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Create Multilingual Events Using The Events Calendar and WPML

Dario
Updated
October 18, 2024

The Events Calendar allows you to easily create and manage events on your WordPress website. For each event, you can set a venue, organizer, time and date, and many other options. We’ll show you how to build a multilingual events calendar.

Event list in the default language

Event list in the secondary language

Getting Started

Start by installing and activating the following:

If you’re new to WPML, check out our Getting Started Guide. It quickly walks you through different translation options you can use.

Translating Venues and Organizers

With WPML, you can choose from two different translation methods:

You can translate Venues and Organizers in the same way you would translate custom post types. In the example below, we’ll show you how to translate Venues by yourself:

  1. Go to Events → Venues and click the plus icon next to the venue you want to translate.
Clicking the plus icon to translate a venue
  1. You’ll be taken to the Advanced Translation Editor. If you have translation credits, you can translate your content automatically. Otherwise, input the translations for each line and click Complete when you’re done.
1 / 1 – Translating venues in the Advnaced Translation Editor
Translating a venue with the Advanced Translation Editor

You can now view your translated venue on the front-end:

Translated venue on the front-end

You can also choose to translate your posts, pages, and custom post types in bulk from the Translation Management Dashboard.

Translating Event Categories and Tags

WPML allows you to translate your categories, tags, and custom taxonomies in different ways. In the example below, we’ll show you how to translate Event Categories from a central menu:

  1. Go to WPML → Taxonomy Translation and use the dropdown menu to select the taxonomy to translate. Here, we’re selecting Event Categories.
  2. Click the plus icon to add your translation and then press Save.
Translating Event Categories from a central menu

Translating Events

You can translate Events the same way you translate Venues and Organizers:

  1. Go to Events and click the plus next to the event you want to translate.
Clicking the plus icon to translate Events
  1. You’ll be taken to the Advanced Translation Editor, where you can input your translations. When you’re done with them all, click Complete.
Translating an event in the Advanced Translation Editor

You can now view your translated event on the front-end:

Translated event on the front-end

Translating Time and Date Formats

Make sure you’re using valid date formats for your translation. You can find a list of date and time formats on the Formatting Date and Time page.

You can set a different time and date format for each language:

  1. Go to Events → Settings and click on the Display tab. In the Date Format Settings section, choose your preferred settings.

To translate the time and date format:

  1. Go to WPML → String Translation and try searching for the Date string. A dropdown called Can’t find the strings you’re looking to translate? will appear. Expand the dropdown and click on Choose texts for translation.
Locating the strings to translate

2. In the Admin Texts Translation table, check the boxes next to the date_format and time_format strings. Click Add to String Translation, and then « Return to String Translation. In the example below, we’re selecting the strings for date_format:

Adding the date_format strings to the String Translation table

3. On the main String Translation page, you should now be able to see the time_format and date_format strings. To add your translation, click on the plus icon under the language you want to translate the format into.

Using String Translation to translate the time and date format

If you can’t find the strings you’re looking to translate, take a look at our page about finding strings that don’t appear on the String Translation page.

Translating the Events (Listing/Archive) Page

Before starting, navigate to the WPML → Settings page and scroll down to the Post Types Translation section. Make sure that the Events custom post type is set to Translatable – only show translated items.

Once you add the events listing shortcode to a page and translate it, you can view your translated events listings page on the front-end:

Viewing the translated events listing page on the front-end

Translating Texts from the Filter Bar Add-On

The Events Calendar Pro plugin allows you to add filters to your events listing/archive page with the premium Filter Bar add-on. You can translate the texts from the Filter Bar add-on by going to WPML → String Translation and selecting tribe-events-filter-view from the In domain dropdown menu.

To learn how to translate these texts, jump over to the section of this documentation page about String Translation.

Translating the Venues and Organizer Listing Page

To create a venue or an organizer listing page, install and activate the The Events Calendar Extension: List Venues/Organizers shortcodes plugin.

Once you translate your page with the shortcode, you can translate the additional strings. In the example below, we’ll show you how to translate the strings from the Venues listing page:

  1. Go to WPML → String Translation and use the search bar to find your strings. Here, we’re searching for the upcoming events string.
  2. Click the plus icon to add your translation and then hit enter to save it.
Translating strings from the Venues listings page

You can now view the translation of your Venues listing page on the front-end:

Viewing the translated Venues listing page on the front-end

Translating Other Texts from The Events Calendar Plugin

In addition to the content coming from events on your site, there are usually some texts coming from other places. These additional texts usually come from your theme and plugins.

To learn how to translate these texts, read our documentation page about String Translation.

Getting Help

If you need help translating your site built using The Events Calendar and WPML, visit WPML’s support forum.