With millions of customers across the globe, Amazon aims to provide a seamless shopping experience regardless of language or location. However, you may sometimes find that your Amazon site displays in an unexpected language.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk through how to update your language settings on both the Amazon website and mobile apps.
Why Change Language Settings on Amazon?
There are a few key reasons you may want to manually update the language displayed on Amazon:
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Relocated or traveling: If you move countries or are visiting a different region, changing your Amazon language ensures you can easily understand product listings and descriptions.
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Multilingual households: For multilingual families or partners, selecting multiple interface languages on the same account grants flexibility.
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Website/app issues: VPN connections, third party sites linking to Amazon, or glitches can cause unintended language changes.
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Seller accounts: For Amazon sellers, setting the correct primary language is crucial so your listings display properly across marketplaces.
So whether you simply prefer shopping on Amazon in your native tongue or need to troubleshoot an inexplicable case of sudden Spanish settings, adjusting your preferences is a breeze.
Let’s dive in!
How Amazon‘s Multilingual Platform Evolved
Since first expanding beyond the US in the late 1990s, Amazon has rapidly scaled internationally to capture wider market share.
Their approach? Localizing websites and products to overcome barriers facing global ecommerce.
According to Amazon‘s 2021 SEC filings, over 60% of total unit sales now flow from international segment operations spanning:
- Canada
- UK
- Germany
- France
- Italy
- Spain
- India
- China
- Japan
- Australia
Supporting 18 separate marketplaces globally, Amazon currently localizes its interface into:
- English
- Spanish
- Simplified Chinese
- Brazilian Portuguese
- German
- French
With over 200 million international monthly visitors as of 2021, translating listings and user preferences remains crucial for growth.
For customers, this grants accessible, personalized shopping without language getting lost in translation. Sellers also tap exponentially larger pools of foreign buyers.
Now let‘s examine how customers adjust these translation preferences.
How to Change Language on the Amazon Website
The Amazon website automatically assigns a default language depending on your set country. Here‘s how to update it:
Step 1: Log Into Your Amazon Account
Sign into your account in the top right corner of Amazon.com:
Be sure you are logged into the correct account if you have multiple.
Step 2: Locate the Country Flag Icon
Find the flag icon next to your account icon after logging in:
This displays your currently set country.
Step 3: Click on the Country or Language Dropdowns
When you select the flag icon, two dropdown menus appear – Country/Region and Language:
Use these menus to choose your preferences.
Step 4: Save Changes
Once happy with your country and language selections, click the “Save changes” button at the bottom:
Give the page a quick refresh and it should now display in your chosen language!
Troubleshooting Problems Changing Language
If you still don’t see your language after updating, try these troubleshooting tips:
- Double check VPN settings are disabled/set to actual location
- Clear browser cookies and cache
- Use a different web browser
- Try changing country first before language
- Contact Amazon Customer Service
This should solve most minor glitches preventing a language swap.
But what about households needing to switch between multiple preferences? Let‘s explore setup for that next…
Configuring Multiple Languages Across Accounts
For multilingual families or partners sharing Amazon logins, designating account-level languages grants helpful flexibility.
Rather than constantly updating global preferences, save distinct languages to each:
To enable multiple account languages:
- From the country drop-down, choose "Add address"
- Enter details to create a new country profile
- Switch between profiles from the initial menu
When toggling accounts, simply refresh to load the associated language without disrupting anyone else‘s shopping!
This localization layering empowers seamless browsing for polyglots. Plus simplifies purchases across borders for expatriate friends/relatives.
Now, onto modifying languages specifically within mobile apps…
How to Change Language on the Amazon Mobile App
Modifying your preferences via the Amazon shopping app for iOS or Android platforms takes just a few taps:
Step 1: Open the Main Menu
After logging in, tap the “≡” menu symbol to open the main sidebar:
This “hamburger menu” grants access to account settings.
Step 2: Select “Country & Language”
Scroll down and choose the menu option showing a little flag icon:
Here you can pick default selections.
Step 3: Choose New Country or Language
Toggle to your desired country in the top menu, then pick a language below it:
Tip: Try changing country first if your language is missing.
Step 4: Hit “Done” to Confirm Choices
Finalize your preferences by tapping Done to save changes:
The Amazon app should now display products, account details, and more in your selected vernacular!
Troubleshooting App Language Problems
Still seeing the incorrect lingo? Attempt these app troubleshooting steps:
- Force close and restart the Amazon app
- Update app to latest version
- Clear app cache/data
- Verify device language settings
- Try a different internet connection
- Contact Amazon Customer Service
Mobile applications add further complexity, but a few targeted tweaks typically remedy quirks.
With settings configured on web and mobile, what causes unexpected language fluctuations? Let‘s find out…
Why Does My Amazon Language Keep Changing?
Frustrated that your Amazon site keeps reverting to another language unprompted?
A few common scenarios can alter your preferences without intention:
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Third party links: Clicking an Amazon link on another site opens a different localized site.
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Amazon seller accounts: When visiting a seller’s store page, their account’s default language may override.
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Device language or VPNs: Your gadget settings or VPN assign location and language automatically.
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Browser caching: Cached data/cookies related to other regional Amazon sites persists.
Cleaning up the following fixes many instances randomly switching languages:
- Refresh page or site to override cached versions
- Verify VPN app country/language settings
- Clear browser history/caches/cookies
- Ensure device language set properly
But another key driver bears focusing on – seller language configurations. Let‘s explore best practices there…
Setting Primary Language as an Amazon Seller
As an Amazon seller operating across multiple countries, clearly communicating your product details is critical for conversions.
You must designate a single primary language for listings across marketplaces. This guides translation services to preserve proper context.
To set your seller account‘s primary language:
- Under “Account Settings”, choose "Account Info"
- Locate the "Primary Language" dropdown
- Select your most comfortable writing language
This language will also display first across your listings. Ensure it fits your largest customer base.
Quality Control for Multilingual Listings
Next, preview your active listings and product pages across each marketplace:
- Do titles, descriptions and back-end keywords translate well?
- Do listings legally and culturally comply in every country?
- Will localized translations increase conversions?
Watch for issues like:
- Errors from automatic translations
- Product specs formatted incorrectly
- Missing local certification requirements
- Listing content restrictions by region
If anything seems off, request corrections from translation services within Seller Central.
With consistent, quality translations tailored to each region, you maximize global sales potential while minimizing customer confusion!
Leveraging Amazon’s Languages to Learn
Beyond functionality, did you know active language learners can leverage Amazon‘s interface for studying?
The site‘s expansive product vocabulary makes authentically reading listings powerful for building shopping-related lexicon.
Tips for language learners include:
- Adding Kindle books or audiobooks in target language
- Exploring product reviews to grow conversational understanding
- Noting product listing phrasing for niche terminology
Toggling settings to Spanish, Chinese, or beyond turns routine browsing into customizable lessons for beginners to advanced.
Let’s Recap Changing Languages on Amazon
Switching the primary display language on Amazon is a cakewalk whether shopping on desktop or mobile.
To recap, you can update country and language via:
- The flag icon after logging into Amazon on web
- The “Country and Language” menu within the mobile app
Remember to troubleshoot issues like VPN connections throwing settings off. Also confirm translations remain clear as an Amazon seller operating cross-border.
We covered a ton of ground customizing languages across Amazon platforms. So don’t hesitate to ask follow-up questions below!
