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Updated
September 20, 2023

WordPress recently introduced the concept of Site Editing (formerly known as Full Site Editing or FSE). With the Site Editor, you can build every part of your site using blocks when you use a compatible block theme.

On This Page:

Translating the Site Editor Content

The Site Editor (also known as Site Editing) is WordPress’s long-term vision for building sites, expanding the block editor to eventually be able to build headers, footers, widgets, templates, and more.

Because WPML has already been compatible with the Gutenberg block editor since it was first introduced, you can count on WPML to be fully compatible with the Site Editor.

Read more about translating content created using the Gutenberg Editor.

Translating the Site Editor Templates

WordPress 5.9 introduced templates to the Site Editor. These templates come from one of the compatible block themes. You can access your site’s templates by going to Appearance → Editor and clicking the WordPress logo in the upper left corner.

The list of templates shipped with the Twenty Twenty-Two theme

Before you can translate a Site Editor template, you first need to save it. 

This requires you to edit the template by making a small change to it or by customizing it. Alternatively, you can create new templates.

It’s important to note that any changes you make to a template apply to any page or post assigned to it.

Editing a template

Once you edit a template and save it, those changes are saved to your site’s database. This means that you can translate the edited templates by going to WPMLTranslation Management. Choose the Template post type from the dropdown menu, and select the templates you would like to translate. Then, choose how you want to translate it.

Translating an edited and saved template using Translation Management

Just like with any other post type, you can choose to translate it automatically, translate it yourself, assign it to a translator, or send it to a professional translation service.

You can also follow the steps above to translate Template Parts, such as the Header or Footer.

Translating Menus in Site Editor Templates

With the Site Editor, you can add a menu into any template using the Navigation block. However, when you send your template (or template parts) for translation, it does not include the items from your menu. 

You need to send the Navigation block to translation separately. This allows you to “translate” the menu links, ensuring they point to the translations of your posts, pages, and other menu items.

To do this:

  1. Go to WPML → Translation Management and use the Type dropdown menu to choose Navigation Menu.
  2. Select the Navigation Menu you would like to translate and choose how to translate it. Depending on how many translators you have on your site, you can choose between assigning the translations to a translator or translating by yourself
Sending the Navigation Menu to translation from Translation Management
  1. From WPML → Translations, click the Translate button next to the Navigation Menu you want to translate.
  2. This takes you to the Advanced Translation Editor. In the upper left corner, search by “https” to find all the links menu items. Then, input the corresponding URL of your secondary language posts or pages as the translation.
“Translating” the URLs of menu items into the secondary language

Translating Other Texts from Templates

Using WPML’s String Translation, you can translate some additional texts coming from the theme templates. This includes texts like:

  • The site’s tagline
  • Texts for the call to action buttons
  • Error codes or messages

 To start, register the strings for translation. You can do this by going to WPMLTheme and plugins localization and scan your theme for strings.

Scanning a block theme for template strings

After scanning your theme, go to WPMLString Translation and search for the text you want to translate. Then, click the plus sign to add your translations.

Translating the error message from the 404 template