Theme translation

PrestaShop provides a built-in system for translating theme wordings into any language.

Adding translatable wordings

In Smarty templates, use the {l} function with the d (domain) parameter. All wordings must be written in English:

{l s='Read more' d='Shop.Mytheme'}

Replace Mytheme with your theme’s name.

The theme name in the domain must start with a capital letter and contain no other uppercase letters. Shop.Mytheme is correct; Shop.MyTheme is not.

Using placeholders

Use the sprintf parameter to insert dynamic values:

{l 
  s='%count% items in your cart' 
  d='Shop.Mytheme' 
  sprintf=['%count%' => $cart.products_count]
}

{l 
  s='Welcome, %firstname% %lastname%!' 
  d='Shop.Mytheme' 
  sprintf=['%firstname%' => $customer.firstname, '%lastname%' => $customer.lastname]
}

{l 
  s='We noticed a problem with your order. If you think this is an error, feel free to contact our [1]expert customer support team[/1].'
  d='Modules.Wirepayment.Shop'
  sprintf=['[1]' => "<a class='alert-link' href='{$contact_url}'>", '[/1]' => '</a>']
}

Translation domains

PrestaShop uses dot-separated domains to organize translations:

Domain	Purpose
`Shop.Mytheme`	Your theme’s custom wordings
`Shop.Theme.Global`	Shared theme wordings (core)
`Shop.Theme.Catalog`	Catalog-related wordings (core)
`Shop.Theme.Checkout`	Checkout-related wordings (core)
`Shop.Theme.Actions`	Action labels like “Add to cart” (core)
`Shop.Theme.CustomerAccount`	Account page wordings (core)

Use Shop.Mytheme for your own wordings. Core domains (Shop.Theme.*) are already translated in PrestaShop’s language packs. Reuse them when possible to get translations for free:

{* Uses existing PrestaShop translations, no need to translate yourself *}
{l s='Add to cart' d='Shop.Theme.Actions'}
{l s='No products available yet' d='Shop.Theme.Catalog'}

Translations in JavaScript

To use translated strings in your theme’s JavaScript, pass them from a Smarty template as JavaScript variables:

<script>
  var myThemeTranslations = {
    addedToCart: '{l s="Product added to cart" d="Shop.Mytheme" js=1}',
    confirmRemove: '{l s="Are you sure?" d="Shop.Mytheme" js=1}'
  };
</script>

The js=1 parameter escapes quotes for safe embedding in JavaScript strings.

Translating wordings in the Back Office

Translation involves two distinct steps in “International” > “Translations”:

Install languages

Under “Add / Update a language”, install the languages you want to support. This downloads PrestaShop’s official language packs, which include translations for all core domains (Shop.Theme.*).

Translate your theme’s wordings

Under “Modify translations”:

Select “Front office Translations” as the type.
Choose your theme and the target language.
Click “Modify”, a form appears listing all wordings found in your .tpl files.
Navigate to “Shop” > “Your theme name” in the left column to find your custom domain.
Fill in translations and save.

Repeat for each language you want to support.

Distributing translations

To distribute your theme with translations pre-installed:

In “International” > “Translations”, scroll to “Export a language”.
Select your theme and the language to export, then download the ZIP.
Extract it and place the .xlf files in your theme’s translations/ directory.

When you export your theme, the translations/ folder is included automatically.

See the Smarty helpers reference for the full {l} parameter list.