How to import and export translations
Sometimes you want to work with translations outside the app — to hand them to a translator, edit them in a spreadsheet, or keep a backup. Lokalize's Import / Export page lets you export your translations as CSV and import them back in.
This feature is in Beta
Export translations
- Open Lokalize → Import / Export and select the Export Translations tab.
- Choose a resource type and a language.
- Click Export CSV.
Lokalize builds the file as a background job and takes you to the Job Detail page. When it's ready, a Download CSV button appears.
- The download link expires in 7 days.
- The file is named
translations-YYYY-MM-DD.csv.
Screenshot pending
Export tab with resource type and language selected
Import translations
- Open Lokalize → Import / Export and select the Import Translations tab.
- Click Download template CSV to get a correctly formatted sample file.
- Fill in your translations, then upload the file (
.csv, up to 10 MB). - Review the preview — it shows total rows, valid rows, skipped rows, and an estimated word count.
- Click Import to start the job. You'll be taken to the Job Detail page to track progress.
Screenshot pending
Import tab showing the validation preview with row counts
CSV format
Your CSV needs these columns:
| Column | Notes |
|---|---|
resource_type | e.g. PRODUCT |
resource_id | a Shopify GID, e.g. gid://shopify/Product/123456789 |
target_locale | must be a published or AI-enabled language on your store |
key | the field being translated, e.g. title |
source_value | the original text (for reference) |
translated_value | your translation |
content_type | the field's content type |
A few rules:
- Only rows with a non-empty
translated_valueare imported. Rows without a translation are skipped (and counted under "Skipped"). resource_idmust start withgid://.target_localemust match a language that exists on your store.- Save the file as CSV with UTF-8 encoding so non-Latin scripts aren't corrupted.
Import and export cover a wide range of resource types — products, collections, pages, blogs, articles, menus, metafields, metaobjects, shop, email templates, theme locale content, and more.