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[Resolved] Content in secondary language gets automatically replaced with primary language

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

Problem:
You are experiencing an issue where content in the secondary language (FR) is being replaced by content in the primary language (EN) after updating the original content. This problem persists even after removing certain plugins and clearing caches.
Solution:
We recommend that you ensure you are using the WPML Advanced Translation Editor to translate your content to avoid unintentional overwrites with the original content.

If this solution does not resolve your issue or seems irrelevant due to being outdated or not applicable to your case, we highly recommend checking related known issues at https://wpml.org/known-issues/, verifying the version of the permanent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.

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.

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This topic contains 5 replies, has 0 voices.

Last updated by Andrey 5 months ago.

Assisted by: Andrey.

Author Posts
November 7, 2025 at 11:57 pm #17558799

adamM-10

Background of the issue:
I'm trying to solve an issue where content in the secondary language (FR) is being periodically replaced by content in the primary language (EN). This issue first appeared on Aug 26, 2025, after installing the plugins W3 Total Cache and Performant Translations (Performance Lab Collection https://wordpress.org/plugins/performance-lab/ ). I removed both plugins on Sep 17, but the issue has recurred a few times since then, including today (Nov 7, 2025). I've cleared the WPML cache and removed ghost entries from the translation tables.

Symptoms:
Content in the secondary language is being replaced by the primary language content. A revision gets created with 'Revision by' showing no name. This has happened on multiple custom post types, pages, and a WP nav menu.

Questions:
Why is the content in the secondary language being replaced by the primary language?
What could be causing the 'Revision by' to show no name?
How can I prevent this issue from recurring?
November 9, 2025 at 9:26 am #17559850

Andrey
WPML Supporter since 06/2013

Languages: English (English ) Russian (Русский )

Timezone: Europe/Kyiv (GMT+03:00)

Thank you for contacting WPML support.

It seems you might be editing the page without using the WPML Advanced Translation Editor. In some cases, translated content can be unintentionally overwritten when the original content is updated.

Please try adding the following constant to your wp-config.php file:

define( 'WPML_TRANSLATION_AUTO_UPDATE_ENABLED', false );

Please back up your database before making any changes.
November 11, 2025 at 4:20 pm #17567731

adamM-10

Thanks for your reply. I have added that constant yesterday, and the issue is still occurring today.

Here is the php debug traceback from the French post that was automatically overwritten with English content this morning (while the above constant was in place).

I've also attached a screenshot showing that automatic revision (no username included in "Revised by: ") and the French content is replaced with English content. The WPML actions begin at [19].

Can you please advise me on the next steps for solving this issue. 

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Screenshot 2025-11-11 at 11.15.11 AM.png
November 12, 2025 at 8:31 pm #17572738

Andrey
WPML Supporter since 06/2013

Languages: English (English ) Russian (Русский )

Timezone: Europe/Kyiv (GMT+03:00)

Thank you for your feedback.

Did you add the constant exactly to wp-config.php? What tool did you use to get the PHP debug traceback?

Could you please provide more details on how the overwritten content was created?

We just released a new version of WPML. Please update your WPML plugin and add-ons to version 4.8.5 to benefit from the latest bug fixes and improvements. This may not resolve your problem; however, we need to work with the newest code to troubleshoot the issue best.

If you do not see the updates, you might need to click the Check for updates button in the Plugins → Add New Plugin → Commercial tab.

November 12, 2025 at 11:35 pm #17572994

adamM-10

-I've added this exactly to the functions.php
define( 'WPML_TRANSLATION_AUTO_UPDATE_ENABLED', false );

-For the php debug traceback, I've added this function:

<?php
function email_traceback_on_post_update( $post_ID, $post, $update ) {
// Generate the debug traceback
$traceback_data = debug_backtrace( DEBUG_BACKTRACE_IGNORE_ARGS );
$traceback_string = print_r( $traceback_data, true );

// Define email parameters
$to = 'EMAIL ADDRESS HERE;
$subject = 'WordPress Post Update Traceback for Post ID: ' . $post_ID;
$message = "A post has been updated. Here is the PHP debug traceback:\n\n" . $traceback_string;
$headers = array('Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8');

// Send the email
wp_mail( $to, $subject, $message, $headers );
}

// Hook into the save_post action with 3 arguments
add_action( 'save_post', 'email_traceback_on_post_update', 10, 3 );

-"Could you please provide more details on how the overwritten content was created?"
Posts and pages continually have new automatic revisions published, in which the existing French content is replaced with English. These revisions are not attributed to any user; it says Revised by: ______, where normally the username would appear. The client had installed the free version of the plugin "PublishPress Revisions", which I now see is not WPML compatible, so I have asked to remove it. While the PublishPress plugin was deactivated on Nov 11 and 12, there were 78 French posts and pages overwritten with English content.

I have also (today, Nov 12 ) deactivated the following plugins by WordPress Performance Team: "Performance Lab", "Embed Optimizer", "Enhanced Responsive Images", "Image Placeholders", "Image Prioritizer", "Instant Back/Forward", "Modern Image Formats", and "Optimization Detective".

-I've updated WPML Multilingual CMS to 4.8.5, WPML String Translation is at 3.4.1, WPML SEO is at 2.2.4, and WPML media translation is at 3.0.0. WordPress is at 6.8.3

Please let me know if you are able to do any further troubleshooting on the site. Thank you.

November 13, 2025 at 1:38 pm #17575048

Andrey
WPML Supporter since 06/2013

Languages: English (English ) Russian (Русский )

Timezone: Europe/Kyiv (GMT+03:00)

Thank you for your feedback.

-I've added this exactly to the functions.php
define( 'WPML_TRANSLATION_AUTO_UPDATE_ENABLED', false );

This needs to be added to wp-config.php; it won't work in functions.php.

Yes, only the Pro version of PublishPress Revisions has support for the WPML plugin.