Translate the text customers see

Use this guide if you sell in more than one language and want customers to see Filemonk’s text in their own. Once you add translations, customers see the download page, download email and Thank You page text in the language they shopped in. If there’s no translation for their language, they see your default language.

Before you begin

• Multi-language support needs a paid plan. On the Start plan, every customer sees your default language.
• Your default language is the one set in Language for emails & Download page. See Change the app language for email and the download page.
• You can only translate into languages published on your Shopify store.

What customers will see

There are four areas, each translated on its own screen:

Where customers see it	What’s included	Translation screen
Download page	Button labels, thank you message, login screen, licence key labels, file labels, download limits, and error and processing messages. Also the text in the customer account extensions.	Download page
Download email	Subject, body, button text and footer	Order email
Thank You page	The thank you message and download button text	Thank You page
EU withdrawal consent	The consent text and confirm button. See Ask for EU right of withdrawal consent	EU consent form

The email you send when you notify all buyers of a product isn’t translated per customer. It uses your default language.

Your own content isn’t translated either. File names, product names and custom product messages always show exactly as you wrote them.

Set it up

1. Click Filemonk in the left menu of your Shopify admin.

2. Click Settings in the app’s menu, then open the Other tab.

3. In the Multi-language section, switch on Multi-language support. The badge beside it changes from Off to On.

4. Find the area you want to translate: Download page, Order email, Thank You page or EU consent form, and click Edit translations next to it.

   

5. In the Language section at the top, choose a language from the dropdown. The list shows the languages published on your Shopify store.

6. If Filemonk has default translations for that language, the line Defaults are available for this language. appears under the dropdown. Click Use defaults to fill in every field at once.

7. Edit any field to match your brand’s wording. Each row shows your default text on the left and the translation on the right. A field you haven’t translated yet reads No translation set - using default.

8. Click Save in the save bar at the top.

9. Repeat for each language you sell in, and for each area.

To go back to Filemonk’s default text for a language, click Reset all at the top of the page. On the Order email screen, click Send test email there to receive the email in the language you picked.

Open a translation screen from an editor

You can also open each translation screen from its own editor:

1. In the editor, click the language icon at the top of the section list. Its tooltip reads Edit translations for other languages.
2. If you have unsaved changes, Filemonk asks before closing the editor. Save first if you want to keep them.
3. The editor closes and the translation screen opens. When you’re done, click the back link at the top, for example Customize email, to return to the editor.

Start with the download page and the order email, which every customer sees. Add the consent form if you sell into the EU.

How Filemonk picks the language

Filemonk uses the language the customer shopped in on your store. If you haven’t translated that language, the customer sees your default language instead. Any field you leave blank also falls back to the default.

Check your setup

Place a test order in a language that differs from your default, then check the Thank You page, the email and the download page. Confirm the translated text appears and nothing is left in the fallback language mid-page. See Create a test order.

Troubleshooting

A Multi-language support disabled banner shows on the translation screen

Multi-language support is off. Click Enable multi-language support in the banner, or switch it on in the Multi-language section of the Other tab.

Turn on can't be clicked

Your store is on the Start plan. Upgrade to a paid plan to use multi-language support. See Filemonk pricing and plans.

A language is missing from the dropdown

The language isn’t published on your Shopify store. In your Shopify admin, go to Settings, then Languages, and add and publish the language.

Some text is translated and some isn't

Those fields are blank for that language, so they fall back to your default. They read No translation set - using default on the translation screen. Fill them in, or click Use defaults under the language dropdown, then click Save.

The email is translated but the download page isn't

Each area is translated separately. Click Edit translations next to Download page and add the translation there too.

File or product names show in English

Your own content isn’t translated. Rename files or products in the language most of your customers read, or use neutral names.

FAQ

Do I have to translate everything?

No. Translate the areas your customers see most, usually the download page and the download email. Anything you don’t translate shows in your default language.

Does Filemonk translate the text automatically?

Filemonk has default translations for many languages that you can load with Use defaults. You can then edit any field so the wording matches your brand.

Which languages can I translate into?

Any language published on your Shopify store.

Can I preview a translated email?

Yes. On the Order email translation screen, pick the language and click Send test email.

Is the Notify buyers email translated?

No. When you notify all buyers of a product, the email uses your default language for every customer.

Is this the same as changing the language of the Filemonk app?

No. This guide covers what your customers see. To change the language you see in the Filemonk app, or your default customer language, see Change the app language for email and the download page.

Related guides

• Change the app language for email and the download page, to set your default language first.
• Ask for EU right of withdrawal consent, whose form is one of the four areas.
• Customize the download page, for the page being translated.
• Customize the email template, for the email being translated.