My website is not translated the way it should

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

Problem:
You are trying to translate your website's sections into French and German, but the pages are not translating correctly. In the translation editor, it either shows the translation as complete while still in English or displays no fields to translate.
Solution:
The issue was with the MU plugins interfering with the translation process. We resolved this by renaming the MU plugin file, which corrected the display of translated pages. To ensure all sections of your site are translated, such as the footer or header, follow these steps:
1. Navigate to the template of the section you want to translate (e.g., footer or header).
2. Click on 'update' to refresh the translations.
If you encounter similar issues or if the solution provided does not resolve your problem, it might be due to outdated methods or a different case scenario. 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 the issue persists, please open a new support ticket at WPML support forum for further assistance.

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Tagged: ATE, Compatibility

This topic contains 41 replies, has 1 voice.

Last updated by Paola Mendiburu 3 weeks, 5 days ago.

Assisted by: Paola Mendiburu.

Author	Posts
May 12, 2026 at 12:18 pm #18030324
Carlos Rojas WPML Supporter since 03/2017 Languages: English (English ) Spanish (Español ) Timezone: Europe/Madrid (GMT+02:00)	Thanks to you for your understanding! I will keep you updated on the evolution of this ticket.
May 14, 2026 at 12:47 pm #18035821
Carlos Rojas WPML Supporter since 03/2017 Languages: English (English ) Spanish (Español ) Timezone: Europe/Madrid (GMT+02:00)	Hi again, Our 2nd tier specialists need a site copy to escalate this ticket to our compatibility team. I kindly ask you to share a copy of the site in your next message, which I have set private.
May 17, 2026 at 7:02 am #18040838
hassanM-11	Hi Carlos, We cannot create multiple copies of website, its over 150GB each. They can use the same staging site that you have access to. Please share access with them and do the needful. Thank you
May 18, 2026 at 9:48 am #18042254
Carlos Rojas WPML Supporter since 03/2017 Languages: English (English ) Spanish (Español ) Timezone: Europe/Madrid (GMT+02:00)	Hi there, Thank you very much for your message I have updated our 2nd-tier specialists with your latest message.
May 20, 2026 at 5:18 am #18047201
hassanM-11	Hi Carlos, Is there an update? Thank you
May 20, 2026 at 9:09 am #18047887
Carlos Rojas WPML Supporter since 03/2017 Languages: English (English ) Spanish (Español ) Timezone: Europe/Madrid (GMT+02:00)	Hi, Our 2nd tier specialists are already working on this ticket. Keep in mind that this is a very time-consuming task, so it might take a while. Please share the FTP credentials in your next message. Our 2nd-tier specialists need them to debug the issue.
May 25, 2026 at 5:36 am #18057225
hassanM-11	Hi Carlos, Is there an update? Please let me know. Thank you
May 25, 2026 at 8:38 am #18057468
Carlos Rojas WPML Supporter since 03/2017 Languages: English (English ) Spanish (Español ) Timezone: Europe/Madrid (GMT+02:00)	Thank you for sharing the credentials requested. I have forwarded them to our 2nd-tier specialists. I will get back to you as soon as I get more information from them.
May 26, 2026 at 10:52 am #18060587
Carlos Rojas WPML Supporter since 03/2017 Languages: English (English ) Spanish (Español ) Timezone: Europe/Madrid (GMT+02:00)	Hello, Our 2nd-tier specialists checked the issue further and found the cause. Your site is using a custom MU plugin called `optimize-elementor-meta.php`. This custom code removes certain Elementor custom fields — including `_elementor_data` — when post meta is requested to optimize performance. However, WPML needs access to the `_elementor_data` field during the translation process so it can copy the original Elementor content and apply the translated texts correctly. Because this field is being stripped out by the custom plugin, WPML cannot process the translation properly. To resolve the issue, please temporarily disable or remove the `optimize-elementor-meta.php` MU plugin and then test the translation again. The issue should be fixed once `_elementor_data` becomes available normally. Please let me know how it goes after testing. Regards, Carlos
June 2, 2026 at 5:27 am #18074399
hassanM-11	Hi Carlos, Since you already have access to our website and staging site. Please do the needful and help us solve the issue. Thank you and Best Regards
June 2, 2026 at 5:30 am #18074402
Carlos Rojas WPML Supporter since 03/2017 Languages: English (English ) Spanish (Español ) Timezone: Europe/Madrid (GMT+02:00)	Hi, I can't disable the MU plugin on the production site. If you don't know how to do it, then you should contact your hosting provider, who is probably the one who added the plugin.
June 2, 2026 at 8:46 am #18074727
hassanM-11	Its been a month struggling with you guys and paying for the stupid service that doesn't works. This is a live site, we are relying on you. People are not finding accurate information and our business is affecting badly because of this bad service. Our patience is over. On a high priority basis, please address the following issue for us. We need the website header (mega menu) and footer fully translated into the following four languages: Arabic Azerbaijani Russian French Currently, these sections remain in English when switching languages, and this needs to be fixed. We are not sure of the technical approach required, but we kindly request you to handle it in the best possible way. You have full authority to make the necessary changes on the website, and we confirm that a complete backup has already been taken. Our requirement is simple: 👉 The mega menu and footer must be fully multilingual across all four languages. Please prioritize this task and update us once it has been completed or if anything is needed from our side. Thank you
June 2, 2026 at 4:28 pm #18076596
Carlos Rojas WPML Supporter since 03/2017 Languages: English (English ) Spanish (Español ) Timezone: Europe/Madrid (GMT+02:00)	Hi there, I completely understand your frustration, and I want to assure you that we're doing our best to help resolve this issue. Regarding the MU Plugins, the limitation is not due to a support policy on our side. Technically, we cannot disable MU Plugins from our end unless we have direct file-level access to the site. In most cases, MU Plugins can only be disabled by the hosting provider or by someone with access to the server files. If you're unsure how to disable them, I recommend contacting your hosting provider and asking them to temporarily disable the MU Plugins for troubleshooting purposes. Alternatively, if you can provide FTP credentials for the production site, we may be able to check whether it's possible to disable them directly through file access. To keep your information secure, I have enabled a private reply for your next message, where you can safely share the FTP details if you're comfortable doing so. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. I look forward to your reply and will be happy to continue investigating this with you. Kind regards, Carlos
June 10, 2026 at 1:32 pm #18093596
Carlos Rojas WPML Supporter since 03/2017 Languages: English (English ) Spanish (Español ) Timezone: Europe/Madrid (GMT+02:00)	Thank you for sharing the FTP credentials. I have sent them to our 2nd-tier specialists.
June 11, 2026 at 5:59 am #18095154
hassanM-11	Hi Carlos, Do you have an update for us? Its been more than a month trying to solve this issue but its still there with no change at all. Please update Thank you