Problem: The client is experiencing a 500 Internal Server Error on their multilingual e-commerce site when switching to languages other than the default. The issue is causing the site to go down frequently, and sometimes the layout appears broken. The client attempted to resolve the issue by inserting code into the
functions.php
file based on an outdated WPML errata page, but this did not resolve the problem.
Solution: We recommend the following steps to troubleshoot and resolve the issue: 1. Verify that the server meets all WPML minimum requirements by checking our documentation: WPML Minimum Requirements. 2. Consult our FAQ for guidance on resolving 500 errors: 500 Error FAQ. 3. Enable WordPress debugging to gather more information about the cause of the 500 errors: Debugging WPML. 4. Test for a compatibility issue with plugins or themes: - Create a full website backup. - Disable all plugins except for WPML and its add-ons. - Check if the issue persists. - If the issue is resolved, reactivate plugins one by one to identify the culprit. - If the issue still occurs with non-WPML plugins disabled, switch to a default theme like TwentySeventeen and test again. Performing these steps in a staging environment is highly recommended.
If these steps do not resolve the issue or if the solution provided here is outdated or not applicable to your case, we highly recommend checking related known issues at WPML Known Issues, verifying the version of the permanent fix, and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 you still need assistance, please open a new support ticket: WPML Support Forum.
Problem: The client is trying to translate the global header of their site but when they go to Translations, the header opens in the WPML translator and looks empty. Solution: We noticed that the header contains primarily the Menu, with no additional content, which is why the translation editor doesn't display anything except for the title. Menus should be translated via Appearance > Menus. After translating the menu, it will automatically update in the translated version of the header. We recommend checking our documentation on translating menus: https://wpml.org/documentation/getting-started-guide/translating-menus/
Even if the menu is not translated but only the pages linked to it are, the menu will still appear translated in other languages as long as the header is translated. Therefore, we suggest translating both the header and the pages linked to the menu for the header and menu to display correctly in other languages.
If this solution doesn't look relevant, please open a new support ticket in our forum: WPML support forum.
