Translation Managers problem

This thread is resolved. Here is a description of the problem and solution.

Problem:
The client is managing a multilingual news website and encountered issues where the translation '+' button was disabled for authors and editors, displaying a message indicating lack of rights to translate from Turkish to Armenian. Additionally, the client was unable to add an author to the Translation Managers.
Solution:
We recommended the following steps to resolve the issue:
1. Disable all plugins except for those related to WPML from the WordPress Dashboard > Plugins, to check if the issue is caused by a plugin conflict. Reactivate them one by one to identify the problematic plugin.
2. Temporarily switch to a default WordPress theme, such as 'TwentySeventeen', via WordPress Dashboard > Appearance > Themes, to rule out theme-related issues.
3. Ensure that authors and editors are correctly assigned to translate specific pages or posts:
- Navigate to WPML → Translation Dashboard.
- Select the page or post and assign it to an author.
- Have the author log in and go to WPML → Translations to translate the assigned content.

If these steps do not resolve the issue, we may need to request temporary access to your site to investigate further. Please ensure to back up your site before making changes, using tools like UpdraftPlus.

If this solution does not apply to your case, or if it seems outdated, please check the related known issues at https://wpml.org/known-issues/, verify the version of the permanent fix, and confirm that you have installed the latest versions of themes and plugins. We highly recommend opening a new support ticket for further assistance at WPML support forum.

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Tagged: Documentation request

This topic contains 8 replies, has 2 voices.

Last updated by artakG 5 months ago.

Assisted by: Kor.

Author	Posts
October 7, 2025 at 10:05 pm #17465488
artakG	Background of the issue: I am trying to manage a multilingual news website with Turkish as the default language and Armenian as an additional language. I added authors and editors to Translation Managers to enable them to translate articles. I followed a guide and made changes to class-wpml-translation-roles-records.php because I couldn't add them via the regular user dropdown in Translation Managers. [link] Symptoms: The translation '+' button is disabled for authors and editors, showing the message: 'You don't have the rights to translate from Turkish to Arm.' Additionally, I still can't add one of the authors to the Translation Managers by any means. Questions: Why is the translation '+' button disabled for authors and editors? How can I successfully add an author to the Translation Managers?
October 8, 2025 at 1:11 am #17465620
Kor	Thanks for contacting us. I suspect the issue is caused by another plugin or perhaps the theme. Please try the following steps and see if it helps: 1. Disable all the plugins except the WPML related ones from your WordPress Dashboard > Plugins and see if the issue is gone, if so, activate one plugin at a time until the culprit one is found. 2. Temporary change to a default WordPress theme such as the ‘TwentySeventeen’ theme from your WordPress Dashboard > Appearance > Themes menu. If the issue persists, I would need to take a closer look at your site. So I would need to request temporary access (WP-Admin and FTP) preferably to a test site where the problem has been replicated if possible in order to be of better help and check if some configurations might need to be changed IMPORTANT: Please, note, a backup is required for security reasons, and to avoid any data loss, you can use the https://wordpress.org/plugins/updraftplus/plugin for these backup needs. Your following answer will be private, which means only you and I have access to it. ✙ I would need your permission to de-activate and re-activate Plugins and the Theme and to change configurations on the site if required. This is also a reason the backup is critical.
October 9, 2025 at 12:56 am #17469264
Kor	Thanks for your reply. Sorry, I can't open the login page as shown in the attached screenshot. Could you check?
October 9, 2025 at 9:27 pm #17473059
artakG	The website login issue has been resolved, please try again.
October 10, 2025 at 12:50 am #17473202
Kor	Thanks for your reply. I'm still getting the same error. Could you please share the login URL with me?
October 10, 2025 at 8:18 am #17473680
artakG	Sorry to hear that. Our hosting provider blocked access for several countries. Could you tell me your country, I'll ask them to open access for you. I tried to login from USA using VPN, and it worked normally. If you have VPN, you can also try with it. Thanks.
October 10, 2025 at 11:40 am #17474324
artakG	Try to connect again please.
October 10, 2025 at 5:17 pm #17475433
Kor	Thanks for your reply. I’ve checked, and the configuration appears to be correct. Please note that authors and editors will only see the “+” button if they’ve been assigned to a translation. 1. Here are the correct steps to follow: 2. Go to WPML → Translation Dashboard. 3. Select the page or post and assign it to an author. 4. Have the author log in to the website and navigate to WPML → Translations. 5. The author can then translate the pages or posts assigned to them. Could you please let me know which author you’re having trouble assigning as a Translation Manager?
October 10, 2025 at 7:28 pm #17475573
artakG	Until now, the button shown in the screenshot wasn’t there, or maybe I hadn’t noticed it. I tried the method you suggested, but it redirected me to this page so I could add the authors as translators for those languages. Once I did that, the “+” icon became active.
October 10, 2025 at 7:29 pm #17475588
artakG	Thank you for the prompt and detailed support. Thanks to your guidance, I was able to correctly configure the translator permissions, and the “+” button became active. I appreciate your help and quick responses.