Translate Preorder and Back in Stock text for your languages (Essential Preorder app)
This article explains how to translate the text your shoppers see in preorder campaigns and back-in-stock alerts, including button text, pop-ups, and emails. It's for merchants selling in more than one language who need the app's storefront text to match.
It also covers what the app can't translate yet, so you don't spend time looking for settings that aren't there.
Before you start: check your plan
Translations are a paid feature. If you're on the Free plan, the Translations section won't let you add a language.
| Plan | Can add translations? |
|---|---|
| Free | No |
| Lite and above | Yes |
If you need translations, upgrade first. Go to Apps > Essential Preorder > Pricing plans to compare plans.
The app does not auto-translate based on your store's language, Shopify Markets, or a translation app you've already installed (for example, one used for theme text). You must add each translation manually per campaign.
How to translate preorder text
Translations are set per campaign, not globally, so repeat these steps for each campaign that needs another language.
- Open the campaign you want to translate.
- Scroll to the bottom of the campaign's content area to find Preorder campaign translations.
- Click Add translations.
- Choose the Language you want to add.
- Enter your translated Preorder text and save.
To change a translation later, use Edit translation. To remove one, use Delete.
If a language doesn't appear as an option to add, add that language to your store in Shopify first (for example, by publishing a market or language in Shopify's language settings). Once it exists on your store, it becomes available in the campaign's Translations section.
Different languages on different domains
If your store uses separate domains or markets for different languages, the app follows the language that's active on the domain the shopper is browsing, as long as you've added a translation for that language. No extra setup is needed beyond adding the translation once.
Translate back-in-stock pop-up and email text
Back in stock campaigns have three separate translation sections, one on each tab: Button (button text), Pop up (header, description, form fields, success message) and Email (subject, header, description, button, footer). Open the tab, scroll to its translations section, add the language, then fill in the translated text for each field shown.
For setup of the back-in-stock feature itself, see Enable Back in Stock notifications in your store.
What can and can't be translated
| Text | Translatable? |
|---|---|
| Preorder button text | Yes, per campaign |
| Back-in-stock pop-up and email text | Yes, per campaign |
| Sold out button text (shown in markets where preorder isn't active) | Yes, per campaign |
| Preorder update email | No |
| Full payment text in the order confirmation email | Not reliably, see below |
| App admin interface | Follows the language of your Shopify admin (20+ languages supported); not affected by campaign translations |
The "Full payment text" value gets written into the Shopify purchase option, so long or grammatical phrases don't always render correctly in other languages. A short, neutral word or an emoji, like "Reserve" or 🛍️, works more reliably than a full sentence.
The app doesn't support right-to-left languages such as Arabic or Hebrew. If you sell into these markets, use the nearest supported language for now, or keep preorder text in a neutral, direction-agnostic word.
Common mix-ups
"My translation app doesn't list the preorder text"
Third-party translation apps such as Translate & Adapt or T-Lab read theme content, not this app's settings. Preorder and back-in-stock text won't appear in their lists. Add translations directly in the campaign's Translations section instead.
"Changing my store's language didn't translate the button"
The storefront text follows the language a shopper is browsing in, but only if you've already added a translation for that language in the campaign. If no translation exists, the default text shows instead.
"'Based on reviews' text is in the wrong language"
That text comes from a separate reviews app, not from Essential Preorder. Check that app's own translation settings.
Still stuck?
If a language you've added to your store still doesn't show up under Preorder campaign translations, or translated text isn't displaying on your live storefront (check the live store, not preview mode), contact support with the campaign name and the language you're trying to add.