Articles on: Languages

How to create back in stock alert templates in other languages

When your Shopify store supports multiple languages, you can translate your back-in-stock email and SMS templates so customers receive notifications in their preferred language. STOQ allows you to translate all text fields in your templates, from the email subject to the SMS content, for each published language on your store.

How notification template translations work

STOQ stores a separate version of each notification template field for every language your store supports. When a back-in-stock alert fires, STOQ checks the language the customer selected on your storefront and sends the matching translated template. If no translation exists for that language, the alert falls back to your store's default language.

The notification template translator covers:

Back-in-stock alert emails — subject, pre-header, header, description, footer, button text, and unsubscribe text.
Back-in-stock SMS alerts — the SMS body text.
Custom HTML email templates — if you use a custom HTML template, you can translate it per language as well.

You translate one notification at a time. If you have both an automatic alert (position 0) and a reminder (position 1), each has its own template that needs separate translations.

Note: This article covers notification template translations. To translate the "Notify me" button and signup popup, see the separate guide for button and popup languages.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure the following are in place:

STOQ is installed and active on your Shopify store.
You are on a paid STOQ plan. Multi-language support and template translations are not available on the free plan.
Multi-language support is enabled. Go to Stoq > Back in stock alerts > Settings > Notify customers in their preferred language > Languages and confirm the Multi-language support toggle is on.

Your Shopify store has multiple languages published. Go to Shopify Admin > Settings > Languages and check that the languages you need are listed under Published languages.

Step 1 - Open the notification template translator

From the Notifications tab

Go to STOQ > Back in Stock > Notifications > Customize Email.

Under Email template, Navigate to the content section.
Look for the language or translation option and click it to open the translator.

Step 2 - Select a language and notification

The template translator lets you work on one language and one notification at a time.

On the Languages for notifications page, use the Select a language dropdown to choose the language you want to translate.

Use the Select a notification dropdown to choose which notification template to translate. Options include:

Back In Stock - Notification — the automatic alert.
Back In Stock - Reminder Notification 1 — the first reminder, if enabled.
Preorder - Notification — preorder confirmation, if applicable.

Tip: Languages in the dropdown are populated automatically from your Shopify store's published languages. If a language is missing, publish it in Shopify Admin > Settings > Languages first.

Step 3 - Translate the email template fields

The translator shows your default-language text on the left and a text field for the translation on the right. Fields that support Liquid variables and HTML are marked with a help text note.

Translatable email fields

Field	Default English text (back-in-stock)	Description
Email custom HTML template	(your custom HTML)	Full custom HTML template (only shown if custom HTML is enabled)
Email subject	`{{product.title_incl_variant}}` is back in stock! Grab yours before it's too late	The subject line of the alert email
Email pre-header	`{{product.title_incl_variant}}` is available now!	Preview text shown in the inbox before the email is opened
Email header	`{{product.title_incl_variant}}` is available now!	The main heading inside the email body
Email description	Limited stock only. Click 'Buy now' & grab yours before it goes out of stock again!	The body text below the header
Email alert footer	You're receiving this email because you subscribed to notifications for this particular product.	Fine-print text at the bottom of the email
Button text	Buy now	The call-to-action button label
Unsubscribe text	Unsubscribe	The unsubscribe link text

For each field, type the translated text in the right-hand column.
Use the Variables button at the top of any field to open the variables reference modal.
After translating all email fields, proceed to the SMS section below or click Save changes if SMS is not enabled.

Tip: All email fields support Liquid variables. You can use {{product.title_incl_variant}}, {{customer.name}}, {{shop.name}}, and more. Click Variables to see the full list.

Step 4 - Translate the SMS template

If SMS alerts are enabled, the SMS template section appears below the email fields on the same page.

Translatable SMS field

Field	Default English text	Description
SMS Body	`{{product.title_incl_variant}}` is back in stock at `{{shop.name}}`! Buy yours now - `{{product.purchase_link}}`	The full SMS message sent to the customer

Type the translated SMS body in the right-hand text field.
Make sure to include {{product.purchase_link}} and {{shop.name}} — these are required variables for SMS alerts.

Warning: If you remove the {{product.purchase_link}} variable from the SMS body, the customer will not receive a link to buy the product.

Step 5 - Load default translations (optional)

STOQ includes built-in default translations for many common languages. You can load these instead of translating from scratch.

When you select a language that has defaults available, a blue info banner appears: "Defaults are available for this language."
Click Use defaults in the banner.

Review the pre-filled fields and customize any text you want to change.
Click Save changes.

To reset all fields back to STOQ's built-in defaults at any time, click the Reset all link at the bottom of the page.

Note: Loading default translations overwrites any custom translations you have already saved for that language. Make a note of your custom text before loading defaults.

Step 6 - Save and repeat for each language

After translating all fields for a language, save your work and move on to the next language.

Click Save changes.
Use the Select a language dropdown to switch to the next language.
Translate or load defaults, then save again.
Repeat until all published languages have translated templates.

If you also have reminder notifications enabled, switch to the reminder template using the Select a notification dropdown and translate it separately.

Available Liquid variables

You can use the following Liquid variables in your translated templates. Click the Variables button inside the translator to see this list at any time.

Email template variables

{{customer.name}} — Customer name
{{product.title}} — Product name
{{product.variant_title}} — Variant name
{{product.title_incl_variant}} — Complete name including variant
{{shop.name}} — Store name

SMS template variables

{{customer.name}} — Customer name
{{product.title}} — Product name
{{product.title_incl_variant}} — Complete name including variant
{{product.purchase_link}} — Purchase link (required)
{{shop.name}} — Store name (required)

Known limitations

Multi-language support requires a paid STOQ plan. The translation editor is disabled on the free plan.
Each notification template must be translated separately. The automatic alert and reminder have independent templates — translating one does not affect the other.
STOQ does not auto-translate custom text. Built-in defaults are provided for common languages, but any customized text must be manually translated for each language.
Loading defaults overwrites existing custom translations for that language. There is no undo.
The language list comes from Shopify. STOQ cannot add languages that are not published in your Shopify store.
Product title translations require a separate setting. To show translated product names in alerts, enable Use translations under Settings > Languages > Multi-language support.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
Template translator fields are greyed out	Multi-language support is not enabled	Go to Settings > Languages and turn on Multi-language support
A language is missing from the dropdown	That language is not published in Shopify	Go to Shopify Admin > Settings > Languages and publish the language
Customer receives the alert in the default language instead of their language	No translation saved for that customer's language	Open the template translator, select the language, translate all fields, and click Save changes
"Translation missing" text appears in a field	STOQ has no built-in default for that language and field	Type the translation manually in the translator
Email subject shows as empty after saving	The subject field was cleared accidentally	Re-enter the translated subject text — this field is required
SMS body translation is missing the purchase link	`{{product.purchase_link}}` variable was removed	Add `{{product.purchase_link}}` back into the translated SMS body
Reminder alert is not translated even though automatic alert is	Reminder has its own separate template	Switch to the reminder notification in the Select a notification dropdown and translate it separately
Product names in the alert are still in the default language	"Use translations" is not enabled	Enable Use translations under Settings > Languages > Multi-language support

FAQs

Q : Do I need to translate the automatic alert and reminder separately?

A : Yes. Each notification has its own template. You need to translate the alert and reminder separately using the notification dropdown.

Q : Can I use Liquid variables in translated templates?

A : Yes. All templates support Liquid variables, and they work the same across all languages.

Q : What happens if I do not translate a template for a specific language?

A : STOQ sends the notification in your store’s default language. The customer still receives it, but not in their preferred language.

Q : Can I use custom HTML in translated email templates?

A : Yes. If custom HTML is enabled, you can add translated HTML along with Liquid variables.

Q : Will my translations be lost if I disable multi language support?

A : No. Translations are saved and will be available again when you re enable multi language support.

Q : How do I translate preorder confirmation emails?

A : Use the same template translator and select Preorder Notification from the dropdown, then choose the required preorder type.

Q : Does the SMS body need to include the purchase link in every language?

A : Yes. The purchase link variable must be included in all translations so customers can access the product.

Q : Can I preview the translated email before it goes live?

A : Yes. You can send a test email after selecting the language and saving your changes.

Updated on: 23/04/2026

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