[Resolved] To translate hardcoded text in php files

Hi,

Welcome to WPML support. I will provide the first response until this ticket is assigned to one of my colleagues.

Would you please give us an example of the code that you have on your theme PHP file in which you hardcoded the text using the method mentioned in the documentation?

One other thing is if you enable the Auto Register feature from WPML > String Translation and refresh the front end once, does it show the text in question in WPML > String translation for translating?

Also, I'd appreciate it if you could open up another ticket for the font related issue as it seems to be a separate problem.

That will help us to serve you better and it is fair to our other customers.

Thanks.

Hi there.

Thank you for sharing the example.

To ensure that WPML recognizes this text and makes it translatable, you should wrap it inside the `esc_html__()` or `esc_html_e()` function (for escaping HTML) or `__()` and `_e()` (if no escaping is needed) functions in PHP. These functions register strings for translation in WPML when used within a theme or plugin that supports WPML’s String Translation module.

Here’s how you can embed this text properly in PHP so that WPML detects it as translatable:

Option 1: Using `__()` and `_e()` (Recommended for Translations)

<h3><?php _e('DOSTOSOWANIE', 'your-text-domain'); ?></h3>
<p class="text">
    <?php _e('Nadal czuję ten spokój, dużo wdzięczności i miłości.
    Były partner zaczął mnie z większym szacunkiem traktować w kontaktach dotyczacych naszych dzieci.
    Przyjaciele więcej mnie przytulają, ale to też był taki okres świąteczny, więc może dlatego okazywali mi
    więcej czułosci.', 'your-text-domain'); ?>
</p>

- `__('string', 'your-text-domain')` → Retrieves the translatable text.
- `_e('string', 'your-text-domain')` → Prints the translatable text directly.

Option 2: Using `esc_html__()` and `esc_html_e()` (For Escaping HTML)

If the content includes user-generated text that should be escaped for security:

<h3><?php esc_html_e('DOSTOSOWANIE', 'your-text-domain'); ?></h3>
<p class="text">
    <?php esc_html_e('Nadal czuję ten spokój, dużo wdzięczności i miłości.
    Były partner zaczął mnie z większym szacunkiem traktować w kontaktach dotyczacych naszych dzieci.
    Przyjaciele więcej mnie przytulają, ale to też był taki okres świąteczny, więc może dlatego okazywali mi
    więcej czułosci.', 'your-text-domain'); ?>
</p>

After that, you can re-scan the theme once again, and the strings should start showing up in WPML > String Translation.

I hope that you will find this information helpful.

Mihai Apetrei

Hi there and welcome back.

To make the FAQ section translatable with WPML, we need to ensure that:

1. The FAQ title (`Słowniczek pojęć`) is wrapped in `__()` or `_e()`.

2. The questions and answers inside the FAQ shortcode system are recognized by WPML.

Let me share some steps with you:

Step 1: Make the FAQ Title Translatable

Modify the `<h2>` heading in your template file:

<h2 class="headline"><?php _e('Słowniczek pojęć', 'your-text-domain'); ?></h2>

This ensures WPML detects and allows translations for this text.

Step 2: Make FAQ Questions Translatable

Right now, the questions (`$atts['question']`) are passed as shortcode attributes, meaning WPML doesn’t automatically recognize them. To fix this, we need to register them as translatable strings.

Modify the `faq_question_shortcode` function in `functions.php` like this:

function faq_question_shortcode($atts, $content = null) {
    static $count = 0;
    $count++;

    // Register question string for translation
    $question = isset($atts['question']) ? $atts['question'] : '';
    $translated_question = apply_filters('wpml_translate_single_string', $question, 'FAQ', 'FAQ Question ' . $count);

    $output = '<div class="question-block" data-container="toggle-' . $count . '" itemprop="mainEntity" itemscope itemtype="<em><u>hidden link</u></em>">';
    $output .= '<h3 itemprop="name" class="question">' . esc_html($translated_question) . '</h3>';
    $output .= '<div id="toggle-' . $count . '" itemprop="acceptedAnswer" itemscope itemtype="<em><u>hidden link</u></em>" class="answer">';
    $output .= '<div itemprop="text" class="text">';
    $output .= do_shortcode($content);
    $output .= '</div></div></div>';

    return $output;
}
add_shortcode('question', 'faq_question_shortcode');

Let me explain this a bit:

- We use apply_filters('wpml_translate_single_string', ...) to make WPML recognize the FAQ question.

- The 'FAQ' text domain groups all FAQ-related translations.

- Each question is uniquely identified as 'FAQ Question ' . $count, so WPML can register multiple FAQ entries.

Step 3: Register Questions in WPML

To make sure WPML detects the FAQ questions:

1. Go to WPML > String Translation.
2. Click "Translate texts in admin screens" (at the bottom).
3. Locate your FAQ questions and mark them for translation.
4. After saving, they will now appear under WPML > String Translation, where they can be translated.

Step 4: Ensure FAQ Answers are Translatable

If the FAQ answers are hardcoded in the page content, WPML should already detect them under WPML > Translation Management. However, if they are stored elsewhere, we may need to register them similarly to questions.

If the answers are stored as shortcode content, modify:

$output .= do_shortcode($content);

to:

$translated_content = apply_filters('wpml_translate_single_string', $content, 'FAQ', 'FAQ Answer ' . $count);
$output .= do_shortcode($translated_content);

This ensures both questions and answers can be translated properly.

Let me also share some Final Notes:

- After these changes, any new FAQ question and answer should automatically appear in WPML > String Translation.

- If any part still doesn’t appear, running a scan in WPML > Theme and Plugin Localization might help.

This should now allow full WPML compatibility for the FAQ section!

As you can probably see, this type of implementation already requires some custom work, and that falls outside of the scope of our Support Policy.

However, I wanted to at least share a few steps to guide you in the right direction. I always like to do that if possible and the need is not super complex.

But please do not hesitate to hire a developer or a WPML Contractor (https://wpml.org/contractors/) if you think you won't manage to implement this.

Thank you so much for your understanding and cooperation.

Also, I hope that you will find all this information helpful.

Mihai