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

Problem:
The client is developing a site and wants to know if it's possible to create a post in a secondary language (Greek) and have it automatically translated to the main language (English). Additionally, the client asked if the secondary language can be loaded by default when a user visits the website without changing the default language, and if there's a safe way to change the default language to Greek without affecting existing content and translations.
Solution:
We confirmed that creating a post in a secondary language and having it automatically translated to the main language is supported. However, the automatic translation must be manually triggered in the post/page editor. For an example of how this works, you can view this video: https://go.screenpal.com/watch/cZQnovVR3UV
Regarding loading the secondary language by default, this is not possible with WPML directly. A possible workaround could involve redirection via domain DNS or CDN.
Changing the default language to Greek is feasible, but it may impact SEO as URL structures will change, affecting the paths of existing content.

If this solution does not resolve your issue or seems outdated, we highly recommend checking related known issues at https://wpml.org/known-issues/, verifying the version of the permanent fix, and confirming that you have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.

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This topic contains 9 replies, has 2 voices.

Last updated by Kor 6 months, 3 weeks ago.

Assisted by: Kor.

Author Posts
September 2, 2024 at 2:55 pm #16132579

christosC-8

Background of the issue:
I am developing a site and want to create a post in Greek (secondary language) and have it automatically translated to English (main language).

Symptoms:

Questions:
Is it possible to create a post in Greek and have it automatically translated to English?

September 2, 2024 at 3:19 pm #16132648

Kor
Supporter

Languages: English (English )

Timezone: Asia/Singapore (GMT+08:00)

Hi there,

Thanks for reaching us. Yes, it looks like it is supported as listed here hidden link . Are you having issues getting this to work?

September 2, 2024 at 3:21 pm #16132664

christosC-8

Hello,
No, what i meant was can i create a post in a secondary language and then automatically trnaslate it to the site's main language?

September 2, 2024 at 3:22 pm #16132667

Kor
Supporter

Languages: English (English )

Timezone: Asia/Singapore (GMT+08:00)

Thanks for your reply.

Yes, you can. But you'll have to trigger the "automatic translation" manually in the post/page editor. Would you like to see some examples?

September 2, 2024 at 3:26 pm #16132687

christosC-8

Yes please

September 2, 2024 at 3:30 pm #16132696

Kor
Supporter

Languages: English (English )

Timezone: Asia/Singapore (GMT+08:00)

Here is an example and I hope it helps. hidden link

September 2, 2024 at 3:34 pm #16132722

christosC-8

Thank you for the demo. So if i were to type a sentence in dutch, when manually triggering the automatic translation, it would translate it in english right?

September 2, 2024 at 3:35 pm #16132723

Kor
Supporter

Languages: English (English )

Timezone: Asia/Singapore (GMT+08:00)

Yes, correct. That's how it works if you're translating from a secondary language to a primary language using automatic translation.

September 2, 2024 at 3:39 pm #16132728

christosC-8

Can i also ask 2 more quick questions:

1) Is there a way to load by default when user goes to the website the secondary language instead of the default (without changing the default language)?

2)If a website has all of its content in English, when installing on it WPML and translating everything to Greek, is there a safe and guaranteed way to change the default language to Greek without causing any issue to exisiting content and translations?

September 2, 2024 at 3:46 pm #16132758

Kor
Supporter

Languages: English (English )

Timezone: Asia/Singapore (GMT+08:00)

Thanks for your reply.

As you know, our support policy allows us to take care of only one issue per ticket.
Continuing with one issue per ticket helps not only supporters to focus on one issue at once, but also enables other users to find solutions to their questions faster.

But I'll try to answer your questions here without splitting the tickets.

1) Is there a way to load by default when user goes to the website the secondary language instead of the default (without changing the default language)?
No, this is not possible with WPML, but you can use some kind of redirection on your domain DNS or CDN.

2)If a website has all of its content in English, when installing on it WPML and translating everything to Greek, is there a safe and guaranteed way to change the default language to Greek without causing any issue to exisiting content and translations?
It should be fine but not sure about SEO because when you switch to Greek as your primary language, your URL will change from hidden link to hidden link . Then, your English links will change from hidden link to hidden link;

September 2, 2024 at 3:54 pm #16132775

christosC-8

Thank so much Kor for your help on my questions.