[Resolved] Pages reverting to english and translating Woocommerce
This thread is resolved. Here is a description of the problem and solution.
Problem: You are using WPML to manage translations on your site and are facing issues with pages reverting to English after manual translation. Additionally, you are having difficulty translating certain WooCommerce text strings, such as 'add to cart'. Solution: We have taken note of your issue and are currently analyzing it internally. We are also waiting to see if other clients are experiencing similar problems. As of now, we do not have sufficient data to decide on creating a feature to address this. Therefore, we have postponed the solution to future releases and do not have a set deadline for it, as it depends on various factors.
If this solution becomes irrelevant due to it being outdated or not applicable to your case, we recommend opening a new support ticket. We also 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. For further assistance, please visit our support forum at WPML Support Forum.
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Background of the issue:
I am using WPML to manage translations on my site hidden link. I am trying to ensure that pages remain in their translated state and to fully translate WooCommerce elements.
Symptoms:
Pages are reverting to English after being manually translated. Difficulty in finding and translating certain WooCommerce text strings like 'add to cart'.
Questions:
How do we prevent pages from reverting to English after being manually translated?
What are we missing in translating all of WooCommerce, specifically for text strings like 'add to cart'?
New threads created by Lucas Vidal de Andrade and linked to this one are listed below:
I would like to request temporary access (wp-admin and FTP) to your site to take a better look at the issue. It would be better to a testing site where the issue is replicated.
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.
Maybe I'll need to replicate your site locally. For this, I’ll need to temporarily install a plugin called “Duplicator” or "All in One WP Migration" on your site. This will allow me to create a copy of your site and your content. Once the problem is resolved I will delete the local site. Let me know if this is ok with you.
IMPORTANT
- Please make a backup of site files and database before providing us access.
- If you do not see the wp-admin/FTP fields this means your post & website login details will be made PUBLIC. DO NOT post your website details unless you see the required wp-admin/FTP fields. If you do not, please ask me to enable the private box. The private box looks like this:
I checked a couple of pages and couldn't find one where I could reproduce the issue. Can you please give me a concrete example of a page or post, where the issue you mentioned is happening? I'm talking about the content being overwritten by the original.
Unfortunately I don't have any pages that are currently experiencing this as we have fixed all the once we know about. My question is more about prevention than restoration. The last page that experienced this was hidden link.
Like I said how can I make sure this never happens again. That button in the sidebar labeled "overwrite with english" or something like that, it would be great if that can be disable or removed. That feature you were talking about, where you can turn on some sort of sync, I want to make sure it is turned off everywhere and that no one, not even the master admin, can turn it back on.
It's good to hear that the issue is solved. Unfortunately, WPML does not offer the option to remove that feature.
Just to make sure you don't run by it again by accident:
• If you use Manual Translation (the WordPress Editor) to translate your pages AND use the "Overwrite with English content" option, the content will stay in sync with the original. That means that when the original page is updated, it will overwrite the content of the translation.
Please, always make sure to use the "Copy content from" option, or use the WPML Translation Editor. I apologize for not being able to offer the option to remove this feature, but it's really not possible to do that at the moment.
I would not say the issue is solved, and I've never implied it. Simply redoing what your software undid did not solve anything.
WE HAVE always done exactly what you suggested, which is why we are baffled about why this keeps happening. I can only come up with two theories:
1. Someone accidentally hit the "overwrite button" (very unlikely)
2. Your software decided to overwrite it for some inexplicable reason.
Since nothing can be done right now, we have to live with the uncertainty that this could happen at any time on any page. I guess it is an extra motivation to ensure our backups are as up-to-date as possible. This is also a motivation to finally respond to those popups asking us to review your software.
I want to request a feature request if you are willing to entertain that. That copy or overwrite button should only work if the page is totally blank. And the function should not fire for any reason if the page is not blank.
Also a global option totally disable all sync and overwrite functions.
Let's keep this ticket open, if you notice that a page behaves like that again, please let me know and leave it untouched, so I can check the issue directly. Sounds good?
As for the feature request, even though we've talked about it already, please rephrase it in the following structure:
1. Current unwanted behavior;
2. What problems it causes;
3. Expected behavior (Feature request);
4. How it solves problems from item #02;
We can do that as long as we don't have to leave it in the wrong language for too long.
Here is the feature request reformated:
1. Pages unexpectedly reverting to the original language (English), erasing all translation work on that page.
2. It Wastes a lot of time and hard work restoring the page from backup or, worse, retranslating it. Plus, there is significant reputational damage when a page suddenly is in the wrong language
3. Once a page is manually translated, it remains translated. No automated translation happens to a manually translated page. Under no circumstances should it revert back to the main/original language (e.g., English).
4.
a. Have a global option that disables all sync and overwrite features across the entire site.
b. Safety feature: Never completely overwrite a translated page or article with the original language. Make users delete all content before they can copy the original content.
Thank you for taking the time to submit your feature request. I have escalated your request to our 2nd tier support for further review and consideration. I will update you as soon as I have an update to share.
We analyzed your request internally and are looking/waiting to check if other clients are also having this problem. Since as of right now, we don't have enough data to decide to create a feature on this, we postponed the solution for future releases.
We don't have a deadline yet, because it depends on other factors. Thank you.
