Translating an e-shop into multiple languages is not just about text. It is a complex project that involves technology, strategy, and quality. In this article, we will show you the complete process — from deciding which languages to choose to quality control after deployment. We draw from our experience operating IZMAEL.eu — an e-shop operating in 23 European Union countries.
Step 1: Preparation — What needs to be translated
Before starting the translation, create a complete inventory of texts. An e-shop contains much more text than most people think. Here is the list of what you must not forget:
- Product descriptions — names, short descriptions, long descriptions, parameters, material, dimensions.
- Categories and filters — category names, subcategories, filter parameters and their values.
- Static pages — About us, Contact, Shipping and Payment, Complaints policy, Terms of Service, GDPR.
- Checkout flow — cart, order form, payment gateway, order confirmation.
- Emails — order confirmation, shipment notification, tracking, invoice, registration.
- UI elements — buttons, menu, navigation, error messages, notifications, footer.
- SEO meta tags — title, description for each page. URL slugs for products and categories.
- Blog and FAQ — if you have a blog or frequently asked questions, those need translation too.
For IZMAEL.eu, this meant over 2 million words across 20 languages. Without a systematic approach, it would have been chaos.
Step 2: Language priority — Where to expand first
Do not translate into all languages at once. Choose a strategic order based on market size, your proximity, and potential. Here is the recommended order for a Central European e-shop:
Priority 1: Neighboring markets (immediate ROI)
- Czech (CZ) — cultural and linguistic proximity, large market, simple logistics.
- Hungarian (HU) — 10 million population, low competition in many niches.
- Polish (PL) — largest market in the region (38 mil.), enormous growth potential.
Priority 2: Large EU markets
- German (DE/AT) — largest e-commerce market in the EU, high purchasing power.
- English (EN) — universal fallback + UK, Ireland.
- French (FR) — second largest market in the EU.
- Italian (IT), Spanish (ES) — growing markets with high volume.
Priority 3: Other EU languages
- Romanian (RO) — growing market, low competition.
- Dutch (NL), Portuguese (PT) — smaller but high-spending markets.
- Bulgarian (BG), Croatian (HR), Slovenian (SI) — Balkans with growth potential.
- Greek (EL), Finnish (FI), Baltic languages (ET, LT, LV) — complete EU coverage.
IZMAEL.eu started with CZ and HU, then PL and DE, and gradually added all 20 languages. Each new language brought additional traffic and orders — the return on investment averaged 3-6 months.
Step 3: Technical aspects — URLs, hreflang, currencies
Proper technical implementation is critical for a multilingual e-shop. Here are the key areas:
URL structure
You have three options:
- Subdomains — de.example.com, fr.example.com. Simple, but each subdomain is a separate entity for Google.
- Subdirectories — example.com/de/, example.com/fr/. Recommended. You share domain authority.
- Separate domains — example.de, example.fr. Strongest signal, but most expensive to maintain.
IZMAEL.eu uses separate subdomains for each country (sk.izmael.eu, cz.izmael.eu, de.izmael.eu...) — for an e-shop with physical goods and different currencies, this is the best solution.
Hreflang tags
Hreflang tags tell Google which version of a page belongs to which language and country. For 20 languages, that means 20 hreflang tags on every page + x-default. It is technically demanding but absolutely essential for proper indexing.
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="sk" href="https://sk.example.com/produkt/retazka-striebro" />
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="en" href="https://en.example.com/product/silver-necklace" />
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="de" href="https://de.example.com/produkt/silberkette" />
<link rel="alternate" hreflang="x-default" href="https://en.example.com/product/silver-necklace" />Currencies and prices
Not every EU country uses the euro. IZMAEL.eu works with 5 currencies:
- EUR — Slovakia, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and other eurozone countries
- CZK — Czech Republic
- HUF — Hungary
- PLN — Poland
- RON — Romania
Prices must be in the local currency with local formatting. A customer in Hungary expects prices in forints, not euros. Exchange rates are updated daily.
Step 4: Case study IZMAEL.eu — 23 countries, 20 languages
IZMAEL.eu operates a jewelry and accessories e-shop across 23 EU countries. Here are the key numbers:
- 38,000+ products — each translated into 20 languages = over 760,000 translated product texts.
- 23 countries — from Portugal to Finland, from Ireland to Bulgaria.
- 5 currencies — EUR, CZK, HUF, PLN, RON with daily exchange rates.
- Automatic pipeline — a new product is automatically translated into all languages within 24 hours.
- 12 quality checks — every translation goes through automatic checks before publishing.
We built this system over 2 years. We started with manual translations, then moved to Google Translate with proofreading, and finally developed our own AI pipeline. Each phase brought measurable quality improvement and cost reduction.
Step 5: Quality tips
1. Use a terminology dictionary
Create a list of key terms and their translations for each language. "Cart", "checkout", "free shipping" — these terms must be consistent throughout the entire e-shop.
2. Translate in context
The word "free" can mean "without cost" or "unrestricted". The translator must know whether it is "free shipping" or "free size". Contextual translation is one of the main differences between professional and amateur approaches.
3. Test in a real environment
After deploying translations, go through the entire purchase process in each language. Check that all texts are in the right place, nothing is cut off, and the forms work.
4. Monitor bounce rate by language
If the bounce rate in a particular language increases significantly, you likely have a translation quality problem. Google Analytics will show you which pages are problematic.
5. Update translations continuously
An e-shop changes — you add products, legislation changes, you update terms. Translations must be current in all languages simultaneously.
Conclusion
Translating an e-shop into 20 languages is an investment that pays back in the form of new traffic, new customers, and new markets. The key is choosing the right language order, mastering technical aspects, and ensuring quality. With our AI translation pipeline, we help you with every step — from analysis to deployment.
Want to know how much your e-shop translation would cost? Contact us for a free calculation.