Translated stings replaced original ones!?

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

Problem:
The client discovered that all strings translated from English to Bulgarian were deleted and replaced by their translations, causing elements on English pages to appear in Bulgarian. The issue was also present on the staging site, ruling out a cache problem. Additionally, there was a concern about taxonomy translation where a sub-category was missing its parent category.

Solution:
1. We resolved the synchronization issue indicated by the warning at the top of the backend.
2. We navigated to WPML -> String Translation, searched for, and deleted the entries for 'grad'.
3. We went to WPML -> Settings -> Taxonomy translation, selected 'City', and added 'city' as a translation for the 'grad' slug, then saved the changes.
4. In the 'Real State' section under 'City', we fixed a sub-category that was missing its parent category in English.
5. We advised the client to follow these steps on the production site.
6. We also highlighted the importance of saving theme options in the correct backend language, as saving them in a secondary language might have caused the default language for strings to change.

Please note that this solution might not be relevant to your case, as it could be outdated or not applicable. If you're experiencing similar issues, we highly recommend checking the related 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.

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Tagged: Documentation request

This topic contains 40 replies, has 2 voices.

Last updated by Carlos Rojas 1 year, 1 month ago.

Assisted by: Carlos Rojas.

Author	Posts
March 14, 2024 at 9:44 am #15408516
damienC-18	Hi, Out of nowhere I'm baffled to discover that all the strings I've translated from English to Bulgarian have been deleted and replaced by their translations! Example, the top search bar in this English page is in Bulgarian: hidden link All elements of the pages are in Bulgarian in the property here as well: hidden link Yet on the homepage the search module is still correctly in English: hidden link Then, checking the string translation, I see that for some reason the English strings are now in Bulgarian?!!! What happened?! Why? How? I'm freaking out, it's hours and hours of work that seems to be crushed and replaced by the translation and I just notice it now it might have happened a few days ago I have no idea. It's unlikely it's a cache issue since the staging version which use no cache has the same problem: hidden link Please tell me there's a simple solution I feel very unsettled about this. Thanks.
March 14, 2024 at 10:04 am #15408640
Carlos Rojas WPML Supporter since 03/2017 Languages: English (English ) Spanish (Español ) Timezone: Europe/Madrid (GMT+02:00)	Hello, Thank you for contacting us 1.- I have visited the URLs you mentioned I can see the content in English as expected -see attached images-. 2.- In order to change the default language of the strings you must follow the steps described in this guide: https://wpml.org/documentation/getting-started-guide/string-translation/how-to-change-the-source-language-of-strings/ 3.- I recommend you to check the site in incognito mode and if you still see the issue, then try to remember what were the latest changes on the site that might have triggered this behavior. Maybe a plugin/theme update? A change in the configuration of the site or the server? Regards, Carlos
March 14, 2024 at 10:07 am #15408717
damienC-18	No. Please pay attention and check screenshots once again, I'm referring to the top search bar, I'm encircling it in the new screenshot attached here. In the previous screenshots I sent you you'll see the issue in string translation of having bulgarian strings in the english column that was not the case a few days ago, I had both languages.
March 14, 2024 at 10:13 am #15408838
damienC-18	More screenshots for you to realize the issue. Thanks.
March 14, 2024 at 10:41 am #15409097
Carlos Rojas WPML Supporter since 03/2017 Languages: English (English ) Spanish (Español ) Timezone: Europe/Madrid (GMT+02:00)	Hi there, I can see some of the incorrect strings now. The steps to change the default language of the strings are described in the link I shared in my previous message: https://wpml.org/documentation/getting-started-guide/string-translation/how-to-change-the-source-language-of-strings/ However, that doesn't answer the question: what caused this change? Could you tell me what were the last changes on the site? Have you updated the theme? Did you make any changes to the configuration?
March 14, 2024 at 10:47 am #15409223
damienC-18	There are updates all the time on this website yet I see no reason why the original strings would have been replaced by the transations I've created for them! I've checked the documentation you shared with me, I'm really confused about how it could help me change the original strings once more to what they were, please check my screenshot, what am I supposed to do here?
March 14, 2024 at 10:48 am #15409238
damienC-18	Same with English (screesnshot)
March 14, 2024 at 10:54 am #15409260
Carlos Rojas WPML Supporter since 03/2017 Languages: English (English ) Spanish (Español ) Timezone: Europe/Madrid (GMT+02:00)	Hi there, If one of the previous updates on the site caused this issue then you might want to restore an older version where the issue didn't appear and update the functionalities, one by one, until you see the issue again and find the culprit. On the other hand, please read the yellow message that appear in the screenshot you shared.
March 14, 2024 at 10:56 am #15409282
damienC-18	There's no way I can revert back, I have a full team that worked hours those last days on this website. Have you ever faced such a similar issue before? Also, I'm not using "Translate Everything Automatically". How can I fix it please?
March 14, 2024 at 11:02 am #15409291
Carlos Rojas WPML Supporter since 03/2017 Languages: English (English ) Spanish (Español ) Timezone: Europe/Madrid (GMT+02:00)	Hi, No, I have never seen it, because there is no functionality within WPML to automatically change the default language of the strings. That is the reason why I was asking you to remember what were the latest changes on the site that might have triggered this issue. You can change the "Translate Everything Automatically" configuration in WPML -> Settings -> First section. Also please check if you (or another colleague within your team) used this option: https://wpml.org/documentation/automatic-translation/automatically-translate-strings-with-wpml/
March 14, 2024 at 11:06 am #15409294
damienC-18	Please check screenshot I told you I'm not using "Translate Everything Automatically". Also, since the search module on the homepage is correctly in English it looks like the bug comes from WPML otherwise this too would have been replaced. Please help me.
March 14, 2024 at 11:09 am #15409333
damienC-18	I've checked on the FTP the original files, the strings are in English, yet on frontend those are in Bulgarian, see screenshots please.
March 14, 2024 at 11:10 am #15409377
Carlos Rojas WPML Supporter since 03/2017 Languages: English (English ) Spanish (Español ) Timezone: Europe/Madrid (GMT+02:00)	Hi, Could you elaborate a little more on this? I don't understand what do you mean by "since the search module on the homepage is correctly in English it looks like the bug comes from WPML otherwise this too would have been replaced"
March 14, 2024 at 11:12 am #15409396
damienC-18	You have seen it yourself when you sent me a screenshot of the English homepage. The search module is in English, it uses the exact same strings that the top search module which is in Bulgarian whereas it should be in English.
March 14, 2024 at 11:32 am #15409433
Carlos Rojas WPML Supporter since 03/2017 Languages: English (English ) Spanish (Español ) Timezone: Europe/Madrid (GMT+02:00)	Hi there, I would like to request temporary access (wp-admin and FTP) to your site to take a better look at the issue. You will find the needed fields for this below the comment area when you log in to leave your next reply. The information you will enter is private which means only you and I can see and have access to it. Our Debugging Procedures I will be checking various settings in the backend to see if the issue can be resolved. Although I won't be making changes that affect the live site, it is still good practice to back up the site before providing us access. If we do need to debug the site further, I will duplicate the site and work in a separate, local development environment to avoid affecting the live site.