WPML REST API Translation Linking Issue – Custom GPT Translations via Make.com

This thread is resolved. Here is a description of the problem and solution.

Problem:
You are using Make.com to automate translations via the WordPress REST API and GPT API for custom localization, but the translated articles are not linking to their original English posts in WPML. The translations object is empty, and manual updates using the WPML API do not establish the connection.
Solution:
Currently, WPML does not fully support creating and linking translations directly through the REST API. You can specify the language using the '?lang=' parameter when creating a post, but additional steps are required to link translations. A custom solution involves:
1. Creating the first post in one language using a standard API POST call.
2. Creating the second post in another language using another API POST call.
3. Linking both posts using a custom endpoint. Here is a code example provided by another user that might help: https://gist.github.com/djoo/5518bcf4ccef93ab83d91787c41e929a
Additionally, you can utilize WPML hooks for more functionalities:

Always ensure to have a backup when implementing custom code.

If this solution does not resolve your issue or seems outdated, we recommend checking related known issues at https://wpml.org/known-issues/, verifying the version of the permanent fix, and confirming that you have installed the latest versions of themes and plugins. If further assistance is needed, please open a new support ticket at WPML support forum.

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Tagged: Custom Work

This topic contains 1 reply, has 0 voices.

Last updated by jeony 2 weeks, 2 days ago.

Assisted by: Dražen.

Author	Posts
March 15, 2025 at 12:53 pm #16819824
jeony	Background of the issue: I am using Make.com to automate translations via the WordPress REST API and GPT API to generate custom translations instead of using WPML's built-in translation services. While I have successfully posted the translated content via the API, the translated articles are not linking to their original English posts in WPML. I checked the original post’s trid using WPML API and found the translations object is empty. I posted the translated content via API and checked WPML again, but the response still shows no connection. I tried manually updating the translation connection using the WPML API, but there was no change. I am using GPT API for custom localization based on each country’s audience, which WPML’s built-in translation system does not allow. Make.com is being used for automation, and without proper WPML linking, I cannot efficiently manage multilingual content. The expected outcome is for the translated post (22014) to be linked under translations in the response from the WPML API. Symptoms: The translated post (22014) is not appearing under translations in WPML, and the translations object is empty. Questions: Why is WPML not linking the translated post to the original post? Is there an additional API call needed to establish the translation connection? Are there known limitations when using REST API to create WPML translations? What is the correct way to link translations programmatically using WPML’s API?
March 17, 2025 at 8:02 am #16823240
Dražen Supporter Languages: English (English ) Timezone: Europe/Zagreb (GMT+02:00)	Hello, thanks for contacting us. Creating post and page translation using Rest API is not tightly integrated with WPML yet. You can use the language parameter to create a translation (?lang=fr) however, it will still need some custom work to connect the translation with the original content of the post/page. There is a custom workaround a WPML user shared before sometime ago. other users reported that is working great, but keep in mind that this is not coming from WPML so we cannot support it: Finally i created a custom endpoint to link the 2 translations. This is my code : hidden link So the process is : 1- create the first post in language 1 (classic API POST call) 2- create the second post in language 2 (classic API POST call) 3- link both (custom endpoint) Hope is gonna help people You can use our hooks to add a few more functionalities: - https://wpml.org/wpml-hook/wpml_set_element_language_details/ (connecting translations) - https://wpml.org/documentation/support/wpml-coding-api/wpml-hooks-reference/ NOTE: While this is a great workaround always have a backup in place when using custom code either provided by us or another member of this forum. Regards, Drazen
March 22, 2025 at 6:07 am #16846873
jeony	thx