String translation in 1 language only works with "Auto register strings"

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

Problem:
The client was experiencing issues with the WPML String Translation for the Redi Restaurant Reservation plugin. Translations for Catalan language were not appearing correctly on the frontend, showing in English instead of Catalan, unless the "Auto register strings for translation" option was enabled.

Solution:
1. We recommended updating all WPML plugins to the latest version and ensuring a full backup of the website before making any updates.
2. After the update, we advised clearing the website's cache, including server-side.
3. The client resolved the issue by changing the "Default locale" code for the Catalan language from "ca_ES" to "ca".
4. We explained that the default locale should match the one set by WordPress, as found on WordPress Polyglots Teams.
5. To set "ca_ES" as the default locale, the client would need to create a new custom language, following the instructions provided in our documentation: Editing WPML's Languages Table.

If this solution does not apply to your case, or if it seems outdated, we highly recommend checking the related known issues, verifying the version of the permanent fix, and confirming that you have installed the latest versions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. Should you need further assistance, please do not hesitate to open a new support ticket in the WPML support forum.

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Tagged: Exception

This topic contains 4 replies, has 2 voices.

Last updated by Marsel Nikolli 1 year, 4 months ago.

Assisted by: Marsel Nikolli.

Author	Posts
April 9, 2024 at 9:05 am #15497601
martiV	Hi. I have a plugin called Redi Restaurant Reservation. I used the WPML String translation to translate some strings of this plugin from English to Spanish, French and Catalan. All the translations works well except Catalan. The strings in Catalan language appear in English. But if i activate the "Auto register strings for translation" on WPML, then the frontend show the correct strings. I search on other support questions and I tried to do that: https://wpml.org/errata/string-translations-are-not-visible-on-the-site-after-a-string-has-been-translated/ And That: https://wpml.org/forums/topic/string-translation-only-works-if-auto-register-strings-is-enable-only-one-lang/ But nothing helps. Can you help us to solve this problem? Thanks
April 9, 2024 at 9:44 am #15497983
Marsel Nikolli	Hi, Thank you for contacting WPML Support, I will gladly help you. Please update the WPML plugin/s to the latest version (4.6.10) and check if the issue persists. * Note: Please make sure you have a full backup of your website before making any updates/changes to your website. * Please clear the cache of the website (server-side included) after the update is finished. Let me know how it goes, Marsel
April 10, 2024 at 11:42 am #15504279
martiV	Hi I update the plugins but the issue persist. I tried to implement the solutions that i finded on forum again, but nothing change. A curiosity is that the strings that I try to translate are translated correctly in all languages except Catalan (ca_ES). In this language, some translated strings appear in Spanish when the original is in English.
April 10, 2024 at 11:57 am #15504419
martiV	Sorry, i fixed. I have modified the "Default locale" code of the Catalan language. I had it configured as "ca_ES" since it is a language from Spain, but I modified it to "ca" and magically now the correct language appears on the front. Any idea why "ca_ES" can't be the "Default locale". ? Thanks
April 11, 2024 at 8:03 am #15507557
Marsel Nikolli	Hi, Thank you for the update. Happy to see that your issue is resolved. To answer your question why "ca_ES" can't be set as a default locale: The problem with changing the default locale is that WordPress & our plugin uses the default locale as a means to pull existing translations from .mo files and its own servers onto your site. Almost all major plugins also use the default locale to link languages to their .mo files. While you can always change it, the default locale recommended is the one set by WordPress -- you can find it here https://make.wordpress.org/polyglots/teams/ For example: For Spanish(Spain) it's es_ES Then the language code field is what is used to display in your URL, for example in Spanish it's already set to es, therefore, your URL will display as hidden link To be able to set ca_ES" as your default locale, you can change this only by creating a new custom language. You can find more detailed information in this link: https://wpml.org/documentation/getting-started-guide/language-setup/editing-wpmls-languages-table/ I hope this information was helpful, let me know if you have further questions. Kind regards, Marsel
April 11, 2024 at 10:31 am #15508474
martiV	Thanks for the explanations Marsel. I close this ticket!