Turning off automatic translation

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

Problem:
The client is working on a site where WPML was set up to use automatic translation, but they prefer to use manual translation and wish to disable the automatic translation feature.
Solution:
If you're experiencing this issue, the steps to disable automatic translation depend on your WPML version:
For WPML 4.7 or greater:
Go to WPML > Translation Management and disable the option at the very top.
For WPML 4.6 or older:
Go to WPML > Settings > Translation Mode and select "Translate what you choose".

Please note that disabling these options does not prevent you from sending content for automatic translation if you have credits or are using Pay as You Go. Also, if you have credits available and open the translation editor, some segments might still be translated automatically. In such cases, we recommend removing all credits from the website.

If this solution does not apply to your case, or if it seems outdated, we highly recommend checking related known issues at https://wpml.org/known-issues/, verifying the version of the permanent fix, and confirming that you have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 you still need assistance, please open a new support ticket at WPML support forum.

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Tagged: Documentation request

This topic contains 1 reply, has 0 voices.

Last updated by Emma Hewson 5 days, 18 hours ago.

Assisted by: Lucas Vidal de Andrade.

Author	Posts
April 8, 2025 at 12:38 pm #16909338
Emma Hewson	Background of the issue: I am working on a site under development where another developer set up WPML to use automatic translation. We don't want to use automatic translation and prefer to use manual translation for everything. There are no translations on the site that we want to keep. Symptoms: I can't find out how to turn off automatic translation in WPML. Questions: How do I turn off automatic translation in WPML and switch to manual translation?
April 8, 2025 at 1:11 pm #16909574
Lucas Vidal de Andrade Supporter Languages: English (English ) Spanish (Español ) German (Deutsch ) Portuguese (Brazil) (Português ) Timezone: America/Sao_Paulo (GMT-03:00)	Hey there, This depends on which version of WPML you're using. Since you haven't shared your debug information, I'll share the two different options. For WPML 4.7 or greater To disable automatic translation, please go to WPML > Translation Management and disable the option, at the very top. Check image attached. For WPML 4.6 or older Go to WPML > Settings > Translation Mode and select "Translate what you choose"; ____ Please note that, even if this options disabled, you can still send the content to automatic translation, if you have credits or is using Pay as You Go. That will only happen if you actively send the content for translation. Another detail is, if you have credits available and open the translation editor, some segments will be translated automatically. In this case, it's best to remove all the credits from the website. Let me know if that answers it.
April 8, 2025 at 1:23 pm #16909636
Emma Hewson	Thanks, the layout of the translation manager had changed completely and I couldn't figure it out. It might be useful to give people a heads up about the update, setting up items for translation is pretty fiddly in WPML and when it changes it can be confusing, I assumed I was in automatic translation mode. Thanks so much for the quick reply.