<b>Background of the issue: </b>
I am using WPML to auto translate my site, hidden link, into 7 more languages. I have existing translations: one done manually in the Classic editor and another with WPML auto translate. The Classic editor is active, and all necessary changes have been made manually.
<b>Symptoms: </b>
No specific issue or error message mentioned.
<b>Questions: </b>
1 - Can I temporarily switch from the Classic editor to the Advanced translation editor without affecting existing content?
2 - Will all content remain intact if I switch back to the Classic editor after auto translating?
3 - After that, can I manually update (change) all (auto) translations in the Classic editor if I change anything in the base language (EN)? It will not be locked in classic editor?
4 - Can I repeat the above mentioned process of auto translating for completely new content?
5 - how do I know how many more credits exactly I need to buy to do the translations?
Thank you for reaching out to WPML support. While one of my colleagues picks up this ticket, please allow me to answer your questions accordingly.
1 - Can I temporarily switch from the Classic editor to the Advanced translation editor without affecting existing content? Switching to the Advanced Translation Editor for both new and existing translations is not recommended if you’ve previously used the Classic Translation Editor. While the translated content will still appear on the frontend, it won’t be visible in the Advanced Translation Editor.
To make these translations available in the Advanced Translation Editor, you’ll need to either retranslate them automatically or copy and paste the existing translations manually.
2 - Will all content remain intact if I switch back to the Classic editor after auto translating? The translated content will remain visible on the frontend, it may lead to issues such as missing translations in the Classic Editor
3 - After that, can I manually update (change) all (auto) translations in the Classic editor if I change anything in the base language (EN)? It will not be locked in classic editor? The translations created with the Advanced Translation Editor will not sync with the content in the WPML Classic Editor. For this reason, we do not recommend switching between the two. It's best to choose either the Advanced Translation Editor or the Classic Editor and use it consistently for each translation.
4 - Can I repeat the above mentioned process of auto translating for completely new content? This is not recommended, as mentioned above, because switching between the Advanced Translation Editor and the Classic Editor may lead to translation loss or inconsistencies. It's best to choose one editor and use it consistently to avoid such issues.
5 - how do I know how many more credits exactly I need to buy to do the translations? You can use the WPML Translation Management section to get an approximate word count for your site. Then, you can use the WPML automatic translation pricing page https://wpml.org/documentation/automatic-translation/automatic-translation-pricing/ to estimate the total cost based on the number of credits needed for each translation engine
" It's best to choose either the Advanced Translation Editor or the Classic Editor and use it consistently for each translation."
I understand. We did choose classic editor when starting the site few years ago.
- But now we need those auto translations for new languages, as mentioned.
So, what approach do you recommend to achieve it? Goals are:
1.) Get auto translations for newly added languages
2.) Being able to edit all translations manually afterwards (old content and new auto translated content)
1.) Get auto translations for newly added languages You cannot enable the Advanced Translation Editor for only one language. Once you switch to the Advanced Translation Editor, you'll need to use this new editor for all translations. If your older languages are already using the Classic Translation Editor, the frontend content will remain, but you'll need to manually reinsert the translations into the Advanced Translation Editor if you wish to start editing it.
