Quote marks displaying as double arrows

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

Problem:
If you're experiencing an issue where quote marks in English ("like this") are displaying as double arrows in Spanish («like this») on your website, the problem might be related to the translation files in WordPress rather than the Advanced Translation Editor (ATE).
Solution:
We recommend the following steps to resolve this issue:
1. Run the following query in your database manager:

UPDATE `wp_icl_mo_files_domains` SET `last_modified` = 1 WHERE `last_modified` IS NOT NULL

2. Navigate to WPML > Theme and plugin localization.
3. Run the process that indicates changes were detected in .mo files, ensuring to scan the "WordPress" context. For more details, check this documentation.
4. Go to WPML > String Translation.
5. Search for "«", open the string, remove the translation, and use the button to copy the original.
6. Search for "»", open the string, remove the translation, and use the button to copy the original.
7. Visit the front-end of your site to confirm the changes.

If this solution does not apply to your case, or if it seems outdated, we highly recommend checking related known issues at https://wpml.org/known-issues/, verifying the version of the permanent fix, and confirming that you have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

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 26 replies, has 2 voices.

Last updated by jeffJ-5 3 years, 2 months ago.

Assisted by: Osama Mersal.

Author	Posts
July 25, 2022 at 9:27 pm #11736617
jeffJ-5	Perfect, thank you.
July 26, 2022 at 10:18 am #11740547
Osama Mersal WPML Supporter since 02/2020 Languages: English (English ) Arabic (العربية ) Timezone: Africa/Cairo (GMT+03:00)	Hi, I've checked the issue and found that when using automatic translation, the quotation marks are turned into arrows, but they work correctly when translated manually using the Advanced Translation Editor. That's why the issue doesn't happen on the staging site. For example, please check this page. (hidden link) Currently, I'm consulting our ATE team regarding the issue, and I'll update you as soon as I get their reply. Thanks for your cooperation and patience Regards, Osama
July 26, 2022 at 10:50 pm #11745827
jeffJ-5	Ok, thank you for the update.
July 27, 2022 at 9:36 am #11749017
Osama Mersal WPML Supporter since 02/2020 Languages: English (English ) Arabic (العربية ) Timezone: Africa/Cairo (GMT+03:00)	Hi, Thanks for your patience. Our 2nd tier support team has found that the issue is not related to ATE but WordPress translation. The es_ES.mo file contains a translation for the quote, which translates it to the angular quotation mark. They were able to fix the issue by the following workaround: 1- Run the following query in your database manager UPDATE `wp_icl_mo_files_domains` SET `last_modified` = 1 WHERE `last_modified` IS NOT NULL 2- Go to WPML > Theme and plugin localization 3- Run the process that says that there were changes detected in .mo files and make sure to scan the "WordPress" context (Kindly check this hidden link) 4- Go to WPML > String Translation 5- Search first for "«" 6- Open the string, remove the translation and use the button to copy original 7- Search now for "»" 8- Open the string, remove the translation and use the button to copy original 9- Visit front-end (hidden link) Would you please let me know if these steps helped you fix the issue? Thanks for your cooperation Regards, Osama
July 27, 2022 at 4:32 pm #11752785
jeffJ-5	Thank you for those instructions. We will follow these instructions and get back to you to confirm in a few days. Our developer is out of the office until Monday.
July 27, 2022 at 4:33 pm #11752789
Osama Mersal WPML Supporter since 02/2020 Languages: English (English ) Arabic (العربية ) Timezone: Africa/Cairo (GMT+03:00)	Hi, Sure, please take your time and let me know if these steps fixed the issue. Thanks, Osama
August 2, 2022 at 12:33 am #11780499
jeffJ-5	Hello Osama, We have followed the instructions, but we are still stuck. In Step 1, our wp_icl_mo_files_domains table is empty, so that command doesn’t do anything. Then in step 3, there’s nothing to run because it doesn’t say that any changes have been detected. And then Steps 5-8, when we search for the double angle quotes, « and », we get zero results for either one. What do you recommend now?
August 2, 2022 at 8:29 am #11783069
Osama Mersal WPML Supporter since 02/2020 Languages: English (English ) Arabic (العربية ) Timezone: Africa/Cairo (GMT+03:00)	Hi, This issue happens because of the default WordPress translation file (es_ES.mo); hence the translation of the quotes are double arrows. Kindly check this page. (hidden link) I suggest importing the WordPress default file to your language folder inside the wp-content folder and editing it to fix the issue. Thanks, Osama
August 2, 2022 at 6:39 pm #11787893
jeffJ-5	Thanks for your quick reply. We've modified the es_ES.mo file, and it seems to be working correctly now. We are not sure, however, what the longer-term implications of this change will be. When updates to the site are made in the future (either to the WPML plugin or WordPress core code), will the changes we've made to the file be maintained, or is there a chance it will be overwritten?
August 2, 2022 at 6:43 pm #11787909
Osama Mersal WPML Supporter since 02/2020 Languages: English (English ) Arabic (العربية ) Timezone: Africa/Cairo (GMT+03:00)	Hi, It's great to hear that the issue seems to be fixed. 🙂 WPML shouldn't overwrite this edit, but I'm not sure if updating the WordPress core will change it, but you know the fix now and can do it if that happens. I hope this helps you. If you need further info, please let me know. Best regards, Osama
August 9, 2022 at 12:20 am #11827433
jeffJ-5	Thanks for your help!