When you register as a seller, the first language you register is your default language.
Etsy automatically translates listings for shoppers based on their region regardless of your default language. However, if text you’ve added to your listings isn’t in your default shop language, your items may not be properly indexed in search.
To change your default language, first you’ll need to go through the process of adding translations to your shop in your preferred language. Etsy Support will only be able to change the default language of open shops once this translation process has been completed.
How to prepare your shop to update your default language
To update your shop's default language, make sure that you have all the information on your shop translated into that language. You’ll need to add the new language as a translation of your shop, and add translations in your shop information and in each listing.
When Etsy Support updates the default language of your shop, what you wrote in the translation fields for that language becomes the new default copy for your shop.
First, update the languages available for your shop:
- Sign in to Etsy.com and go to your Shop Manager.
- Go to Settings.
- Select Languages and translations.
- Choose Manage languages.
- Toggle on the languages you’d like to use in your shop.
- Choose Save changes.
Next, if you’ve created any shop sections, edit them in the Sections area of your Languages and translations page.
Make sure that any content written in your shop’s About section is translated to your new default language as well.
Then, add your new default language of your listings:
- From the Shop Manager, go to your Listings.
- Navigate into each listing.
- Scroll to the Translations section at the bottom of each listing page.
- Update the title, description, and tags for the language you want to use as your shop default language. Once Etsy Support updates your default language, what you add in these fields will be the main descriptors for this listing.
To ensure that your shop is in the correct language, you need to add the translation to your expired, sold out, and inactive listings as well. Your listings need to be published and active in order to edit them. Alternatively, you can delete listings you no longer need.
Sold out listings:
- Open the listing.
- Scroll to the Translations section at the bottom of the page.
- Add translations to title, description, and tags.
- Choose Renew.
- Choose Manage at the top right.
- Choose Deactivate.
Draft or inactive listings:
- Open the listing.
- Scroll to the Translations section at the bottom of the page.
- Add translations to title, description, and tags.
- Select Publish, then select Publish again.
- Choose Manage at the top right.
- Choose Deactivate.
Last, add the language of your shop information:
- From the Shop Manager, choose Settings.
- Choose Languages and translations.
- Update your shop information for the language you want to use as your shop default language.
- Select Save changes.
Once you add the copy in the language you want to use as your shop default language for all sections of your shop, contact Etsy Support. If all the required changes have been made, the agent can update your default shop language.