Complete Guide to Translating Metafields in Shopify

Metafields are essential for modern Shopify stores. They store product specifications, size guides, care instructions, and custom attributes. But many merchants overlook metafield translation - leaving international customers with a mix of languages on product pages.

What Are Metafields?

Metafields are custom data fields in Shopify. They extend what you can store about products, collections, customers, and more.

Common metafield uses:

• Product specifications (weight, dimensions)
• Materials and ingredients
• Care instructions
• Size guides
• Custom attributes for filtering
• Technical specifications

Why Metafield Translation Matters

Consider a German customer viewing your product page:

• Product title: German
• Description: German
• “Material: 100% Cotton” (metafield): English

This inconsistency hurts:

• User experience - Jarring language switches
• Trust - Looks unprofessional
• Conversions - Customers may not understand key info
• SEO - Mixed language content confuses search engines

Types of Metafields to Translate

Product Metafields

The most common type:

• Material composition
• Care instructions
• Dimensions and specifications
• Features and benefits
• Warranty information

Collection Metafields

• Collection descriptions
• Filter labels
• Featured content

Metaobjects

Shopify’s newer feature for structured data:

• Size guides
• Ingredient lists
• Color swatches with names
• FAQ entries
• Store locations

Setting Up Metafield Translation in LocaleFlow

LocaleFlow provides field-level control over metafield translation.

Step 1: Access Metafield Settings

1. Open LocaleFlow in your Shopify admin
2. Go to Translation Settings
3. Find the Metafields section

Step 2: View Your Metafields

LocaleFlow automatically discovers your store’s metafields:

• Namespace and key
• Field type (text, rich text, list, etc.)
• Where it’s used (products, collections, etc.)

Step 3: Select Fields to Translate

For each metafield, decide:

• Translate: Customer-facing text fields
• Don’t translate: Technical values, codes, measurements

Fields to Translate:

Metafield	Translate?
custom.material_description	Yes
custom.care_instructions	Yes
custom.feature_list	Yes
custom.size_guide_text	Yes

Fields NOT to Translate:

Metafield	Translate?
custom.sku_suffix	No
custom.weight_grams	No
custom.color_hex	No
custom.internal_notes	No

Step 4: Run Translation

Once configured, LocaleFlow:

1. Fetches translatable metafield content
2. Translates using AI
3. Stores translations in Shopify’s system
4. Auto-syncs when content changes

Translating Metaobjects

Metaobjects require similar attention.

Example: Size Guide Metaobject

Your size guide might have:

• Header text
• Size names (S, M, L, XL)
• Measurement labels (Chest, Waist, Hips)
• Fit descriptions

Which to translate:

• Header text: Yes
• Measurement labels: Yes
• Fit descriptions: Yes
• Size names: Sometimes (S/M/L are often universal)
• Numeric measurements: No

Example: FAQ Metaobject

For FAQ entries:

• Question text: Translate
• Answer text: Translate
• Category label: Translate
• Internal ID: Don’t translate

Field-Level Control

LocaleFlow lets you be specific about what gets translated.

Rich Text Fields

For metafields containing formatted content:

• The full content is translated
• Formatting (bold, lists, links) is preserved
• HTML structure stays intact

List Fields

For metafields with multiple values:

• Each list item is translated individually
• Order is preserved
• Empty items are skipped

Single-Line Text

Standard text fields:

• Full value is translated
• Leading/trailing spaces preserved

Best Practices

1. Audit Before Translating

Before enabling translation:

1. List all metafields in use
2. Identify customer-facing vs. internal
3. Note any that should stay in original language

2. Use Consistent Naming

Organize metafields with clear namespaces:

• translate.material (should be translated)
• internal.sku_code (should not)

This makes bulk configuration easier.

3. Review Technical Content

Some content looks translatable but shouldn’t be:

• Model numbers
• Certification codes (CE, UL, etc.)
• Color codes
• SKUs

4. Test with Real Products

After configuration:

1. Check a product page in each language
2. Verify metafield content displays correctly
3. Ensure no mixed languages

5. Handle Edge Cases

Brand names in metafields:

• Add to translation blacklist
• They should stay unchanged

Measurement units:

• Consider localizing (cm vs. inches)
• Or keep consistent across markets

Common Issues and Solutions

Issue: Metafield Not Appearing in Translation

Cause: Field type might not be translatable (e.g., boolean, date)

Solution: Only text-type metafields can be translated. For complex types, ensure the text portion is properly configured.

Issue: HTML Breaking in Rich Text

Cause: Translation sometimes alters HTML structure

Solution: LocaleFlow preserves HTML structure. If issues occur, check the source content for unusual formatting.

Issue: List Items Merging

Cause: Some list metafields use special separators

Solution: Verify the metafield is defined as a list type in Shopify, not a single text field with manual separators.

Metaobjects for Multilingual Stores

When to Use Metaobjects

Metaobjects are ideal for:

• Content that repeats across products (size guides)
• Structured data (ingredient lists)
• Reference data (color names)

Translation Approach

1. Create the metaobject in your default language
2. Let LocaleFlow translate all text fields
3. Review and adjust as needed

Example: Color Swatch Metaobject

Original (English):

Name: "Forest Green"
Description: "A deep, natural green inspired by nature"
Hex: "#228B22"

Translated (German):

Name: "Waldgrün"
Description: "Ein tiefes, natürliches Grün inspiriert von der Natur"
Hex: "#228B22" (unchanged)

Checking Your Work

Manual Review

For each language, check:

1. Product pages with metafields
2. Collection pages with metafield filters
3. Any pages using metaobjects
4. Theme sections pulling metafield data

Customer Feedback

International customers will tell you if something’s wrong. Monitor:

• Support tickets about language issues
• Reviews mentioning translation problems
• Cart abandonment on international pages

Conclusion

Metafield translation is crucial for a fully localized store. Key takeaways:

1. Audit your metafields - Know what you have
2. Classify each field - Translate vs. don’t translate
3. Use field-level control - LocaleFlow lets you be specific
4. Include metaobjects - Don’t forget structured data
5. Test thoroughly - Check every product page

With LocaleFlow, metafield translation is:

• Automatic for configured fields
• Synced when content changes
• Granular enough for complex stores

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Start translating your metafields - try LocaleFlow with a free demo.