This thread is resolved. Here is a description of the problem and solution.
Problem: The client was experiencing an issue where after updating a page in Elementor and saving the translation in WPML, the translation status reverted to a gear icon with the message 'English translation assigned to local translator' instead of showing the updated pencil icon. This issue persisted even after rolling back WPML versions and cancelling stuck translation jobs. Solution: We recommended the client to update WPML to the latest version and disable all plugins except for WPML plugins and Elementor, and switch to the parent Astra theme. The client was advised to make a small change in the default language page, save it, and then open and save the translation in the WPML Translation Editor. This step was to help confirm whether the issue was related to a plugin conflict or something within the translation workflow itself. After these steps, the client reported that the issue was resolved by making a small change and updating the page using Quick Edit, which restored WPML's change detection and normal behavior.
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Apologies for the delay in running the test. I am currently preparing for a move, so it took a bit longer to complete the rollback and testing.
I completed the rollback test on staging with the following versions:
WPML CMS 4.7.6
String Translation 3.3.0
Media Translation 2.7.7
WooCommerce Multilingual 5.4.5
The test steps:
Edited a Dutch Elementor page (Privacy Statement).
WPML correctly showed the “refresh translation” icon.
I opened the translation editor and saved the translation.
After saving, the translation status changed back to the gear icon with the message: “English translation assigned to local translator.”
So the exact same issue still occurs even with the older WPML versions.
This suggests the issue is not related to the WPML 4.8 media changes.
Could this be related to a stuck translation job or translation management assignment in the database?
Just to make sure I understood the issue correctly: it seems that the problem is related to how the content/translation is being handled after the update, translation is not saved and shows gear icon, correct?
To investigate this further, we would also need to check your WPML Debug Information.
You can obtain it here:
WPML → Support → Debug Information
Please click “Copy to clipboard” and paste the full content in debug form bellow.
I have added the full WPML Debug Information from the staging site in the debug field below, as requested.
Additional context about the issue:
When I update the original (Dutch) page, WPML correctly shows the “refresh translation” icon.
However, after opening the translation editor and saving the translation, the translation status changes back to a gear icon, and the following message appears:
“English translation assigned to local translator.”
The translation never returns to the normal pencil (up-to-date) status.
This behaviour occurs consistently.
For testing purposes, we rolled back WPML to the following versions on the staging site:
WPML CMS 4.7.6
String Translation 3.3.0
Media Translation 2.7.7
WooCommerce Multilingual 5.4.5
The issue still occurs with these versions.
Before running the tests, I cancelled the existing translation jobs that were stuck in the system. After cancelling them, the gear icons disappeared and were replaced by refresh icons in the Pages overview.
I have attached a screenshot showing the refresh icons in the page overview, as this gives a clearer visual indication of the behaviour.
Below is the WPML Debug Information from the staging site where we performed the rollback test.
Please let me know if you need any additional information.
Thank you for the detailed explanation and for sharing the debug information.
From what I understand, the issue is still reproducible on the staging site even after rolling back WPML versions and cancelling existing jobs.
To further narrow this down, could you please try the following:
- Update WPML to latest versions (4.9.2)
- Disable all plugins except WPML plugins and Elementor and use parent Astra theme
- Make a small change in the default language page (for example, update the title) and save
- Open the translation in the WPML Translation Editor and complete/save it again
Then check if the translation still goes back to the gear icon with the message “translation assigned to local translator” instead of showing the pencil (up-to-date) status.
This will help us confirm whether the issue is related to a plugin conflict or something within the translation workflow itself.
Let me know the results and we’ll continue from there.
I wanted to share a clear update following the tests you asked me to perform.
On the staging site, after setting up a clean environment and testing with the correct plugin versions, WPML behaved normally. The issue could not be reproduced there.
On the live site, the problem started after a combination of extensive Elementor edits, SEO optimizations, and string cleanup. At one point I accidentally used a different WPML translation interface icon instead of editing via the page overview. From that moment on, WPML stopped detecting changes made in Elementor and the translation status became inconsistent (e.g. gear icons, updates not being recognized).
After various tests, the issue was resolved by triggering a WordPress-level save using Quick Edit (small change → update). This restored WPML’s change detection and normal behavior.
One important observation: duplicating the page did not resolve the issue, as WPML translation relationships remain tied to the original post ID.
At this point, the live site is functioning correctly again and translations are updating as expected. I will now proceed with updating WPML and related plugins.
If you have any insight into why WPML stopped detecting Elementor changes (possibly related to save hooks or translation job state), I’d be very interested to understand this better.
Thank you for the detailed update, it’s very helpful.
To be honest, I’m not fully sure about the exact steps that you did that might led to this behavior, some of the info is unclear to me. However, mixing different translation methods (e.g. WPML Translation Editor vs. manual editing or other workflows) can sometimes cause inconsistencies like the ones you described.
In general, it’s important to stick to a single workflow for example, always using the WPML Translation Editor rather than switching between methods (manual, duplicate, WP editor etc) as this can affect how WPML tracks changes and translation status.
I’m afraid I can’t provide a definitive explanation in this case. It likely relates to how the save hooks or translation job state were triggered, but without clear reproduction steps, it’s difficult to confirm.
I’m glad to hear everything is working correctly again now. 🙂
