[Resolved] Translated taxonomies are not used in the automatic translation
This thread is resolved. Here is a description of the problem and solution.
Problem: You are using WPML with the WP Recipe Maker plugin on your recipe website and have translated taxonomies like 'Ingredient Unit' from English to German. However, when using automatic translations for recipes, some taxonomy terms such as 'tsp' to 'Esslöffel' are not correctly translated in the recipes, displaying the original term instead.
Solution: The issue arises because the WP Recipe Maker plugin stores ingredients and units as strings in the post meta (custom fields) rather than using taxonomy terms directly. To resolve this, you should: 1. Add the ingredient terms to the WPML glossary using the Advanced Translation Editor. This ensures consistent translation across your recipes. Learn more about managing glossary entries here: WPML Glossary Management. 2. Alternatively, you can manually link the custom field values to the translated taxonomy terms using the
get_term_by('slug' or 'name')
function and the wpml_object_id filter to display the correct translated term.
Please note that the solution might be irrelevant if it's outdated or not applicable to your specific case. If these steps do not resolve your issue, we highly recommend checking related known issues at WPML 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 with us for further assistance.
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"tsp" and "Wraps" are actually automatically translated. The Dummy translation engine, activated on the sandbox site, translates the content by prefixing "de" to the translated string. Furthermore, those values are considered custom fields. You can see what I'm referring to in the screenshots you attached in your last reply. The WP Recipe Maker plugin operates in a non-conventional way. I'm consulting our second-tier supporters about this case. I'll update you here once I have their reply.
Our second-tier supporter was unable to reproduce the problem. For him, things work as expected. Here is what he wrote.
1. I installed the package.
2. Following the documentation you provided, I enabled the classic WP UI for taxonomies and enabled the archive for ingredients
3. I translated "Wraps" with "DE Wraps" in WPML > Taxonomy translations.
4. I translated the recipe and reviewed the automatic translation
Results:
5. If I go to the Recipe fields and switch to DE, I can see the ingredient "DE Wraps"
6. If I go to recipes, I'll see both recipes
7. And if I edit the DE one, I can see the ingredient listed
Please see the attached screenshots.
Note: "DE" is just a pseudo translation to test this issue.
Our second-tier supporter followed the guide at hidden link word by word and was unable to replicate the issue.
Our second-tier supporter further suggested and asked the following"
1. Could you please confirm that this is what you were trying to achieve?
2. Perhaps the issue was that the translation wasn't reviewed or published, so the ingredient wasn't published.
3. Perhaps it was due to the classic WP UI for taxonomies, as they explicitly mention it in their "Using WPML Automatic Translation" section.
Could you please see if this information helps you to solve this issue? Maybe you have missed something?
We also recommend you try to get support from WP Recipe Maker. You can show them this thread. Maybe they will be able to figure out what went wrong in your case.
It's not working.
Has the second-tier supporter also tried to translate the ingredient unit "tsp" with "Esslöffel"?
I've tried doing it the exact same way the second-tier supporter has done it. So the classic WP UI for taxonomies and enabled the archive for ingredients and ingredient units are enabled...
Our second-tier supporter has found the reason why this problem happens. He explains the following.
I investigated the issue and found that it is related to how the WP Recipe Maker plugin stores ingredients in the database.
The ingredients (wprm\_ingredient) and ingredient units (wprm\_ingredient\_unit) are handled as taxonomies. When you create a recipe, these terms are used as suggestions that you can select.
However, once the recipe is created, the ingredients and units (wprm\_ingredients) are actually saved as strings in the post meta (custom fields), rather than directly using those taxonomies.
In summary:
- The taxonomies (ingredients and units) are linked to the recipe as reference terms.
- The actual data displayed in the recipe is stored in a custom field (`wprm_ingredients`), which is set as translatable.
Currently, you are translating taxonomies through Taxonomy Translation, while custom fields are translated using ATE (Advanced Translation Editor).
To ensure the ingredient names are translated consistently in the recipes, the recommended solution is to add these ingredient terms to the WPML glossary.
I tested this approach, and it works as expected.
Please read about the Advanced Translation Editor's glossary here.
Hi Itamar,
So with the glossary approach, it works for me now to get the correct terms for the translated taxonomies.
Now I do have a couple of hundred taxonomies that I've already translated with the taxonomy translation feature. Is it possible to import these entries into the glossary?
Will there be any technical issues with that high number of glossary entries?
In the documentation that you've provided it says: "Add Only Critical Terms
Avoid overusing the glossary to define unnecessary terms. Only include terms that both human and AI translators might struggle to translate correctly, such as words with multiple meanings."
2. Edit the exported CSV file and adjust it to match the columns that are required for the CSV file for glossary terms.
You can download a sample glossary terms CSV file from WPML -> Translation Management -> Translation Tools -> Glossary. Please see the attached screenshot.
3. Import the adjusted file in WPML -> Translation Management -> Translation Tools -> Glossary.
Regarding your concern about the content in our documentation, there should be no issue with importing a large number of terms. However, please be aware of the following known issue.
Hi Itamar,
I've tried step 1.
"Export the recipes taxonomies with a plugin like WP Import Export Lite and our bridge plugin WPML Export and Import."
But with WP Import Export Lite I can't export the taxonomies. They're not displayed.
Is there a documentation on how to do it?
I just tested this on my local server. Unfortunately, it seems that with the WP Import Export Lite plugin, it is not possible to export the Recipe Maker taxonomies. However, I tested it with the hidden link">All Export premium plugin by Soflyy, and it is possible to export the Recipe Maker taxonomies. Please see the attached screenshot.
But to be honest, I'm not happy with the whole situation. I've spent many weeks on trying to make the German version of my website work with WPML. The WP Recipe Maker plugin I use is listed as compatible, but it still took us many days to make it work at all with automatic translations.
Besides the time I've spent so far, I'd need to buy another plugin now for approximately $ 200 to make something work that is supposed to work out of the box...
The other option is to create the glossary manually, which would take me another ~ 1-2 days...
And besides, I'd need to buy new credits for the translation because I've used them all for trying to make it work before...
What can you do about that?
I don't want to pay another 200 dollars...
I have a conclusion from our compatibility team. They explained that it's not possible to get the translation directly from the taxonomy term and use it as a string translation for the custom field. They further explained that the issue is from the plugin's logic (storing the taxonomy terms inside a custom field instead of using the term relationship). Therefore, this issue should be reported to the plugin's support team, along with an explanation of a possible workaround. (Although it is a resource-intensive one.)
1. Set the translation preference for this field to "Copy" (so it will receive the original value "Wraps").
2. Use get_term_by('slug' or 'name') to match the name and unit keys from the custom field with the taxonomy (wprm_ingredient and wprm_ingredient_unit) terms.
3. Once you get the term, use the wpml_object_id filter to get the translated term ID.
4. Display the translated term instead of the key from the custom field.
Can you please report this to them?
On our side, our compatibility team will also contact the authors of the WP Recipe Maker plugin.
Our compatibility team also emphasized that it is more of an improvement than a bug. They mentioned this to set expectations regarding the time it might take to fix this issue in the WP Recipe Maker plugin files.
I will also ask my superiors if we can compensate you with some automatic translation credits. I can see that overall, you spent 90348 credits on translating this site.
How many credits do you think you have lost because of this case?
