Yoast SEO not detecting transition words in posts

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

Problem:
You are building a multilingual website using WPML and Yoast SEO. Everything works fine for posts in the site's default language (Portuguese), but for translated posts (e.g., English), Yoast SEO fails to detect transition words and other readability checks, despite the WPML SEO plugin being installed and active.
Solution:
We recommend checking the profile screen of each user (Users -> Profile) and ensuring that the option 'Set admin language as editing language' is selected. This setting should resolve the issue as the admin language will then always match the language of the post being edited. Additionally, we have published an erratum regarding this issue, which you can find here: https://wpml.org/errata/yoast-seo-readability-analysis-can-provide-false-positives-when-your-display-language-does-not-match-the-post-language/.

If this solution does not apply to your case, or if it seems outdated, we highly recommend checking related known issues at https://wpml.org/known-issues/, verifying the version of the permanent fix, and confirming that you have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

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Tagged: Compatibility

This topic contains 26 replies, has 0 voices.

Last updated by Itamar 7 months ago.

Assisted by: Itamar.

Author	Posts
September 10, 2025 at 7:57 pm #17392224
santiagoS-18	Hi Itamar, Thank you for your reply and for rebuilding the sandbox site. I would like to clarify the issue again. It occurs in the Yoast analysis when posts can be written in multiple languages. In other words, we need to use WPML to have this functionality of multiple languages on the site, allowing the language to be set per post. What we have noticed, and would like your help to try to adjust, is that the Yoast readability analysis fails—specifically in the points I’ve already mentioned—when the language of the post being analyzed is different from the language set in the user profile panel. As I mentioned, to reproduce this scenario it is necessary to have WPML activated so that it is possible to define the language for the posts. I hope this helps reproduce the issue. Best regards, Santiago
September 11, 2025 at 8:40 am #17393216
Itamar WPML Supporter since 02/2016 Languages: Hebrew (עברית ) Timezone: Asia/Jerusalem (GMT+03:00)	Hi, Santiago. To fix something related to WPML, we must have the exact steps to replicate the problem. However, as I mentioned, I'm unable to reproduce this issue. I recorded a video. Please watch it here: hidden link Are you able to replicate the issue and provide me with the exact steps? Can you record a video like mine and show me the problem? You can use the free online screencast service Komodo - hidden link. Regards, Itamar.
September 11, 2025 at 6:12 pm #17395417
santiagoS-18	Hi Itamar, Thank you for your reply and for recording the video. I recorded a video as requested to show the issue on my side: hidden link I apologize for the inconvenient background noises (I coughed during the recording). I hope the video is still clear enough for you to understand the problem. Please let me know if you need me to provide any additional details or screenshots to complement the video. Best regards, Santiago
September 14, 2025 at 5:57 am #17399636
Itamar WPML Supporter since 02/2016 Languages: Hebrew (עברית ) Timezone: Asia/Jerusalem (GMT+03:00)	Hi, Santiago. Thanks a lot for the video. I'd hoped that you replicated the issue on the sandbox site I already created. However, I see you recreated it on a test site of yours. Could you please add the two posts in English and Portuguese to my test site? Add them here: hidden link. Then I'll be able to continue and consult our second-tier supporters about this problem. Regards, Itamar.
September 15, 2025 at 7:04 pm #17403813
santiagoS-18	Hi Itamar, Thank you for your reply. I tried to access the sandbox you shared, but unfortunately I’m not able to log in. Could you please provide me with the correct access credentials or a new link? Once I have access, I will add the posts in English and Portuguese as requested. Best regards, Santiago
September 15, 2025 at 7:21 pm #17403826
Itamar WPML Supporter since 02/2016 Languages: Hebrew (עברית ) Timezone: Asia/Jerusalem (GMT+03:00)	Hi, Santiago. This is the direct link to the sandbox site. hidden link After clicking, you will get this URL hidden link. However, you will notice the admin bar on the frontend, from which you can log in. Please see the attached screenshot. Regards, Itamar.
September 17, 2025 at 12:39 pm #17409662
santiagoS-18	Hi Itamar, Thank you for sending me the direct link. I was able to access the sandbox site and I have added the posts as requested. I also managed to reproduce the issue there, and the problem with the Yoast Readability Analysis still occurs under the same conditions I mentioned before. Best regards, Santiago
September 18, 2025 at 5:02 pm #17414338
Itamar WPML Supporter since 02/2016 Languages: Hebrew (עברית ) Timezone: Asia/Jerusalem (GMT+03:00)	Hi, Santiago. Thanks for replicating the issue on the sandbox site. I escalated this issue to our second-tier supporters and will update you when I have new information about this issue. I appreciate your patience. Itamar.
September 18, 2025 at 10:14 pm #17414904
santiagoS-18	Hi Itamar, Thanks for your reply. I really hope the second-tier team can address this soon, as it has already been more than a month and a half since I first requested WPML support. Last time, the delay from the team caused the sandbox to be lost, along with all the details I had carefully shared. Looking forward to your update. Santiago
September 21, 2025 at 8:36 am #17418785
Itamar WPML Supporter since 02/2016 Languages: Hebrew (עברית ) Timezone: Asia/Jerusalem (GMT+03:00)	Hi, Santiago. In the profile screen of each user (Users -> Profile), you will find the option 'Set admin language as editing language.' If this option is selected, then the problem with readability will not occur. The admin language will always change according to the language of the post being edited. I could confirm this on the sandbox site. Could you please check it on your site and also confirm? Regards, Itamar.
September 28, 2025 at 6:23 am #17438561
Itamar WPML Supporter since 02/2016 Languages: Hebrew (עברית ) Timezone: Asia/Jerusalem (GMT+03:00)	Hi, Update This issue has been escalated to our developers and will be fixed in future versions of the WPML SEO plugin. We will keep you updated on when the version with the fix is released. Please note that our developers and management determine the priority of this issue. Regards, Itamar.
October 8, 2025 at 2:09 pm #17467594
santiagoS-18	Hello! 'Set admin language as editing language.' did the trick! Thanks for the support. Best regards.
October 12, 2025 at 7:47 am #17477053
Itamar WPML Supporter since 02/2016 Languages: Hebrew (עברית ) Timezone: Asia/Jerusalem (GMT+03:00)	Hi, For the record, I want to mention here that we also published an erratum about this case: https://wpml.org/errata/yoast-seo-readability-analysis-can-provide-false-positives-when-your-display-language-does-not-match-the-post-language/. Regards, Itamar.