Translating the Cart Drawer
This article explains how to translate the text in your cart drawer, and what translation can and cannot do.
How translation works
Translation in Essential Cart Drawer is manual. You enter the text for each language yourself, section by section. There is no auto-translate. The app does not detect a customer's browser language or Shopify Markets location and switch text on its own.
The cart drawer does not translate automatically based on Shopify Markets or visitor location. You must add each translation manually.
Adding a translation
Each section of the app (Settings, Spend Tiers, Upsell, Discounts, Subtotal, Checkout Button) has its own Translations area. You add translations section by section, not from one global translations page.
- Open the relevant section, for example Settings or Spend Tiers.
- Scroll down to the Translations area within that section.
- Click 'Add translation'.
- Select the target language from the Language dropdown.
- Enter the translated text for that field.
- Save.
Repeat this for every section that has customer-facing text, and for every language you want to support.
Publishing the language
A language must be published in your store before it appears as an option in the Language dropdown.
- Go to Shopify Admin → Settings → Languages and confirm the language is published.
- If you sell to that language through a market, create the market and publish the language so it appears in the app's translation dropdown.
Keeping variable placeholders intact
Some text fields include bracketed variables, such as {counter} or {remaining_count}. These variables pull in live values like a countdown or a remaining item count.
Keep bracketed variables exactly as they appear, for example {counter} or {remaining_count}. If you translate the words inside the brackets, the variable stops working and the live value will not display.
Countdown timer text
Translate countdown text inside the Timer settings section, using the same Add translation steps. Keep the bracketed variable unchanged.
What cannot be translated
| Item | Can you translate it? |
|---|---|
| Cart, announcement, upsell, reward, custom block, and order upsell text | Yes, per language, per section |
| App admin/settings panel labels | No. Only storefront-facing text is translatable, not the app's own configuration screens |
| Gift Selection Popup text (e.g. 'Select your free gift!') | No. This text is not available in the Translations section |
| Checkout Button URL | No. The URL is a static path and does not change by language |
| Continue Shopping button URL | No. The URL is a static path and does not adapt to customer locale |
Button text can be translated. Button URLs cannot. If a customer's language changes, the Checkout and Continue Shopping buttons still link to the same static path.
Right-to-left languages
Right-to-left languages, such as Hebrew, are not fully supported. Text will display in Hebrew once translated, but layout elements do not mirror. For example, the Spend Tiers progress bar keeps its left-to-right direction.
After adding translations
- Save your changes in each section.
- Republish the widget so the storefront reflects the new translations.