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WPML 4.9 – Better Automatic Translation Control and Enhanced Compatibility

WPML versions
6

WPML 4.9 improves translation functionality for WordPress sites. You can now see automatic translation costs and time estimates, fix stuck jobs with one click, easily translate custom Elementor widgets, and more.

Here’s what’s new in WPML 4.9:

Reliable Automatic Translation at Any Scale

Upfront Translation Costs and Time Estimates

WPML now calculates the exact credits needed before you send content for automatic translation. If you don’t have enough prepaid credits or Pay-As-You-Go set up, translations won’t start. The interface will guide you through the options to continue translating.

WPML Translation Dashboard insufficient credit notifications
Payment options when you don’t have enough credits

And that’s not all—when you send content for translation in bulk, you’ll see progress and an estimated time remaining at the top of the Translation Dashboard. With WPML 4.9, you always know what’s happening, so even big jobs run smoothly without guesswork.

One-Click Fix for Stuck Translation Jobs

Large sites translating bigger volumes of content sometimes experienced stuck translation jobs. In WPML 4.9, we’ve improved how WPML communicates with the Advanced Translation Editor, so these issues should happen less often. 

If a job does get stuck, a new Resend button appears in the Translation Dashboard to restart them with one click. In case you need to contact support, error messages now include all the technical details your Supporter needs to help you right away.

Resend stuck translation jobs via the Translation Dashboard

Enhanced Compatibility With Themes and Plugins

Full Support for Divi 5 and Custom Elementor Widget Translation

We asked you to help us test both Divi 5 compatibility and custom Elementor widget support in WPML 4.9 beta. After your feedback and more testing from our team, both features are stable in WPML 4.9.

Divi 5

All known compatibility issues are fixed. Update to Divi 5 safely—your multilingual website will work smoothly with the newest Divi version.

Custom Elementor widgets

Widgets from third-party themes and plugins like Woodmart, Wolmart, and Emphires are automatically detected. No XML configuration needed. Translate them from the Translation Dashboard – they’ll also appear for translation in the Advanced Translation Editor.

Translate JavaScript Strings From Third-Party Plugins or Themes

Some themes and plugins store text in JavaScript files instead of PHP. WooCommerce Cart and Checkout blocks are common examples. 

While translations are usually included for widely spoken languages like Spanish, less common languages are often left out. WPML couldn’t scan these files before, so parts of your site could remain untranslated for some visitors.

WPML 4.9 adds a Detect strings in JavaScript files option in WPML → Settings. Enable it, scan your theme or plugin, and translate all strings via the Other texts (Strings) section in the Translation Dashboard. 

Option to detect Javascript strings for translation in WPML Settings
Enabling the option to detect strings in JavaScript files

This way, your visitors get a truly multilingual experience, whether they speak Spanish, Latvian, or any other language.

See the full documentation about translating strings in JavaScript files.

Better Performance and Stability With Object Cache

If you run a large site, you probably use object caching like Redis or Memcached to improve performance. Until now, using object caching with WPML could cause issues with translations not updating, post status not syncing between languages, or reviewed translations not saving properly.

WPML 4.9 fixes these issues. We’ve tested with Redis, Memcached, and other common caching solutions to ensure translations work reliably in object-cached environments. You can now use object caching on large multilingual sites without affecting translations.

How to Start Using The New Features in WPML 4.9

We’re releasing WPML 4.9 gradually. When the update becomes available to your site, you’ll see it on your Plugins page. 

If you want to install WPML 4.9 right away:

1

In your site’s admin, go to Plugins → Add New Plugin and click the Commercial tab.

2

Click the Check for updates button.

3

Select WPML 4.9 and String Translation 3.5 from the list and click Install. Several features in WPML 4.9, including the option to translate JavaScript strings, require String Translation 3.5 to work.

Changelogs

Tell Us About Your Experience

We built WPML 4.9 around your feedback. Now that you’ve seen what’s new, we’d love to hear how it’s working on your site.

What’s improved for you? What features would you like to see next? Leave a comment below.

6 Responses to “WPML 4.9 – Better Automatic Translation Control and Enhanced Compatibility”

  1. I have a completely new website, where the WPML Setup is stuck at the 4. AI-Translation step, is this a bug? Just let us skip that stuf nobody wants…

    Reply

    • Hi Tobias,
      The AI Translation step in the setup is a required step. Simply enter what your site is about and who your audience is, then you’ll be able to save and close this step and continue with.
      This ensures that PTC, our AI translation engine, can deliver excellent translations if you decide to use it later.

      If you’re still having trouble after completing the step, please open a support ticket.

      Reply

    • Hi Ryan,
      We include fixes to a few accessibility issues in each WPML version, and we’re not currently planning a separate release. In WPML 4.9, for example, we improved language switcher accessibility for better screen reader support and keyboard navigation. Are there any specific updates to accessibility you’re interested in?

      Reply

      • Thank you for your quick reply. Yes, there is accessibility error we are receiving that is being flagged on our site. We are seeing this:

        .wpml-ls-item-legacy-dropdown > .js-wpml-ls-item-toggle.wpml-ls-item-toggle[title=”Switch to English(English)”] > .wpml-ls-native[role=”menuitem”]

        Which should be role=”menu”

        Is there a way to change the role for WPML? We need it to say role|menu and not menuitem. Or can you point me in the direction to where I can fix this in the PHP files?

        Thank you

        Reply

        • Thank you for your detailed reply, Ryan.

          I’ve shared your comment with our development team, and they would like to look into this further. Could you please create a support ticket so a member of the team can investigate the accessibility role issue and help you get it resolved?

          Reply

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