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Updated
September 19, 2023

Canvas is an eCommerce theme by WooCommerce. It allows you to modify the design, layout, and typography through an easy to use options panel. Canvas integration with WPML allows you to build multilingual WooCommerce sites effortlessly.

Canvas theme is being discontinued – as long as WooThemes keep maintaining it we will support it too, but if you are using Canvas with WPML you should start thinking of another solution.

On This Page:

Getting started

Make sure that the Canvas theme is activated, by going to the AppearanceThemes page.

Make sure that the WPML Multilingual CMS, WPML String Translation, WPML Translation Management, and WPML Media Translation plugins are activated.

For a better translation experience with contents created using Visual Composer, activate WPML Translation Editor. To do this, go to the WPML → Settings page. There, check the Use the translation editor option under the How to translate posts and pages section and click Save.

Translating pages

With WPML, you can translate any types of contents in your site, including pages and posts. For an easy start, read our Getting Started Guide.

Translating Project pages and categories

Canvas theme comes with many custom content types like Project, Team Members, and Features. To translate Project items or any other custom content items, follow the same steps as for translating any other types of pages. Visit our documentation page for exact steps on translating the content yourself.

Click on the plus icon to translate the Project item

Project Categories can be translated while translating your pages, on the Translation Editor screen. There, you can translate the staff elements as well as your Staff Categories.

Translate the Project item and Save

Additionally, you can translate your Project Categories on the WPMLTaxonomy Translation page. Select the Project Categories from the drop-down menu and a list of your categories will appear. Click the “+” icon to translate a category for the respective language and use the dialog box that appears to add your translation.

Translate Project categories and tags from the Taxonomy Translation page

Keep in mind that the translations of categories are universal: if you make a change, they will be updated everywhere.

Translating texts from Canvas theme, plugins, and other places

Besides contents coming from posts and pages on your site, there are usually some texts coming from other places. Most common examples are themes and plugins.

To learn how to translate these texts, read our documentation page about translating strings.

Translating menus

With WPML, you can easily synchronize your language menus. For more information, please see our complete menus translation tutorial.

Translating sliders

Canvas comes with a custom slider. To translate the slider follow the steps below:

  1. Translate the slides by navigating to Slides in your WordPress dashboard.
  2. Click on the “+” icon to translate the slide.
Click on the “plus” icon to translate the slide
  1. Add your translated text and click on the Save & Close button
Translate the slide and save
  1. Translate the Slide Group by navigation to SlidesSlide Groups and click on the add link next to the language you want to translate your slide group into
Click on “add” link next to the language you want to translate your website into
  1. Add the translated text and Click on the Add New Slide Group button
Translate the Slide Group and click on the Add New Slide Group button
  1. Translate the page that includes the slider. This is how the translated slider looks on the front-end
The translated slider on the front-end

Translating WooCommerce elements using WCML

To translate everything that WooCommerce offers, download the WooCommerce Multilingual plugin (WCML) from your WPML account. Visit our dedicated WCML documentation to learn how to setup a multilingual store and translate your products, categories, variations, shipping classes and more.

Getting help

In case you need help translating your site built using Canvas and WPML, visit WPML’s support forum.

Need help with building and maintaining your site?

If you need help with building or maintaining your site, take a look at our list of WPML Contractors. They are experienced developers specialized in developing multilingual sites.