Automatic translation is not working

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

Problem:
You are experiencing issues with automatic translation not working on your live site using the WPML plugin, despite it functioning correctly on a development server. The main issue identified is that translated strings are not being saved to the database on the live server.
Solution:
We recommend checking the registration of your site with WPML. Each site (live, development, staging) should have a unique site key registered on WPML. Here are the steps to resolve the issue:
1. Visit https://wpml.org/account/websites/
2. If your live site URL is already registered, delete it from the list.
3. Re-enter the site URL to generate a new site key.
4. Click "Show key" and copy the new site key.
5. Go to your WordPress admin, navigate to Plugins > Install > Commercial (tab), and enter the new key to re-register WPML. If WPML is still registered, deregister it first.

If this solution does not resolve your issue or seems irrelevant due to being outdated or not applicable to your case, we highly recommend checking related known issues at https://wpml.org/known-issues/, verifying the version of the permanent fix, and confirming that you have installed the latest versions of themes and plugins. If problems persist, please open a new support ticket at WPML support forum for further assistance.

This is the technical support forum for WPML - the multilingual WordPress plugin.

Everyone can read, but only WPML clients can post here. WPML team is replying on the forum 6 days per week, 22 hours per day.

Tagged: Exception

This topic contains 11 replies, has 1 voice.

Last updated by carstenL-5 1 year, 1 month ago.

Assisted by: Andreas W..

Author	Posts
May 1, 2025 at 1:01 pm #16986370
carstenL-5	Background of the issue: I have integrated the WPML plugin on my site hidden link and I am trying to translate the pages. Symptoms: Automatic translation is not working. Questions: Why is the automatic translation not working on my site? How can I fix the issue with WPML not translating pages?
May 1, 2025 at 1:02 pm #16986585
carstenL-5	We have integrated the WPML plugin on our current live site (hidden link). However, when attempting to translate pages on the live site, the translation is not working. To resolve this issue, I have set up a development server (hidden link) and deployed the latest source code there. 1) Translation Test on Development Server I tested the translation of the front page on the development server, and the entire page content was successfully translated. Here are the links: Danish (Default Language): hidden link English: hidden link French: hidden link 2) Same Process on Live Server I performed the same process on the live server, but it did not work. The translated content does not appear. Here are the links: Danish (Default Language): hidden link English: hidden link French: hidden link 3) Caching Both the live and development servers have the WP Rocket cache plugin integrated. I have cleared the cache on both servers, but the translated strings still do not appear on the live site. 4) Database Entries I checked both databases to see if the translated strings were saved. On the development server, I found entries in the following tables: - wp_icl_string_translations - wp_posts Here is a screenshot showing the entries on the development server: hidden link However, on the live server, I found no entries for the translated strings in these tables. hidden link This indicates that the translated strings are not being saved to the database on the live server. 5) Console and Network Checks When saving translations via the WordPress admin, I checked the browser console and network tab for any AJAX errors. There were no errors, and the payloads and responses are identical on both the live and development servers. Summary Even though the codebase is identical on both servers, the translations are only working on the development server. The main issue is that translated strings are not being saved to the database on the live server, while they are on the development server. I want to resolve this issue on the live server.
May 3, 2025 at 5:12 am #16991366
Andreas W. WPML Supporter since 12/2018 Languages: English (English ) German (Deutsch ) Timezone: America/Lima (GMT-05:00)	Hello, According to our system, your dev site and the production site are registered using the same wpml.org site key. WPML must be re-registered after each website migration or after changing the domain or domain provider. 1) Go to https://wpml.org/account/websites/ 2) If the site URL (here live site) is already registered, delete it from the list. 3) Re-enter the site URL. This will create a new site key. 4) Click "Show key" and copy it. 5) Enter the key under Plugins > Install > Commercial (tab) to re-register WPML. If WPML is still registered there, deregister it first. If the problem persists, please let me know. Best regards, Andreas
May 5, 2025 at 11:13 am #16995799
carstenL-5	Hello Support Team, Thank you for your response. For your information: Our development server is: hidden link Our live server is: hidden link I have followed the steps you suggested in your previous reply: We have unregistered the key from the development server. I’ve attached a screenshot for your reference. We also re-registered wpml on the the live domain. However, the translation is still not working on the live site. The translated content is not being displayed in either English or French. I have tested both automatic and manual translations for the homepage, as mentioned in our previous conversation. We have been experiencing this issue for the past few days and, unfortunately, have not yet received a resolution. We kindly request your prompt attention to this matter and would appreciate it if you could provide a solution as soon as possible. Thank you for your support and understanding.
May 7, 2025 at 12:13 am #17003939
Andreas W. WPML Supporter since 12/2018 Languages: English (English ) German (Deutsch ) Timezone: America/Lima (GMT-05:00)	According to what I see on the system both sites still use the same site key. Did you make sure to register each site once on wpml.org and use each unique site ley respectively on each site in WordPress? To know if the site is registered correctly you need to go to WPML > Support > Installer Support and click "Check now". Please do this on each site and send me the screenshots of the results. The WPML Translation Editor will not operate unless WPML is registered.
May 12, 2025 at 1:36 pm #17023219
carstenL-5	Hello Support, As you suggested in our last chat, we have unregistered one site from this account. I have attached a screenshot for your reference. hidden link Now, only one site is registered to this account. Additionally, I have shared a screenshot for your reference to confirm that the site has been registered correctly. After completing all these steps, I cleared all language cache from the admin side and tried to translate the content on the homepage, but it is still not working for me. I have also shared a screen recording for your reference. hidden link
May 13, 2025 at 3:18 pm #17028828
Andreas W. WPML Supporter since 12/2018 Languages: English (English ) German (Deutsch ) Timezone: America/Lima (GMT-05:00)	According to our system, the following sites all use the same site key: URL: hidden link URL: hidden link URL: hidden link The key ends on *****Ey9y Further, searching on wpml.org I do not find any entries for: hidden link* hidden link hidden link Currently, it looks as if none of these sites is registered on wpml.org. You need to have one entry for each URL here: https://wpml.org/account/sites/ Each Site URL needs a unique site key. Use each unique key to register WPML on each site in WordPress.
May 19, 2025 at 2:32 pm #17048937
carstenL-5	Dear Andreas, I have deleted the non used links to site, and added our support (staging") site used for testing. It still does not translate. It shows the translation but seems not to show anything translated in the front end to the customers, which is a bit of a problem.... As you can see the products shown are translated but the content above is not. if you email me directly carsten@lemco.dk I can provide you a temporary access after I have made a backup as I really need this solved quickly, it has not worked for a long time and I am getting nuts. Can you assist ? Screensharing is possible ! Best regards Carsten Lemche
May 20, 2025 at 8:26 am #17051374
Andreas W. WPML Supporter since 12/2018 Languages: English (English ) German (Deutsch ) Timezone: America/Lima (GMT-05:00)	Hello, I would like to request temporary access (wp-admin and FTP) to the website to investigate the issue further. You can find the required fields below the comments section when you log in to leave the next reply. The information you provide is private, meaning only you and I can see and access it. IMPORTANT Please be sure to back up your website and database before granting us access. If you can't see the "wp-admin / FTP" fields, your post and website credentials will be set to "PUBLIC." DO NOT publish the data unless you see the required wp-admin / FTP fields. The private reply form looks like this: hidden link Click "I still need assistance" the next time you reply. Video: hidden link Please note that we are required to request this information individually on each ticket. We are not permitted to access any credentials that were not specifically submitted on this ticket using the private response form. Best regards, Andreas
May 20, 2025 at 1:17 pm #17052888
Andreas W. WPML Supporter since 12/2018 Languages: English (English ) German (Deutsch ) Timezone: America/Lima (GMT-05:00)	Please take a look at the screenshots. On our system, there is still a conflict as all sites use the same site key. Did you make sure to register each site with a unique site key?
May 21, 2025 at 9:11 am #17056030
carstenL-5	OK. Changed key on our staging site that is being used for testing in india. Clicking the staging / dev site would probably have made the trick too. I tried to verify which key is used on lemco.dk but I can just see it IS registred. I did try again to translate the frontpage on lemco.dk ( see screenhot) but it seems to be a mix of danish and English. Is there not a way to "retranslate" from the original language to English ? So I can forcen an update ? Best regards Carsten Lemche, ceo and developper.
May 21, 2025 at 10:40 am #17056521
Andreas W. WPML Supporter since 12/2018 Languages: English (English ) German (Deutsch ) Timezone: America/Lima (GMT-05:00)	It seems like making a small edit on the original content and applying the translation again, solved the issue now.
May 21, 2025 at 12:01 pm #17056998
carstenL-5	GREAT Andreas, YOU ARE A STAR ! Thanks !