[Resolved] Translated browser tabs are blank or have funny characters
This thread is resolved. Here is a description of the problem and solution.
Problem: The client is experiencing an issue where changing the language on their homepage (and other pages) results in the browser tab showing a blank label or one with hyphens, percent signs, etc. This issue is also affecting the 'og:title' meta property, which is crucial for SEO and displaying titles in browser tabs. Solution: 1. We recommend deactivating the WPML String Translation plugin to see if this resolves the issue. 2. If deactivating the plugin fixes the problem, it indicates that there is a translated string that should not be translated. 3. If the issue persists after deactivating the plugin, it may be related to the settings in the Yoast SEO plugin.
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Accessing our homepage and changing from English to another language (German, Italian, Spanish), I notice that the browser tab is either blank or has hyphens, percent signs, etc.). This happens on the other pages as well. I would like the tab to render the appropriate label
hidden link hidden link hidden link
Is there a similar example that we can see? hidden link. I have uploaded a doc with screenshots. Our team gave the following analysis and their response was "When the page loads, the page title is visible in English, but it is removed quickly. Also, we can see that the "og:title" meta property, which is responsible for displaying titles in the website tab and also for SEO purposes, is skipped as a value of the translated title. So as per our review, the process appears to be: firstly, the website loads the page title in English language, but after that, in the page title translation procedure, it removes the English title and appends the new translated title name, which is handled automatically by the WPML plugin." The attached screenshot may help.
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Could you please check if the issue persists in a minimal environment by following these steps?
1- Deactivate all the plugins except WPML CMS, String Translation, Elementor, and Elementor Pro.
2- Switch for a moment to a WordPress default theme like Twenty Twenty-one.
If the issue is gone, activate them one by one to see which one there is causing an interaction issue.
❌ Please backup your database before performing the above test ❌
Hi Osama,
We did the check that you recommended and found that the Yoast SEO plugin is the problem. Is that something you have seen before, or should I contact Yoast support?
Hi Osama,
What is your recommendation about how I should proceed? Do I try some searches in the String Translation, or should I contact Yoast, or something else?
I recommend checking String Translation first for Yoast strings that are translated. One or more of these strings shouldn't be translated, which could cause this issue.
Hi Osama,
You got it right! When I deactivated WPML String Translation, the tabs render correctly. Nice work! Now, what should I be looking for to find the translated string that shouldn't be translated?
Tom G
Thanks, Osama, I think we may have something--and I'm afraid it isn't just one instance. Here is an example in which a text string that I think should NOT be translated (as you mentioned!) is being translated:
