[Escalated to Compatibility team] import of wpml translations
This is the technical support forum for WPML - the multilingual WordPress plugin.
Everyone can read, but only WPML clients can post here. WPML team is replying on the forum 6 days per week, 22 hours per day.
Elementor users - please update WPML to the latest version to maintain compatibility. More details here - https://wpml.org/changelog/2024/12/wpml-4-6-15-critical-update-for-elementor-sites/
Background of the issue:
I am working on a site under development and trying to import translations using WPML and native woo importer. The importer is asking for field mapping of the _wpml_* fields
Symptoms:
The importer is asking for field mapping.
Questions:
How do I map fields for importing translations in WPML?
before your ticket is assigned to one of my colleagues, please allow me to walk you through some initial debugging steps. This will help speed up the support process.
You can use our plugin, WPML Export and Import, which adds compatibility with the native WordPress importer and native WooCommerce importer.
you can find that step documented here, on the toggle called "Example Scenario: Using the Built-in WooCommerce Importer".
Confirm that all CSV fields are mapped to products, and that WPML Export and Import added language information labeled as Import as meta data. Click Run the importer.
I managed to import two files: The first import created a Woo product in language EN. I checked the product and it was all good. Everything in EN. WPML showed that the standard language was EN.
Afterwards I imported the second file, with the DE translations, and finally I ran the WMPL export and import. No erros shown. Afterwards, when checking the product, I noticed that the main language of the product was changed to DE and also WPML showed that the standard language was DE. No EN language/texts to be seen.
My intention is to have EN as standard product language and DE as the translated language. What did I do wrong ?
My goal is to set English (EN) as the default product language, with German (DE) as the translation. What might I have done wrong?
I noticed that the default language of your WordPress site (hidden link) is currently set to German. Because of this, you will need to follow the translation process from German (DE) to English (EN).
Our suppliers often only have product descriptions in EN, therefore we need to be able to import (hundreds of) products in EN and afterwards step by step (and when time permits) translate the product texts to DE.
How can we do this without changing the default language for our facing webshop customers ? I don't understand why these two things are related. We should be able to import products (in draft mode) in language x and then translate to DE, and then publish the product(s).
Our suppliers often only have product descriptions in EN, therefore we need to be able to import (hundreds of) products in EN and afterwards step by step (and when time permits) translate the product texts to DE.
That's not how WPML works. Currently, you need to follow the process of translating from your default language to your secondary language. With the upcoming version of WPML 4.7, you can translate from another secondary language to a secondary language or default language.
I don't understand why these two things are related. We should be able to import products (in draft mode) in language x and then translate to DE, and then publish the product(s).
A workable solution for now would be to open WPML -> Translation Management and
switch the language on the top bar to English. It works technically to create posts in a second language - the problem currently is that if you create a post in a second language, then it will not automatically trigger translations in "translate everything" mode - said, if you have two authors in different languages, and you expect everything to be translated automatically then "Translate everything" appears not yet to handle all that on its own, and the admin has still to get proactive. Therefore, we don't recommend that option officially.
Yes, especially with automatic translation. The release data is unclear yet; there is no ETA, as it's still in development. You can follow our blog to see once the first beta is available.
We’re unsure of the exact timeline. The release will happen once everything is finalized, but if any major issues arise today, it could be delayed. As a result, we cannot provide a specific date at this time.
Ok, so it will take years for rel. 4.7 to be released.
After deleting my test product I ran a new import which created the product in DE. Checking the product and content, it looked ok. Everything was DE.
Afterwards I imported the EN translations of the same product (putting a tick in the box "Existing products that match by ID or SKU will be updated") and when checking the product I now see all product texts are now in EN. So same issue as first reported, just the opposite way. Running the WMPL export import didn't change this issue, other than removing the product from the list when viewing products as an administrator in DE.
