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[Resolved] Help Customising WPML Language Switcher to Work Across 2 Domains

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

Problem:
You need to configure the WPML language switcher to redirect users between two separate WordPress domains (glginsights.com and glginc.cn) based on the selected language, while maintaining consistent permalinks.
Solution:
We recommend implementing a custom redirect using the 

wpml_language_has_switched

hook. This hook activates after WPML switches the language context, allowing you to redirect users to the corresponding page on the other domain. Here is a basic example of how you can set this up:

add_action( 'wpml_language_has_switched', function( $lang ) {
    // Only run on frontend
    if ( is_admin() || wp_doing_ajax() ) return;
 
    $current_uri = $_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'];
 
    if ( $lang === 'zh' ) {
        wp_redirect( 'https://glginc.cn' . $current_uri );
        exit;
    } elseif ( in_array( $lang, [ 'en', 'ja', 'ko', 'de' ] ) ) {
        wp_redirect( 'https://glginsights.com/' . $lang . $current_uri );
        exit;
    }
});

Ensure that both domains use matching permalinks and slugs, and adjust the language codes to match your WPML configuration. This solution is custom and may require further adjustments based on your specific setup.

If this solution does not apply to your case, or if it seems outdated, we highly recommend checking related known issues at https://wpml.org/known-issues/, verifying the version of the permanent fix, and confirming that you have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

This is the technical support forum for WPML - the multilingual WordPress plugin.

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Last updated by Andreas W. 1 month, 1 week ago.

Assisted by: Andreas W..

Author Posts
August 6, 2025 at 3:25 pm #17300182

chiragA-3

Background of the issue:
Hi WPML Support,

I’m looking for help customising the behaviour of the WPML language switcher.

We currently manage two WordPress sites:

A global site hosted on glginsights.com, which includes English, Japanese, Korean, and German.

A China site hosted separately on glginc.cn.

The content across both sites is very similar — essentially translated versions of each other — and we maintain consistent permalinks between them.

We’d like to configure the language switcher so that:

Selecting a different language redirects users between the two domains, depending on the language.

The switcher simply replaces the domain and language slug, keeping the rest of the permalink intact.

Is there a recommended way to achieve this setup using WPML, or would you suggest any custom approach?

Thanks in advance for your guidance!

Symptoms:
No specific issue or error message mentioned.

Questions:
Is there a recommended way to configure the WPML language switcher to redirect users between two domains based on the selected language?
Would you suggest any custom approach to achieve this setup?
August 8, 2025 at 3:22 pm #17305852

Andreas W.
WPML Supporter since 12/2018

Languages: English (English ) Spanish (Español ) German (Deutsch )

Timezone: America/Lima (GMT-05:00)

Hi Chirag,

Thanks for the detailed explanation.

You're correct that WPML doesn’t natively support switching languages across two separate WordPress installs (glginsights.com and glginc.cn). The built-in language switcher only works within a single site, based on translations stored in that site's database.

However, since your permalinks are consistent across both domains, you can implement a custom redirect using the wpml_language_has_switched hook. This hook fires after WPML switches the language context, and you can use it to redirect users to the corresponding page on the other domain.

Here’s a basic example, which I did not test myself, but it should clarify how the hook operates:

add_action( 'wpml_language_has_switched', function( $lang ) {
    // Only run on frontend
    if ( is_admin() || wp_doing_ajax() ) return;

    $current_uri = $_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'];

    if ( $lang === 'zh' ) {
        wp_redirect( '<em><u>hidden link</u></em>' . $current_uri );
        exit;
    } elseif ( in_array( $lang, [ 'en', 'ja', 'ko', 'de' ] ) ) {
        wp_redirect( '<em><u>hidden link</u></em>' . $lang . $current_uri );
        exit;
    }
});

Notes:
This assumes both domains use matching permalinks and slugs.

You’ll want to scope this logic to specific templates or routes to avoid interfering with admin or AJAX requests.

You may also need to adjust language codes (zh, ja, etc.) to match your WPML configuration.

Further, please kindly note that this is a custom code request, and our supporters are usually not expected to provide custom code solutions. If you receive such solutions on the forum, then this is due to goodwill and occurs voluntarily.

Best regards
Andreas