Background of the issue:
I am experiencing issues after enabling Automatic image and media detection on my site hidden link.
Symptoms:
There are multiple problems after enabling Automatic image and media detection.
Questions:
German is taken as an example.
1 Why for some images in Media Library > Edit > German the
Warning:Edits you're about to make will be lost
You are about to edit this translation using the standard WordPress editor.
Any changes you make will be lost the next time you send this page for translation.
Go BackEdit in Advanced Translation EditorEdit Anyway (Not Recommended)
shows and for others don’t?
2 Why the alert
New in WPML 4.8 - Automatic image and media detection
WPML can now automatically detect what types of texts (alt, caption, title) your images use. Enable this option to avoid duplicate fields in the translation editor and missing translations for your images.
Enable it nowLearn more about media translation
shows in spite I have enabled this feature (plugin also installed)?
3 Alt text disappeared for an image in Media Library > English, cf. AltTextEnDisappeared_20251126
4 Why there are entries with broken image in WPML > Media Translation and in Media Library (for all languages except English), cf. EntriesBrokenImage _20251126?
Entries with broken image have Alt Text empty.
5 What is the difference between entering Alt Text in Media Library > Edit > German and WPML > Media Transaltion > Edit > German (no automatic translation available)?
Why no automatic translation is available in WPML > Media Transaltion > Edit?
cf. NoAutomaticTranslation_20251126
6 Why the original language is wrong?
Only the name can be entered manually – not OK?
cf. OriginalLanguageWrong _20251126
7 Can you provide the documentation on Automatic image and media detection?
Languages: English (English )Spanish (Español )German (Deutsch )
Timezone: America/Lima (GMT-05:00)
Hello,
While the new feature to auto-detect media for translation is enabled, the workflow usually would be to translate the media together with your pages and posts when translating them with the WPML Advanced Translation Editor.
This is why you see a warning that if you translate media directly inside the media library and afterwards translate the same media with the WPML Translation Editor, your changes might get overwritten.
The purpose of auto-detect media would be to translate the media when it is needed. If you have not yet translated all your content or translated content before enabling this feature, it could be the case that the media was not synced properly.
You could go to WPML > Settings > Media Translation and disable the option to auto-detect media and then access the manual setup.
Here, you can control which media should be synced. For example, you can enable the checkboxes for existing media, then click "Start the process", and WPML will create media entries for all the media files inside the media library.
Further, at the bottom of the section, you find an option to make media available on the WPML Translation Editor. You can disable this option, and media will no longer be translated with the WPML Translation Editor. This way, the warning that you mentioned should no longer appear when editing translated media inside the media library.
Additionally, WPML > Media Translation can be used to create translations and upload alternative media files for second languages.
Hi Andreas,
glad to meet you again.
Your discourse is definitely interesting, but I have difficulties to relate it to my particular questions, so would you be so kind to answer my particular questions
- one per one.
It is needed to decide:
1. What to do with entries with broken images - simply delete?
2. How to enter Alt Text for entries like in 6. – it seems only Media Library > Edit > German is possible?
3. How to set the correct original language?
I enclose my Settings > Media Translation, as you can see existing content should not be changed.
It seems there are general problems with sync – I have a different case still open.
Best regards
Alex
PS I still use your changes to WP-carousel - I have tried Slider, Gallery, and Carousel by MetaSlider, which is stated to be compatible with WPML, I think it is not. But this will be another case.
I have some new info about original language.
It seems that it is set in WPML by the language actual during import in Media Library.
But was is going further on is quite strange.
What I have done:
1 Import an image in Media Library once more with Language (English) different from the original language (Czech) in WPML > Media Translation
The original language of imported image is English.
2 Delete the imported image from Media Library
3 Result is stunning - the double entry stays in WPML > Media Translation and the original language of the should be deleted entry is set to Czech
cf attachment.
Languages: English (English )Spanish (Español )German (Deutsch )
Timezone: America/Lima (GMT-05:00)
Hi,
Upfront:
- WPML will always sync the media from the site's default language into the second language
- While it is technically possible to upload media to the library while having the admin language set to a different language than the site default language, it is not recommended to do so
- Media should only be uploaded to the media library in the site's default language
1. What to do with entries with broken images - simply delete?
I suggest you sync the media, by going to WPML > Settings > Media Translation. (section on your last screenshot). Make sure to mark the checkboxes for "Existing media" and run the process.
This way, WPML will create media entries for all media files in all languages inside the media library.
After that, the media should be displayed in all languages on the Frontend.
2. How to enter Alt Text for entries like in 6. – it seems only Media Library > Edit > German is possible?
There are basically three ways to do so:
- Directly inside the media library
- At WPML > Media Translation
- By translating the media with the WPML Translation Editor
As I mentioned, there is an option at WPML > Settings > Media Translation that allows you to disable media for translation with the WPML Translation Editor. You could disable this option and then create the translations directly inside the media library without worrying about overwriting those translations when translating content with the WPML Translation Editor.
3. How to set the correct original language?
There is sadly no field available that would allow us to set the original source language for uploaded media. The source language is determined at the moment you upload the media to the media library. Make sure to always verify that if you upload media, you are working in the site's default language. (See flag in top admin bar).
This means, if you find media that has the wrong source language, you will need to go to the media library, switch the language inside the top admin bar, search the media and delete it. Then switch the language inside the top admin bar to the site's default language and upload the file again.
4. I enclose my Settings > Media Translation, as you can see, existing content should not be changed.
These settings do not mean that existing content should not be changed. These settings allow you to sync media. If entries are missing, you can use those options to create them.
Let me know in case you have any further doubts or questions.
Hi,
Re language during upload into media library: it is my failure and I upload now only with English as admin language
Re 1: Too risky for me– I will try to do manually. But what do mean these broken image icons?
I enclose another example for images uploaded in English, then inserted in a web page and then translated with ATE – the right way as I do understand.
However the garbage in all languages except English is present. I have checked that File Names for garbage entries do not occur in web page source code.
It doesn’t make sense to investigate how did it happened, but I would strongly prefer to simply delete the garbage images from Media Library. Do you see any danger?
Re 2: Do you mean under ”option at WPML > Settings > Media Translation that allows you to disable media for translation with the WPML Translation Editor” „How to handle Media Library texts (alt, caption, title)“ ?
Re “Automatically detect best options for translating image texts (alt, caption, title)“: As you could see it is disabled,so I have Setup manually but I see images in Advanced Translation Editor and translate them automatically - due probably to „Translate Media Library texts (alt, caption, title) when translating content“ enabled By the way „Recommended“ appears in both cases – disabled and enabled, so what is recommended?
Re my last message (image imported and deleted, double entry in Media Translation, screenshot enclosed): please comment or should we discard it (import in 2 different admin languages)?
Regards
Alex
Languages: English (English )Spanish (Español )German (Deutsch )
Timezone: America/Lima (GMT-05:00)
The media should only be uploaded in the site's default language.
You then have various options for translation:
- Auto-detect media and translate with ATE
- Disable media on ATE and translate directly inside the Media Library
- Use WPML > Media Translation, which further allows uploading alternative media for second languages
For the current false media entries inside the library:
- This usually happens if the media was removed from the server
Make sure to first take a backup of the site, including its database.
Finally, media needs to exist in all languages inside the media library to be able to be displayed on the Frontend. As I mentioned earlier, you can sync media at WPML > Settings > Media Translation in case entries for existing content are missing.
Languages: English (English )Spanish (Español )German (Deutsch )
Timezone: America/Lima (GMT-05:00)
But what do you mean by these broken image icons?
- This means that WordPress can not find any file on the server. Like the original files were removed.
I enclose another example for images uploaded in English, then inserted in a web page and then translated with ATE – the right way as I do understand.
- If English is the site's default language and the source language of the original content, this would be the right way, yes.
However the garbage in all languages except English is present. I have checked that File Names for garbage entries do not occur in web page source code.
It doesn’t make sense to investigate how did it happened, but I would strongly prefer to simply delete the garbage images from Media Library. Do you see any danger?
- I would suggest taking a backup and using a plugin like "Media Cleaner" to remove those entries from the media library.
Do you mean under ”option at WPML > Settings > Media Translation that allows you to disable media for translation with the WPML Translation Editor” „How to handle Media Library texts (alt, caption, title)“ ?
Yes, this is the option I mean. It is the last option inside this section. If you disable it, media will no longer be included in your translations.
Re “Automatically detect best options for translating image texts (alt, caption, title)“: As you could see it is disabled,so I have Setup manually but I see images in Advanced Translation Editor and translate them automatically - due probably to „Translate Media Library texts (alt, caption, title) when translating content“ enabled By the way „Recommended“ appears in both cases – disabled and enabled, so what is recommended?
- If the mentioned option is disabled now, this will take effect on the new translation. For existing translations, you might need to first update the original content and then send it again to translation. This time the media should no longer show up inside the translation editor.
Re my last message (image imported and deleted, double entry in Media Translation, screenshot enclosed): please comment or should we discard it (import in 2 different admin languages)?
- Removing those entries from the media library should also remove them from WPML > Media Translation. Go to your media library, switch the language inside the top admin bar to Czech, search for the media, and delete it.
Hi,
These are exact the answers which help me to solve the problem – thank you!
I am cleaning the Media Library and will report today or latest tomorrow.
Questions by the way:
1 Why and what are 2 Alt Text in ATE?
2 What is the name (circled) in Media Library? Is it important for SEO?
Languages: English (English )Spanish (Español )German (Deutsch )
Timezone: America/Lima (GMT-05:00)
My apologies, but without taking a closer look at the site, I will not be able to answer the question about duplicated Alt text segments on the Advanced Translation Editor.
Could this maybe be related to the plugins Real Media Library (Free) or All in One SEO?
I can offer to take a look at the site as an admin user.
I'd like to request temporary access (wp-admin and FTP) to the website to investigate the issue further.
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I may need to install a plugin called "All In One WP Migration" to create a copy of the website on which I can investigate the problem more thoroughly.
I would also be very grateful if you could provide a staging site on your server for this purpose.
If you have any questions about creating such a staging site, please contact your hosting provider. Please ensure that WPML is also registered on this staging site at https://wpml.org/de/account/websites/.
If you are unable to provide such a copy of the website for testing, please let me know on this ticket.
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Hi Andreas,
You know how high I do appreciate your knowledge and professionalism, but it is my policy
(coming from my professional carrier) not to give access to the production for externals.
I am preparing now the development (staging) to be same as production - so when ready it will be my pleasure to give you the access and to know your opnion.
Should we let this ticket open or should I close it and open a new one? The problem is that I am behind schedule with WooCommerce on DEV, so it will take a little bit longer.
If you decide for a new ticket may be we can combine with carousel: what I do know is creating a WP-carousel, then translating images in a work-page and translating the page with carousel – Alt Text are present.
Re garbage: I have decided to make the cleansing manually not using the plugin you mentioned - it seems OK, but I am checking further.
best regards
Alex
Languages: English (English )Spanish (Español )German (Deutsch )
Timezone: America/Lima (GMT-05:00)
Hi Alex,
A staging site would be ideal, so that I can run tests without affecting the production site.
I am suspecting here that it might be the case that you have on Alt text coming from the media library and another one that is actually saved inside the widget and therefore part of the actual content of the page.
In this case, duplicated Alt texts would be expected, but surely not ideal. It depends on how the widgets handle it. Some widgets pull those texts from the database (media library), and others save them inside the content of the current page as part of the widget.
I will be glad to take a closer look at this and will be awaiting your next reply.
If you have issues with setting up a staging site, I could also provide access to a WPML test site where you could install the latest version of "WP Carousel" and we could try to replicate the issue there.
