[Resolved] String mixed up in different language in string translation
This thread is resolved. Here is a description of the problem and solution.
Problem: The client is trying to translate a site from French to English and encounters an issue where English text appears in the French part of the translation editor. This text seems to be coming from an Elementor module or plugin. The client identified the strings in the string translator but was unable to change their language settings individually due to them being part of a 'packet'. Solution: We explained that the issue arises because the widget used by the client defaults to English strings in its code, which can only be changed by editing each string within the widget. This is a design issue with the widget, and the plugin author would need to include language files for different default languages. We also informed the client that our team is actively working on compatibility with many Elementor addons and provided a list of compatible addons. We mentioned that Royal Addons is not yet fully compatible and that we have reached out to the author for a resolution. If you're experiencing a similar issue, we recommend checking if the Elementor addon you are using is compatible with WPML by visiting our compatibility page: https://wpml.org/compatibility/2021/08/the-best-elementor-addons-for-multilingual-sites/.
Please note that this solution might be outdated or not applicable to your case. If the issue persists, 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 with us.
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Hello, I'm trying to translate my site from French into English.
When I go to pages and click on the + sign in order to start translating. I see the text I've written in French and I can translate it ok.
BUT I also see some English text in the French part. From what I can figure out, these strings are coming from some Elementor module (or another elementor plugin to add functionality to my site) and they are connected to the functioning of the said module.
I was able to identify theses strings in the string translator.
But the string are here again mixed up in languages. I tried to only select the culprit strings and change their language settings. BUT the system is preventing me from doing so because it says that these strings are part of a "packet"... I only have wpml in French so I do the best I can to explain... Anyhow, I am forced to select all the strings in the packet in order to change the language. The problem, as you'll see in the attached image, Is that string are mixed up...
I tried to change the whole thing from French to English, seemed to have worked, but It didn't show in the translator when trying to translate my pages...
This is puzzling, can you understand? I'm sorry if it isn't clear it seem to be a complex issue with many layers...
Please do not hesitate to ask any question that may help you.
Strings with domains like "elementor-number" should never be translated in String Translation, but only on the Translation Editor.
If you have them in the source language, they should appear in the French page. Is this the case? Don't you have any option to change the strings there directly?
By investigating further more, I found out that the culprit is a plugin called Royal elementor add-ons and templates.
I've contacted their support to see what they have to say about this... I'll keep you informed on the progress... I may have to stop using this plug in altogether if it isn't wpml compliant...
The original English strings in your content are possibly default strings that are coming from the Widgets that you are using.
Did you verify if these widgets allow you to edit texts like "All", "Newer Posts", "Older Posts", etc.?
If so, please edit those texts inside the widgets and then translate the content. If this will not solve the issue, I can offer a WPML test site on which we can recreate and then escalate the issue and try to reach the author if needed.
Let me know if further assistance will be needed.
Take note, that we can make almost any Elementor Addon translatable by applying a custom XML configuration.
Yes you're probably right, the strings are default string from the plugin: next, previous, sort by, etc.
I'm currently waiting for an answer from the plugin authors... I'm curious as what they have to say about this...
Is our conversation public? I could maybe direct them here for more information.
What really puzzles me is the default strings being assigned in the French language. I'm haven't been able to change the locale on these string. And if I start translating, everything will become messy... So I wait...
My site is a dev site at the moment, so we could use it for test, hopefully we won't break to much thing 😀
I'm curious to try xml because I remember a few years ago I used it, with the help of wpml support, and it kind of fixed my issue, as I recall...
I'll give the plugin authors a few more hours to respond and I'll reactivate this thread when or if I hear from them...
Elementor, Royal Elementor Addons & Templates, and WPML are installed and the site's default language is set to French.
Please try to recreate the issue using the same widgets and I will take a look into it.
Take note, that our custom XML config can only force strings to be translatable inside the WPML Translation Editor. If the widgets are sending default strings that are not able to be edited inside the widgets, then this is a design issue inside the widgets and not really in our hands.
Anyhow, I will be glad to run a test and see if we can find a workaround.
So far I was able to edit almost all the strings directly inside the widget. hidden link
Some fields might not be editable, as the options are disabled or related to PRO features. Please have a look into this once you have the time and let me know the results.
A design issue seems to be that the widget sends the same strings various times.
For example, I see "Add to cart" or other strings duplicated on the editor and I am not sure why the widget behaves this way but it should be related to its code base.
At this point, I have no solution... I'm thinking using another plug in... I have opened another support ticket with the plugin author... Could you guys maybe talk together? Is there a way to show the plugin author this thread?
from what I can figure out, not all the strings of this widget are editable in the widget itself. I believe I found all those that are available and edited them properly...
In my mind, as I previously did with other widget and/or plugins. I was expecting to find the strings that are in another language in the strings translator.
After having the plugin analyzed for translatable strings, I indeed found those string but their locale is fr_FR, even if the strings are in English... When trying to switch locale, the string translator tells me to select the whole package... It wouldn't let me choose just the culprits strings...
But I cannot choose every strings because some strings are the ones that I added myself, like text. These, the locale is fr_FR and the text is in French, so all good. However, The other strings, The locale is fr_FR but the text is in English.
Since I can't just select the fawlty strings to assign the correct locale. I did nothing, so far...
Am I being clear enough. It's a complex issue and I fear I can't sum it up properly, sorry about that, I hope this helps
To escalate I need an example of a default string of the widget that is not translatable at all, even after editing all the original strings on the widgets.
Please recreate an example on my provided test site and I will be glad to escalate it.
Also, take note that you will never use WPML > String Translation directly to translate Elementor content. String Translation will only register the strings to write them to the database.
The translation of Elementor will be possible only with the WPML Translation Editor or the WordPress editor as the translation option.
Due to my failure at demonstrating the issue to your satisfaction. I have decided to uninstall Royal Elementor add-ons and use another plugin with widget that are much less bugged...
I have found a workaround. I'm grateful at the time you took to help me, but this proved to be too time and energy consuming... It didn't seem to be worth it at the end...
I have a web site to build, I'm not here to debbug a widget, moreover considering that I got very little support from the author of the plugin itself...
I was only asking you to recreate it, as I did not have an issue with editing all strings inside the Widget and translating them.
The reason why you saw original English strings, was because the widget uses them by default in its code and this can only be altered by editing the fields for each string inside the widget.
This means, you might have the same issue with any translation plugin, as the widget will always send by default English strings - which means that it looks like a design issue, as not every WordPress Site uses English as site's default language.
In this case, the author of the plugin would need to include language files that provide default strings in various languages.
Anyhow, this is more a question for the author and we do not have any direct impact on this unless the plugin would actually send default strings in another language and we are not picking them up for some reason.
Please take note, that our team is working hard on achieving compatibility for many Elementor Addons and the following addons for Elementor should all be compatible with WPML:
Essential Addons for Elementor by WPDeveloper
JetElements For Elementor by Crocoblock
Ultimate Addons for Elementor by BSF
Premium Addons for Elementor by Leap13
Elements Kit Elementor Addons by Wpmet
PowerPack Addons for Elementor by IdeaBox Creations
Anywhere Elementor by WebTechStreet
Exclusive Addons Elementor by DevsCred
Unlimited Elements for Elementor by Unlimited Elements
Royal Addons is currently not yet fully compatible and we have a few reported issues, that we tried to solve by reaching the author, but so far without success, as the author has a high workload and asked us for more time.
This ticket is now closed. If you're a WPML client and need related help, please open a new support ticket.
