Changing the default language & Best practice for transferring/importing translations

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Last updated by benjaminA-35 2 months, 1 week ago.

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February 17, 2026 at 5:11 pm #17830006
benjaminA-35	Hi WPML Support Team, I hope you’re doing well. I have two questions regarding WPML and the Advanced Translation Editor: 1) Changing the default language Currently, we have a default language (e.g., German) and use it as the single source of truth for our pages. Translations (e.g., English) are created via the Advanced Translation Editor. We are now considering switching the default language — meaning the translated English version should become the new primary/default language, and the previous default (German) should become secondary. What is the recommended and safest approach to do this without breaking translation relationships, SEO, or content integrity? 2) Best practice for transferring/importing translations In some cases, we maintain pages that function like templates. When we release updates, client websites should be able to adopt the new version. What is your recommended workflow to: • transfer translations between sites, or • import/export translations efficiently, • while keeping WPML translation links intact? Is there an official or best-practice method you recommend for this scenario? Thanks a lot for your guidance! Best regards, Benni

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February 17, 2026 at 5:11 pm #17830006

benjaminA-35

Hi WPML Support Team,

I hope you’re doing well.

I have two questions regarding WPML and the Advanced Translation Editor:

1) Changing the default language
Currently, we have a default language (e.g., German) and use it as the single source of truth for our pages. Translations (e.g., English) are created via the Advanced Translation Editor.

We are now considering switching the default language — meaning the translated English version should become the new primary/default language, and the previous default (German) should become secondary.

What is the recommended and safest approach to do this without breaking translation relationships, SEO, or content integrity?

2) Best practice for transferring/importing translations
In some cases, we maintain pages that function like templates. When we release updates, client websites should be able to adopt the new version.

What is your recommended workflow to:
• transfer translations between sites, or
• import/export translations efficiently,
• while keeping WPML translation links intact?

Is there an official or best-practice method you recommend for this scenario?

Thanks a lot for your guidance!

Best regards,
Benni