This thread is resolved. Here is a description of the problem and solution.
Problem: The client is experiencing an issue where the TM submenu is missing, and clicking on the main WPML menu item redirects to a page with an error message and a blank screen. The issue is suspected to be due to the missing Translation Memory, preventing the management and copying of translations. Solution: We recommend the following steps to resolve the issue: 1. Take a backup of your site first for safety reasons. 2. Add the following code in your
functions.php
file:
function add_wpml_manage_translations_cap() {<br /> $role = get_role('administrator');<br /> if ($role) {<br /> $role->add_cap('manage_translations');<br /> }<br />}<br />add_action('init', 'add_wpml_manage_translations_cap');
3. Visit the frontend once to trigger this code. 4. Reload the backend and check if the issue is resolved. 5. Remove the code added in step #2 after confirming the issue is resolved.
If this solution does not apply to your case, or if it seems outdated, we highly recommend checking related known issues at https://wpml.org/known-issues/, verifying the version of the permanent fix, and confirming that you have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. If the problem persists, please open a new support ticket at WPML support forum for further assistance.
This is the technical support forum for WPML - the multilingual WordPress plugin.
Everyone can read, but only WPML clients can post here. WPML team is replying on the forum 6 days per week, 22 hours per day.
To illustrate the issue, I have attached a screenshot of the website. The TM submenu is completely missing. When I click on the main WPML menu item, I am redirected to a page with an error message and a blank screen.
Interestingly, I have WPML installed on another website, where everything is working perfectly. This leads me to believe that the issue is specific to this installation. All plugins are up to date on both sites.
I suspect that the missing Translation Memory is the reason why I am unable to copy or manage translations as I used to.
Could you please help me troubleshoot this issue and guide me on how to reactivate the Translation Memory?
Thank you for contacting WPML Support. Could you please follow the below steps and see if this resolves the issue:
1. Resave permalinks from the Settings >> Permalinks page by pressing the Save Changes button.
2. Clear all sorts of cache from your site/server/CDN and see if this resolves the issue.
3. Try to access WPML >> Translation Management page using another browser and see if this resolves the issue.
4. If the issue persists, kindly perform the following steps on staging/test site to isolate the cause of the issue:
- Take a complete backup of your site first for safety reasons.
- Deactivate all plugins except WPML and its add-ons.
- Switch to the default WordPress theme like 2024.
- If the issue is gone, reactivate each plugin one by one to identify the one causing the issue.
Thanks for trying the above steps. To take a closer look at this issue, please provide temporary access (WP-Admin and FTP Login info) to your site (preferably staging site), so that I can look into your setup and debug the issue.
Your next answer will be private, meaning only you and I can access it.
=== Please backup your database and website ===
✙ I would additionally need your permission to deactivate and reactivate Plugins and the Theme and to change configurations on the site. This is also a reason the backup is essential.
Thanks for providing access and granting permissions. I was troubleshooting the issue, but it looks like the server is down, as the site and FTP are no longer accessible.
Could you please check and let me know once the issue is resolved so I can continue debugging?
Sorry, I don’t have a static IP, but here is my current IP: 124.29.212.114.
Additionally, I’d need your permission to take a copy of your site using Duplicator or All in one migration plugin and set it up on my localhost to avoid firewall blocks if my IP changes.
I've just added your IP to the whitelist. You also have permission to copy the site and set it up on your localhost.
Apologies for the tedious troubleshooting process. I'm actually planning to migrate my sites to a new web host soon—likely a SiteGround managed cloud server, which should require less server management on my end and also resolve the firewall issues. I might make the move within the next week or two.
If you'd prefer to wait, you could troubleshoot directly on the live site after the migration, without needing to set it up on your server. Let me know what works best for you.
I’ve reactivated all plugins and taken an All-in-One Migration copy of your site to test locally. This will help us provide a faster resolution if the issue is due to a bug in the latest versions.
You may restore the site if needed, I'll continue troubleshooting on my local setup.
I followed these steps on a local copy to debug the issue:
1. Tested in a minimal environment by deactivating all plugins except WPML and using a default theme like Twenty Twenty-Four.
2. Enabled error reporting, but no errors were logged.
3. Reinstalled WPML plugins.
4. Tried re-registering WPML.
5. Tried with a new Administrator user.
6. Downgraded WPML to version 4.6.15, which resolved the issue.
7. Attempted to reproduce the issue on a fresh WP installation with the latest WPML versions, but it worked correctly.
As a temporary workaround, I recommend downgrading WPML after taking a full backup. I’ll escalate this to our team for further investigation.
Our 2nd tier support said that the user role does not have capabilities to access Translation Management page, please try to follow the below steps:
1. Take a backup of your site first for safety reasons.
2. Add the below code in functions.php file:
function add_wpml_manage_translations_cap() {
$role = get_role('administrator');
if ($role) {
$role->add_cap('manage_translations');
}
}
add_action('init', 'add_wpml_manage_translations_cap');
3. Visit the frontend once so that it will trigger this code.
4. Please reload the backend and see if the issue is solved.
5. Now, you can remove the code which is added in step #2.
I tried these steps on my local copy and it seems to be working correctly. Could you please check and confirm?
