Video Translation for Shopify: Show Different Product Videos by Language

Translate product videos in Shopify. Upload different video files per language and customers see the right version automatically.

TL;DR: You can now translate product videos in Shopify, not just images. Upload a different video for each language, and customers see the right version automatically. This works alongside the existing image translation features you already know.

Product videos convert. We all know this. A well-made product video can increase conversions by 80% or more. But here’s what nobody talks about: that conversion boost disappears when your German customer watches a video with English text overlays, English voiceover, or English captions.

The Problem With Product Videos in Multi-Language Stores

Shopify’s built-in translation tools handle text beautifully. Product titles, descriptions, even alt text. But videos? They’re completely ignored. Your carefully localized store shows perfectly translated text above a video that screams “this wasn’t made for you” to international customers.

Think about what’s typically in a product video:

  • Text overlays: Feature callouts, pricing, CTAs
  • Voiceover: Product explanations in your default language
  • Captions: Often baked into the video itself
  • On-screen text: Sizing info, ingredient lists, instructions

None of this gets translated by Shopify Translate & Adapt, Langify, Weglot, or any other translation app. Until now.

How Video Translation Works

The concept is simple: upload a different video file for each language. When a French customer visits your product page, they see the French version of your video. German customers see the German version. And so on.

Here’s the workflow:

  1. Go to any product in the Image Translate Easy app
  2. You’ll see your product videos alongside images
  3. Click the + button under any language column
  4. Upload the translated video file (MP4, WebM, or QuickTime)
  5. Done. The video swaps automatically on your storefront.

The video thumbnail updates too. Your product gallery shows the translated video’s preview image, so customers know immediately that the content is in their language.

What About the Video Thumbnail?

This was actually the trickiest part to get right. When you upload a translated video, the thumbnail in your product gallery needs to show a frame from that translated video, not the original.

We solved this by capturing the first frame of your translated video and displaying it as the thumbnail. No extra work required on your end. Upload the video, and the thumbnail updates automatically.

Use Cases for Video Translation

Not every store needs this. But if you sell internationally and use product videos, here’s where it matters most:

Instructional Videos

Products that need explanation benefit most. Assembly instructions, how-to guides, feature demonstrations. If your video has any spoken or written content, translation makes a difference. Check out our guide on displaying different product instructions by language for more on this.

Videos With Text Overlays

Marketing videos often include text: feature callouts, pricing, promotional messages. These need translation just as much as your product description does.

Videos With Voiceover

If someone’s talking in your video, international customers need a version in their language. Dubbing or creating separate voiceover tracks for each market is common practice for serious international sellers.

Technical Details

For those who care about the implementation:

  • Supported formats: MP4, WebM, QuickTime
  • Storage: Videos are uploaded to Shopify’s CDN, same as your other files
  • Theme compatibility: Works with any Shopify theme that uses standard video elements
  • No code required: The app handles everything automatically

The video swap happens the same way image translation works: based on the customer’s selected language in your store.

Getting Started

If you’re already using Image Translate Easy, video translation is available now. Just look for the video icon on products that have videos, and upload your translations the same way you do images.

New to the app? Install Image Translate Easy from the Shopify App Store and start translating both images and videos for your international customers.

Questions about video translation? Reach out to support and we’ll help you get set up.