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Setting Up a New Language
This guide explains how to add and configure a new language in your Abicart store covering translations, domain setup, shipping, VAT, and product feeds. Finnish is used as the example throughout, but the same steps apply to any language.
Follow the steps in order. Steps 1 and 2 must be completed before the remaining settings become available in your store.
1. Activate Language and Currency
Begin by enabling the new language and adding its corresponding currency. Once activated, additional localization settings will appear throughout your store administration.
Activate the language
Navigate to:
Settings → Languages
Locate the language you want to add and set it to active. If you do not want the language to be visible to store visitors yet, set it to Hidden — the language fields will still be available in your administration panel.
Add the currency
Navigate to:
Settings → Currency
Select Add currency and choose the appropriate currency for the target market (for example, EUR for Finland).
2. Translate Your Store
The recommended approach for translating store content is to export all texts to a file, complete the translations, and re-import. This covers the majority of your translation in a single operation.
Export content for translation
Navigate to:
Settings → Languages → Export
Configure the export options:
- Translate from - Select your current primary language (the language content is written in).
- File format - XLXS recommended. It opens directly in Microsoft Excel or LibreOffice Calc.
- Data to include - Select all content types: Articles, Article groups, Delivery methods, Payment methods, Delivery information, Article template, Own pages, and Theme.
Click Export. The file is downloaded to your computer.
Complete translations in the file
Open the file in a spreadsheet application. It contains three columns:
- Column A (key) - Internal identifier. Do not edit.
- Column B (content) - Source language text.
- Column C (translation) - Enter your translations here. Leave columns A and B unchanged.
Important: Do not make changes to your store between export and import.
Translation strings are matched by their key values. Modifying store content before importing the translated file may cause mismatches.
Import the translated file
Navigate to:
Settings → Languages → Import
Select the target language, choose the translated file from your computer, and click Import.
If importing a CSV file, ensure:
- The file is saved with UTF-8 character encoding.
- The delimiter is set to comma.
For full documentation on this process, see:
3. Configure Shipping and VAT
Each market requires its own shipping methods and tax rates. These must be configured correctly before the new language is made publicly available.
Add a shipping method
Navigate to:
Settings → Shipping
Select Add shipping method and configure an option applicable to the target country.
Add the VAT rate
Navigate to:
Settings → VAT
Add the correct VAT rate for the target country. Consult the local tax authority for the applicable rate.
4. Email Content and Other Texts
If your store uses customised transactional email templates — such as order confirmations, shipping notifications, or invoices — these must be translated separately.
Translate email templates
Navigate to:
Settings → Documents → Email Content
Add a translated version of each template for the new language.
Other texts
Some content, such as discount names, is managed within its own section and must be translated manually. The export/import workflow described in Step 2 covers all standard storefront and theme content.
5. Add a Language-Specific Domain
You can associate a separate domain with each language. For example, Finnish customers could be served from a .fi domain while your primary store uses .se.
Register the domain
Navigate to:
Settings → Domain & SEO → Domain
Enter the new domain address and save.
Connect the domain to the language
Navigate to:
Settings → Domain & SEO → URL Settings
A section for each activated language is shown. Select the domain you registered from the drop-down for the relevant language.
Note:
This step can be completed at any point after Step 1. The domain assignment does not affect the translation or shipping configuration. Make sure to have the language set to “active” before this step.
6. Create Language-Based Product Feeds
If you advertise on Google Shopping or Meta (Facebook/Instagram), you can generate a separate product feed for each language and currency.
Navigate to:
Settings → External Connections → Product Feed
Select the target country, currency, and file format. The system generates a feed URL for that language and currency combination. Use this URL when configuring your feed in Google Merchant Center or Meta Commerce Manager.
Note:
Ensure the correct currency is selected. An incorrect currency selection will result in wrong prices being displayed in your advertising campaigns.
Checklist Before Launch
Use this checklist to confirm all steps have been completed before making the new language available to customers.
- Language activated under Settings → Languages
- Currency added under Settings → Currency
- Translations exported, completed, and imported
- Shipping method configured for the target country
- VAT rate configured for the target country
- Email content translated (if using custom templates)
- Domain registered and connected to the language (if applicable)
- Product feed generated for the language/currency (if applicable)