Automatic translations with WPML AI

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

Problem:
The client was unable to delete existing languages on the staging site and could not reinstall WPML after deleting it. The client wanted to test the AI auto-translate feature on a staging environment but faced issues with language deletion and WPML reinstallation.
Solution:
We advised the client that to test the WPML AI auto-translate feature, it is not necessary to delete existing languages or content. Instead, the client can activate the WPML AI engine from WPML > Settings, and then send pages for translation from WPML > Translation Management, choosing to overwrite existing translations if desired. Additionally, we suggested that if language deletion is necessary, it might help to disable any cache or security plugins temporarily, as these can interfere with heavy operations like deleting pages from the database, potentially causing server timeouts.

If this solution does not resolve the issue or seems outdated, or if it does not apply to your case, we recommend opening a new support ticket.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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Tagged: ATE

This topic contains 5 replies, has 0 voices.

Last updated by Reinold Beyer 4 months, 1 week ago.

Assisted by: Dražen.

Author	Posts
May 5, 2025 at 5:12 pm #16997538
Reinold Beyer	Background of the issue: I am trying to use AI automatic translations for our new website and want to test this feature on our staging environment. I deleted the existing languages to start a test run with one language. Symptoms: I was unable to delete the existing languages on the staging site and could not re-install WPML after deleting it. Questions: How can we test the AI auto translate feature on our existing site, on the staging environment?
May 7, 2025 at 6:10 am #17004352
Laura WPML Supporter since 05/2018 Languages: English (English ) Italian (Italiano ) Timezone: Europe/Rome (GMT+02:00)	Hi, thanks for contacting us. What did you do to delete the languages and how did you try to reinstall WPML?
May 7, 2025 at 6:54 am #17004535
Reinold Beyer	Hi, I first deactivated the languages via 'add/remove' languages > then the list of 'still in the system' languages appeared > where I tried to click the 'X' to deleted them, but that threw an error - always - for all languages... Therefore I had the great idea to delete the whole plugin - and re-install it... which I did via plugins > first deactivated WPML > then deleted it > then it was gone... Via the installer, downloaded from your website, I tried to re-install WPML > which prompted me with a 'successfully installed and activated' WPML message > however, it never showed up under plugins nor as a menu item... not after refreshing... not after restarting PHP... not after clearing the cache... not after installing it multiple times... never again... Kind regards Reinold
May 7, 2025 at 7:00 am #17004578
Dražen Supporter Languages: English (English ) Timezone: Europe/Zagreb (GMT+02:00)	Hello Reinold, Thanks for getting back. So, just to clear things up, you wish to remove existing WPML languages from your website and set up WPML again? If your goal is to only test WPML AI, you can do that even without deleting existing content / translation and etc. From WPML > Settings, choose to use WPML AI engine, and then send the page for translation from WPML > Translation Management, choose overwrite existing translation. Let me know. Thanks, Drazen
May 7, 2025 at 7:10 am #17004677
Reinold Beyer	Hi, thank you - and yes, I already found out... after all, I wanted to start from scratch - which ran me into these problems... so the question still exists: why can't I delete languages? And why can't I re-install WPML after I have deleted it? Which both worries me a bit for future scenarios... As this was meant to be a test run, I recreated the staging environment > and now I'm back at the start with a fresh copy from production > and I will start testing with just a few pages, posts and templates... Kind regards Reinold
May 7, 2025 at 7:18 am #17004687
Dražen Supporter Languages: English (English ) Timezone: Europe/Zagreb (GMT+02:00)	Hello, Thanks for getting back. It should work fine; difficult to say what went wrong. If you wish, I can try the same steps you did on your staging site and check and see what is wrong. Sometimes when deleting language it is best to disable cache/security plugin or any other the you do not need, since it is heavy operation, deleting pages, etc from your DB, so sometimes the server can fail and return timeout. Let me know. Regards, Drazen
May 7, 2025 at 7:27 am #17004719
Reinold Beyer	Hi, thank you - that makes sense... maybe you can still try if you run into the same issues... for now we can close the case - I will work with my fresh copy and keep an eye on it. Thank you very much! Kind regards Reinold