its own. It is translation-ready, so its built-in text switches to your site language, but to serve English, French and German shoppers from one store you need a multilingual plugin or a translation service. The quickest route is to install a translation plugin, choose your languages, let it translate products, categories and checkout automatically, then review the key pages and set up currency, SEO and shipping for each market.

Key takeaways

• WooCommerce is “translation-ready” (its own interface text comes in many languages), but a store in multiple languages at the same time needs an extra plugin or service.
• There are three approaches: separate stores per language, a plugin that stores translated copies inside WordPress, or a translation layer that translates the live store.
• Translate the whole buying journey: product data, categories, attributes, cart, checkout, account pages and emails.
• Give every language its own URL and hreflang tags, or search engines will only find one version.
• Currency is a separate job from language. WooPayments and other extensions handle multi-currency pricing.

What “multilingual WooCommerce” actually involves

WooCommerce’s own documentation says the plugin is translated into several languages and is translation-ready out of the box. That means WooCommerce’s interface strings (like “Add to cart” and “Proceed to checkout”) are available in many languages and load automatically when you change your WordPress site language.

What it doesn’t do by itself is show the same store in several languages at once, with a language switcher and separate URLs. And it doesn’t translate your own content: product names, descriptions, categories, attributes, pages and blog posts. For that you need one of the approaches below.

Three ways to make WooCommerce multilingual

There is no single right answer. If you sell the same catalogue everywhere, a single store with a translation plugin or translation layer is usually far less work than running separate stores.

Step by step: making WooCommerce multilingual

Step 1: Choose your languages

Look at your analytics for visitors’ countries and browser languages, and at where your international orders already come from. Start with one to three languages you can support (shipping, returns, customer service).

Step 2: Install a translation solution

Whichever plugin or service you pick, check that it:

• translates WooCommerce product data, including variations and attributes;
• covers the cart, checkout and My Account pages;
• gives each language its own URL and adds hreflang tags;
• translates SEO titles, meta descriptions and image alt text;
• works with the other plugins you use (page builders, product add-ons, subscriptions);
• lets you edit machine translations by hand.

Step 3: Translate your product catalogue

Automatic translation is the practical way to cover hundreds of products. Then review by hand, in this order:

1. your best-selling products and categories;
2. product attributes (sizes, colours, materials) so filters work in every language;
3. shipping, returns and payment information;
4. legal pages: terms, privacy, withdrawal rights.

Keep SKUs, GTINs and brand names untranslated. A glossary with do-not-translate terms makes that automatic.

Step 4: Translate the checkout and emails

The checkout is where untranslated text costs you most. Place a test order in every language and check:

• checkout field labels, placeholders and validation errors;
• payment method names and descriptions;
• the order confirmation page;
• order and shipping emails. These are sent in the background, so check whether your translation solution covers them and in which language customers receive them.

Step 5: Set up currency and pricing

Language and currency are separate settings. Shoppers expect prices in their own currency, and for Google Shopping ads it is recommended. WooPayments’ multi-currency feature lets customers choose from a list of currencies you define and can try to set the currency by geolocation; other extensions offer similar features. Decide whether you convert prices automatically or set fixed local prices (which look cleaner, like €19 instead of €18.63).

Step 6: Make every language findable

• Give each language its own URL, for example shop.com/fr/ or fr.shop.com. Our comparison of subdirectories vs subdomains explains the choice.
• Add hreflang tags so Google shows the right version to each searcher.
• Translate product titles with local search terms, not just literal translations.
• Include translated URLs in your sitemap and check them in Google Search Console.

Step 7: Localise beyond language

Shipping zones and costs, tax display, size charts (EU, UK, US sizes), units, payment methods customers trust in that country, and customer service in the language. These often matter as much as the translation itself. If you advertise abroad, our guide to running Google Shopping campaigns in multiple countries covers feeds and landing pages.

Step 8: Test, launch and measure

Test on mobile and desktop in every language. After launch, track visits, conversion rate and average order value per language, and keep improving the pages that bring in traffic but don’t convert.

Common mistakes with multilingual WooCommerce stores

• Translating products but not the checkout. Customers abandon when the last steps switch back to English.
• Automatic redirects by location. Let shoppers choose their language; Google also advises against forced redirects.
• One URL for every language. Search engines can then index only one version.
• Untranslated attributes, which break filters and variation selection.
• Machine translation with no review on product names and descriptions that carry your brand.
• Forgetting new products. Make sure products you add later get translated too.

How to make WooCommerce multilingual with ConveyThis

ConveyThis works as a translation layer through its WordPress plugin, which runs with WooCommerce. On WordPress.org the plugin has 1,000+ active installations and a 4.4 out of 5 rating from 145 ratings. Setup takes a few minutes:

1. Create a ConveyThis account and add your domain and languages.
2. In WordPress, go to Plugins → Add New, search for ConveyThis, then install and activate it.
3. Paste your API key, choose your source and target languages, and save.

Your store is then available in the languages you selected, with a language switcher. The full walkthrough is in the WooCommerce integration guide.

What you get:

• automatic translation of products, categories, pages and checkout text into any of 210 languages, with new pages and changes detected automatically;
• language subdirectories (/fr/) by default on WordPress, with hreflang tags and translated SEO titles and descriptions;
• a visual editor to fix any translation in place, a glossary for product and brand terms, and translation memory;
• team roles so a native reviewer or translator can work on their language;
• CSV/TMX import if you are moving translations from another tool.

Word usage is counted only when translated content is shown to real visitors, not bots. Plans start with a free plan for small stores (5,000 words, one language); see pricing and the WooCommerce integration page for details.

Frequently asked questions

Does WooCommerce support multiple languages by default? WooCommerce’s own text is translated into many languages and follows your WordPress site language. Running the store in several languages at once needs a multilingual plugin or translation service.

Can I translate WooCommerce product variations and attributes? Yes, with a translation solution that supports WooCommerce data. Check attributes and filters in every language after translating.

Do I need a separate store for each country? Usually not. One store with translated languages and multi-currency is enough if you sell the same products everywhere. Separate stores make sense when ranges, prices and teams differ by country.

Will a multilingual WooCommerce store rank in other countries? It can, if each language has its own URL, hreflang tags, translated metadata and content that matches local search terms.

How do I show prices in different currencies? Use a multi-currency feature such as WooPayments’ or a dedicated currency extension. Language translation and currency conversion are separate settings.

For more ideas on expanding your store, read our guide to creating a multilingual WooCommerce store.

Ready to open your store to international shoppers? Create a ConveyThis account and translate your WooCommerce store today.