Changing theme strings from English to English

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

Problem:
You are trying to change an English theme string from 'Price' to 'Minimum Price' using WPML, but are unsure if it's possible to translate English to English using an English .po file. You attempted to set a different language for the string and translate it back to English, but it didn't appear on the front end.
Solution:
1. Navigate to WPML > String Translation.
2. Select the strings you want to change/translate in the default language.
3. Assign a dummy language from the 'Change the language of selected strings' dropdown, allowing you to translate/change those strings in the default language. For more details, visit How to Change the Source Language of Strings.
If the string still doesn't appear, try these methods:
Method 1: Enable the 'Look for strings while pages are rendered' option at the bottom of the WPML > String Translation page, visit the front end where the string is displayed, then return to search for the string.
Method 2: If the string might be an admin text, follow the process described here: Translate Admin and Settings Strings and Finding Strings that Don't Appear on the String Translation Page.
Please note that if the strings originate outside of WordPress, WPML may not be able to detect or translate them.

If this solution does not resolve your issue or seems outdated, we recommend checking related known issues at https://wpml.org/known-issues/, verifying the version of the permanent fix, and confirming that you have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 the problem persists, please open a new support ticket at WPML support forum.

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Tagged: Exception

This topic contains 3 replies, has 1 voice.

Last updated by Dimitris 3 months ago.

Assisted by: Mihai Apetrei.

Author	Posts
November 23, 2024 at 3:24 pm #16436230
Dimitris	Background of the issue: I am building an English/German site using WPML. I know how to translate the English strings of my theme to German. I want to change an English theme string from 'Price' to 'Minimum Price' by translating English to English using an English po file. Symptoms: I am unsure if changing an English theme string to another English string can be done with WPML. Questions: Can I change an English theme string from 'Price' to 'Minimum Price' using WPML? Is it possible to translate English to English with an English po file in WPML?
November 24, 2024 at 7:38 am #16436709
Christopher Amirian Supporter Languages: English (English ) Timezone: Asia/Yerevan (GMT+04:00)	Hi, I will try to answer the question before assigning the ticket to one of my colleagues. 1. Go to WPML >> String Translation page. 2. Select the strings that you want to change/translate in the default language. 3. Assign a dummy language from the “Change the language of selected strings” dropdown, so that you can also translate/change those strings in the default language. Here is a doc for more details: https://wpml.org/documentation/getting-started-guide/string-translation/how-to-change-the-source-language-of-strings/ Thanks.
November 24, 2024 at 9:26 am #16436834
Dimitris	Hmm... I tried it but it didn't work. I set Albanian as the language for that string and translated it to English, but it doesn't show up in the front end. Please check the attached image. What did I do wrong? Thank you.
November 25, 2024 at 4:52 pm #16441373
Mihai Apetrei Supporter Languages: English (English ) Timezone: Europe/Bucharest (GMT+02:00)	Hi there, and thank you for the update. Certain strings may require a specific procedure to be located and translated. Moreover, the proper method for translating strings greatly depends on how they have been incorporated into the theme/plugin. IMPORTANT: Sometimes, there are even duplicates of the same string, and only one of them is the correct one that needs to be translated. This might be the case here: a different string might be the one that we are looking for and no the one that we focused on until now. Also, sometimes, simply removing the string (checking the box and removing it) and then re-registering it again by scanning for it (one of the methods below) and re-translating it resolves the issue. Please attempt both methods and check if either of them resolves the issue. Method 1: Navigate to WPML > String Translation, and at the bottom of the page, you will find a checkbox labeled "Look for strings while pages are rendered." You can enable (check) that option, then go to the front end to a page where the string is displayed, and afterward return to WPML > String Translation to search for that string and see if it now appears. Method 2: They might be included as admin text strings if you can't locate them within WPML > String Translation. This is the typical process for finding and translating admin text strings: https://wpml.org/documentation/getting-started-guide/string-translation/finding-strings-that-dont-appear-on-the-string-translation-page/#translate-admin-and-settings-strings Related documentation: https://wpml.org/documentation/getting-started-guide/string-translation/finding-strings-that-dont-appear-on-the-string-translation-page/ PS: There is also something important to mention; if the strings come from outside of WordPress, it would be impossible for WPML to see or translate them. Please keep me informed about your progress. Mihai Apetrei
November 26, 2024 at 11:15 am #16444326
Dimitris	Thank you very much! Method was needed. Have a nice day.