WPML product category translation slugs are not reflected in Yoast product category sitemap

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

Problem:
You are trying to generate a product category sitemap using the Yoast plugin on a multilingual site managed with WPML. The sitemap incorrectly uses the original slug, causing 404 errors. Additionally, you are unable to update the WPML SEO plugin from version 2.1.1 to 2.2.1, encountering an 'Update failed: Download failed. Method Not Allowed' error.
Solution:
First, ensure that the issue is not due to a known WPML bug by checking the errata page here: https://wpml.org/errata/product-category-links-do-not-use-translated-slugs/.
If the problem persists, try manually updating the WPML SEO plugin. Since automatic updates are failing, a manual update might be necessary. Unfortunately, there is no direct download link provided in our documentation, so you might need to contact our support for the latest plugin version.
To address the sitemap issue with Yoast, ensure that all necessary fields are correctly filled in as per our documentation or previous successful setups. This adjustment should help Yoast to generate the correct URLs for the translated slugs.

If these steps do not resolve your issues or if the information provided becomes outdated, we highly recommend checking related known issues (https://wpml.org/known-issues/), verifying the version of the permanent fix, and confirming that you have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. Should you need further assistance, please open a new support ticket at WPML support forum.

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Tagged: Known issue

This topic contains 4 replies, has 0 voices.

Last updated by loritaI 3 days, 9 hours ago.

Assisted by: Bruno Kos.

Author	Posts
July 14, 2025 at 12:13 pm #17233631
loritaI	Background of the issue: I am trying to generate a product category sitemap using the Yoast plugin on my site, which has four languages. The /product-category/ slug in the URL is translated via the WPML plugin in all languages (e.g., bg - produkt-kategoriya, de - produkt-kategorie). However, the Yoast sitemap uses the original slug, causing 404 errors. I attempted to update the WPML SEO plugin from version 2.1.1 to 2.2.1, but the update failed. The issue can be seen at hidden link. Symptoms: Yoast generates URLs in the sitemap using the original slug, resulting in 404 errors. The WPML SEO plugin update failed with 'Update failed: Download failed. Method Not Allowed' from the plugins list. From the commercials tab the auto-update passes, but the plugin is not getting updated (Plugins → Add New Plugin and click the Commercial tab). Questions: How can I update the WPML SEO plugin to version 2.2.1? Is there a link for direct download for manual update or a hint for the automatic updates? How can I ensure Yoast generates the correct URLs for translated slugs in the sitemap?
July 14, 2025 at 1:10 pm #17234095
loritaI	Well, I've disabled all plugins save for the WPML ones, Yoast and WooCommerce. I'm attaching a screenshot. After recreating the sitemap the issue persists. So this is not a matter of caching, outdated plugins or plugin incompatiblity. Could you give me hints how to debug this further and possibly solve this?
July 15, 2025 at 5:49 pm #17239153
Noman WPML Supporter since 06/2016 Languages: English (English ) Timezone: Asia/Karachi (GMT+05:00)	Thanks for checking the issue in the minimal environment. 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 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. Thank you
July 21, 2025 at 9:30 am #17254500
Bruno Kos WPML Supporter since 12/2018 Languages: English (English ) German (Deutsch ) French (Français ) Timezone: Europe/Zagreb (GMT+02:00)	Here's the sitemap link: hidden link The issue was likely related to this known WPML bug: https://wpml.org/errata/product-category-links-do-not-use-translated-slugs/ After I filled in all the necessary fields (see my screenshots), it started working correctly. Can you try the same on your production site?
July 21, 2025 at 11:33 am #17255248
loritaI	Well, I've populated the taxonomy translations as shown in the screenshot then clicked on "Synchronize product categories assignment in content" button (it has disapeared since). After that I've disabled/enabled the Yoast sitemap option. And cleared the Redis cache. And it did work. Thanks for pinpointing the issue and helping me solve it.