Get a free audit

Languages and right-to-left

Last updated Theme version 1.0.0

Press / to search. Use the arrow keys and Enter to open a result.

All guides
On this page

Lumina was built right-to-left first. Arabic and Hebrew stores are not a patch on a left-to-right design: every layout, arrow, slider and icon mirrors itself when the shopper picks a right-to-left language. This page explains how to turn languages on, choose the style of Arabic and Hebrew text, translate your content and change the words the theme uses.

What is included

  • Lumina is fully translated into English, Arabic and Hebrew. The storefront text the theme adds, such as buttons, cart messages, filters and form labels, already exists in those languages.
  • Language files are also included for French, German, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Brazilian Portuguese and Turkish.
  • Persian and Urdu pages use the right-to-left layout and the same Arabic text style too. Shopify shows the theme's built in text in English for languages Lumina has no file for, until you translate it (see Edit default theme content below).
  • In the theme editor, the words "Start" and "End" mean the side where reading begins and ends. In English Start is the left, in Arabic and Hebrew it is the right. You do not need to rearrange sections for right-to-left.

Turn on a language

  1. In Shopify admin, open Settings > Languages.
  2. Choose Add language and select Arabic (or Hebrew, or another language).
  3. Publish the language for the markets that should see it. Then decide whether each language has its own domain or a folder such as /ar.
  4. Make sure a language selector shows in your store. See Header and navigation. It appears automatically once more than one language is published.

Arabic and Hebrew text style

Shopify's font library only contains Latin letters, so Arabic and Hebrew letters always come from the fonts already built into each shopper's phone or computer. Lumina picks the best of those fonts for every device (iPhone, Mac, Windows and Android), so the text is sharp, loads instantly and never shows boxes or mismatched letters. Your Latin fonts still style English words, numbers and prices.

  1. Open the theme editor and click the paintbrush for Theme settings.
  2. Select Theme settings > Typography.
  3. Under Arabic and Hebrew, choose a Heading style and a Body style:
    • Classic (naskh): the traditional, calligraphic book style. Elegant for headings in fashion, beauty and luxury stores.
    • Modern (sans serif): clean and even. Best for body text, menus and buttons.
  4. Save and preview your store in Arabic using the language selector.

Good to know

  • The style applies to Arabic and Hebrew letters on every page, so a product name written in Arabic on an English page still looks right.
  • On right-to-left pages Lumina also adds a little line height and removes letter spacing and uppercase styling, which Arabic and Hebrew do not use.
  • Every Lumina preset starts with Modern for both. Classic headings with modern body text give a more traditional look, and suit the serif presets Camellia and Nacre.
  • If you have a licensed web font for Arabic and want to use it, a developer can add it with a Custom Liquid section. Theme Store themes do not ship font files.

Right-to-left slideshow image

A hero photo often has the model on one side and the text on the other. When the page is mirrored for Arabic, the text moves to the other side, and the photo might now put the text on top of the model. To avoid that, give the slide a second image that is flipped:

  1. Select a Slide block in the Slideshow section.
  2. Upload your main Image as usual.
  3. In Image for right-to-left languages, upload the mirrored version of the photo.
  4. Save. Arabic and Hebrew visitors see the mirrored image. Everyone else sees the main image.

The field is optional. If you leave it empty, the main image is used in every language.

Translate your content

The theme text is handled by the language files. Your own content, such as product names, descriptions, collection titles, menus and the text you typed into sections, needs translating too. The easiest way is Shopify's free Translate and Adapt app.

  1. Install Translate and Adapt from the Shopify App Store.
  2. Open the app and select the language.
  3. Choose a type of content: Products, Collections, Pages, Blog posts, Navigation (menus), Metafields, and Theme, which holds the text from your sections and blocks, for example your slideshow headings and announcement bar messages.
  4. Translate by hand, or use the app's automatic translation and then check it. Automatic translations are a good first draft, but a native speaker should read your most important pages.
  5. Publish the translations.

Good to know

  • Translate the Theme content, not only products. A page in Arabic with an English home banner looks unfinished.
  • Menus are translated under Navigation in the app.
  • Prices, dates and numbers use Shopify's own formatting for each market.
  • After translating, switch language in your store and walk through the home page, a product, the cart and the contact page.

Edit default theme text

Words such as "Add to cart", "Check out", "Your cart is empty" and "Only X left" come from the theme's language files. You can reword any of them without code.

  1. In Shopify admin, go to Online Store > Themes.
  2. Next to Lumina, select the three dot menu, then Edit default theme content.
  3. Choose the language at the top, for example English or Arabic.
  4. Use the search box to find the text, for example "Add to cart". Change it and save.
  5. Repeat for each language you offer.

Good to know

  • Search for a word you can see on the page. The matching entry shows its group, such as cart or products.
  • Some entries contain placeholders in double curly brackets, such as {{ amount }}. Keep them exactly as they are. They are replaced with real values.
  • Use this tool to change the WhatsApp messages as well. See WhatsApp and chat.
  • When you update to a new version of Lumina, check your edited text again.

Good to know

  • Test your store in Arabic on a real phone. Check the header, the product gallery, the cart and the checkout.
  • Keep Latin words, like brand names and sizes, inside Arabic sentences. The page handles the mixed direction for you.
  • Set up a market for each region and language together, so shoppers in Dubai land on the Arabic store with local prices and delivery.
  • Checkout language comes from Shopify, and is translated by Shopify based on the language the shopper selected.

Still stuck? Contact support