change language selector text

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

Problem:
You want to change the language selector text on your homepage by removing the parentheses from the language names in the language selector widget. For example, changing 'Português (Portuguese)' to 'Português'.
Solution:
We recommend two options to address this issue:
Option 1:
1. Navigate to WPML >> Languages >> Custom Language Switcher section.
2. Click on the Customize Button.
3. Uncheck either of the checkboxes:
- Native language name
- Language name in current language
4. Press the Save button to remove the second name which is inside brackets.

Option 2:
If you prefer to display both names but without the brackets, you can add the following CSS to the Custom CSS section of your theme:

.wpml-ls-item span.wpml-ls-bracket {<br />    visibility: hidden !important;<br />}

If this solution does not apply to your case, or if it seems outdated, we highly recommend checking related known issues at https://wpml.org/known-issues/, verifying the version of the permanent fix, and confirming that you have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. Should you need further assistance, please open a new support ticket at WPML support forum.

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

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Tagged: Documentation request

This topic contains 3 replies, has 1 voice.

Last updated by danielA-97 9 months, 3 weeks ago.

Assisted by: Noman.

Author	Posts
July 11, 2025 at 11:42 pm #17229513
danielA-97	Background of the issue: I want to change the language selector text on my homepage. Specifically, I want to remove the parentheses from the language names in the language selector widget. For example, I want it to display 'Português' instead of 'Português (Portuguese)'. I edited it and it did not delete the parentheses. Symptoms: The language selector widget on my homepage displays language names with parentheses, such as 'Português (Portuguese)'. Questions: How do I change it?
July 12, 2025 at 10:57 am #17230058
Andreas W. WPML Supporter since 12/2018 Languages: English (English ) German (Deutsch ) Timezone: America/Lima (GMT-05:00)	Hello, Thank you for reaching out! You can use the language switcher settings to exclude language names from the switcher: https://wpml.org/documentation/getting-started-guide/language-setup/language-switcher-options/#add-language-switcher-menu Here you can enter the settings for your currently active language switcher and customize, if you want to display a flag, the language name in the current language, and the native language name. If you want to change the language names, then you can do this at WPML > Languages > Edit languages. Best regards Andreas
July 14, 2025 at 12:07 am #17231494
danielA-97	I see where I can edit, but how do I get rid of the parentheses? Where is that option to delete it? see image
July 14, 2025 at 10:47 am #17233078
Noman	Hi, Thank you for contacting WPML Support. WPML shows parentheses to distinguish two words, there are two options in this case: Option 1: 1. Go to WPML >> Languages > Custom Language Switcher section. 2. Click on the Customize Button as you can see in the attached screenshot. 3. Uncheck either of the below checkboxes: - Native language name - Language name in current language 4. Press the Save button and it will remove the second name which is inside brackets. Option 2: If you want to display both names then you should be able to remove brackets by adding the below CSS: .wpml-ls-item span.wpml-ls-bracket { visibility: hidden !important; } In the Custom CSS section of the theme, it will look as in the attached screenshot. Please let me know if this resolves the issue or if you need further assistance with this issue. Thank you
July 17, 2025 at 3:42 pm #17247061
danielA-97	That worked. Thank you!