Shopify · Multilingual chat

AI chat in 15+ languages, auto-detected from browser locale.

A French visitor lands on your storefront, opens the chat — agent greets in French. Japanese visitor gets Japanese. Arabic visitor gets Arabic with a right-to-left widget. No language toggle required; browser locale + Shopify Markets detection does it automatically.

Critical for DTC brands expanding via Shopify Markets. Free tier, no per-language fees.

Languages tuned for native-quality replies

Other languages (Hindi, Hebrew, Vietnamese, Thai, etc.) work via LLM fallback — generally good quality but not specifically tuned. Request additional language tuning at [email protected].

How detection works

1. Shopify Markets locale (highest priority) — if you have Markets configured per country, agent uses that locale.
2. URL path locale — paths like /fr/, /es/, /de/ override.
3. Browser Accept-Language header — fallback signal.
4. Manual override — customer can type “speak English” or “Habla español” mid-conversation and agent switches.
5. Memory — once a customer\'s preferred language is set, persists across visits.

Where this matters most

• EU expansion — French, German, Italian, Spanish, Dutch + Nordic all native.
• LATAM expansion — Spanish (Mexico, Argentina, Spain dialects), Portuguese (Brazil + Portugal).
• APAC expansion — Japanese, Korean, Chinese (simplified + traditional).
• MENA expansion — Arabic with RTL widget support.
• Tourist traffic — even US-based brands with multilingual visitors (LA, NYC, Miami) benefit.

FAQ

How does language detection work?

Three signals in priority order: (1) Shopify Markets locale (if you have Markets configured per country, agent uses the locale tied to that store), (2) URL path locale (e.g., /fr/, /es/), (3) browser Accept-Language header. Agent replies in the detected language. Manual override available — customer can type "speak English" mid-conversation and agent switches.

What happens for unsupported languages?

For the 15+ explicitly tuned languages, replies are native-quality. For other languages (Hindi, Hebrew, Vietnamese, Thai, etc.), agent replies in the visitor's language via the underlying LLM — quality is generally good but not specifically tuned. Critical phrases like product names + your brand voice carry through.

Does the agent translate my product catalog automatically?

No — that's Shopify's Translate & Adapt job. Clearly Agent reads whatever locale Shopify Markets provides. If you've translated your products into Spanish, agent surfaces Spanish names + descriptions to Spanish visitors. If you haven't translated, agent translates on-the-fly (slower; better to pre-translate via Markets).

Can I customize tone per language?

Yes via brand voice instructions. "In Spanish, use 'tú' not 'usted' — we're a casual brand." Or "In German, formal 'Sie' always — we're premium." Or "In Japanese, polite form (です/ます)." Agent applies these per-language rules.

How does it handle multilingual customer support team takeover?

When customer escalates from chat, you join in whatever language you type. If you only speak English and the customer was conversing in French, the agent can mediate ("the customer is asking about returns" in English to you; "the team is checking on returns for you" in French to customer). Tunable — turn off if you want pure passthrough.

Does it handle RTL languages (Arabic, Hebrew)?

Yes for Arabic (which is in the 15+ tuned list). Hebrew via the general LLM fallback. Widget UI auto-flips to RTL when language is detected. Tested on Arabic-language Shopify stores.

What about regional dialects (Mexican vs Spain Spanish, Brazilian vs European Portuguese)?

Agent picks up regional cues from Shopify Markets locale (es-ES vs es-MX, pt-BR vs pt-PT) and adjusts vocabulary accordingly. For specific dialect tuning, add a brand-voice instruction: "Brazilian Portuguese (use 'vocês', not 'vós'; 'celular' not 'telemóvel')."

How does this compare to Shopify Translate & Adapt?

They're complementary. Shopify Translate & Adapt handles your product pages, theme, checkout. Clearly Agent handles your chat conversations. For best results, use both — store is translated for SEO + checkout, chat is translated for support/conversion.