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If you find that a taxonomy translation isn’t connected to its default language term, you need to edit the term in the secondary language. Then, use the Language box to connect the translation to the corresponding term in the default language.

To reconnect the taxonomy translations, follow these exact steps:

  1. Use the language switcher in the top admin bar to switch to the secondary language.
Using the language switcher to switch to the secondary language
  1. Go to Posts → Categories and click to edit the disconnected taxonomy term in your secondary language.
Editing the category in the secondary language
  1. At the bottom of the page, find the Language box. Choose the default language taxonomy term you wish to link this translation with. Click the Update button to save your changes.
Connecting the taxonomy translation to the default language term

Repeat these steps for any other disconnected taxonomy translations to ensure they’re all reconnected to their default language terms.

Why did my taxonomy translations end up disconnected?

Taxonomies may become disconnected from their translations for several reasons, for example, if you incorrectly create the taxonomy translations manually

Most commonly, disconnected taxonomy translations occur after importing taxonomies into a WordPress site. On their own, most import tools and plugins don’t have the ability to manage the connections between languages.

How can I prevent disconnected translations when importing taxonomy terms in the future?

To avoid disconnected translations in future imports of taxonomy terms, use the WPML Export and Import add-on with your import plugin. WPML Export and Import assigns language information to your taxonomies and links them to their translations after the import process.