To send Shopify order updates in your customer's language, create one approved WhatsApp template per language under the same template name, then choose the language code at send time from something the customer told you, like the language they checked out in. WhatsApp won't pick the language for you. You also need a written rule for customers whose language you don't support.
Say your store checks out in French and English, but every WhatsApp shipping update goes out in English. A customer in Lyon who bought in French gets a message that feels like it came from a different shop. It's a small thing that makes a support question more likely.
How do WhatsApp template languages work?
Meta treats each language as its own template. Its docs say template names "are not unique", which is what lets you create several templates with the same name in different languages. Each one counts against your template limit, which Meta sets at 250 per Messaging Account for unverified business portfolios and up to 6,000 for verified ones with an approved display name.
Every send names both the template and a language code. Meta's supported list includes codes such as en_US, en_GB, fr, ar, hi, pt_BR, es and id. Note that English US and English UK are separate codes. Pick one per store and stick to it.
Because each language version is a separate template, each has its own approval status. Your French version can be approved while the Arabic one is still in review. A template has to be APPROVED before it can be sent.
WhatFlow's templates work in any language WhatsApp supports, and you can keep several language versions of the same template.
Where should the language come from?
Use a preference you can explain and check. In order of how much I'd trust them:
