How to separate english pages from other languages?

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

Problem:

The client is trying to organize translated pages in the CMS, separating English pages from other languages to make management easier. They also encountered an issue where random pages appeared in the English translation tab and needed to prevent Authors from publishing translations without Admin approval.

Solution:

1. To separate and organize pages by language, check the language option in the sidebar when editing a page. If it's greyed out, the page is linked to a translation. Disconnect it from the default language page by following this guide: https://wpml.org/faq/how-to-disconnect-translations-from-the-default-language-page-or-post/, then change the page's language and reconnect it using this guide: https://wpml.org/faq/how-to-link-already-translated-pages/.

2. Ensure the Dashboard language switcher is set to the correct language when creating or editing content.

3. To restrict publishing capabilities for the Author role, use the “Save the translated post as a draft” option under WPML >> Settings >> Translated documents options. For more control, enable the “Wait for review” option under WPML >> Settings >> Automatic translation. For advanced role-based control, refer to: https://wpml.org/documentation/translating-your-contents/how-to-use-access-plugin-to-create-editors-for-specific-language/.

If these solutions do not resolve your issue or seem outdated, we recommend checking related known issues at https://wpml.org/known-issues/, verifying the version of the permanent fix, and confirming that you have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 the problem persists, please open a new support ticket at WPML support forum.

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Tagged: Custom Work

This topic contains 7 replies, has 1 voice.

Last updated by Bigul 1 month, 3 weeks ago.

Assisted by: Bigul.

Author	Posts
July 28, 2025 at 8:26 pm #17276660
christopherH-36	Background of the issue: I am trying to organize translated pages in the CMS for the site hidden link. Currently, all translated and main pages are mixed together, making management difficult. Symptoms: None Questions: How can I separate English pages from other languages in the CMS? What is the best way to organize translated pages using WPML? I can provide site access if it helps making this get resolved faster. Thank you!
July 29, 2025 at 9:10 am #17277800
Kor WPML Supporter since 08/2022 Languages: English (English ) Timezone: Asia/Singapore (GMT+08:00)	Thank you for reaching out to WPML support. While one of my colleagues reviews your ticket, I’d like to provide some initial debugging steps to help you right away. When editing the page, you should see a language option in the sidebar. Please check if that’s available. I’ve attached a screenshot for your reference. If the option appears greyed out, it means the page is currently linked to a translation. In that case, you’ll need to first disconnect it from the default language page by following this guide: https://wpml.org/faq/how-to-disconnect-translations-from-the-default-language-page-or-post/ After disconnecting, change the language of the page and then reconnect it to the appropriate translated page using the steps here: https://wpml.org/faq/how-to-link-already-translated-pages/ Let me know how it goes.
July 29, 2025 at 3:24 pm #17279684
christopherH-36	Hi I've managed to reassign the random pages that suddenly appeared in the English translation tab to its correct language. Do you have an idea what caused that?
July 30, 2025 at 5:47 am #17280516
Bigul	Hello, Thank you for the updates. This appears to be an exception. We assume that you are using WPML's Advanced Translation Editor for translating posts and pages. Please also make sure that the Dashboard language switcher (located in the top admin bar of the WordPress backend) is set to the correct secondary language when creating or editing content in that language. Please cross-check these and let us know if the issue is still reproducible. To help you faster, I have enabled the option to share debug information in this ticket. Please follow the steps in this link to provide it: http://wpml.org/faq/provide-debug-information-faster-support/ -- Thanks! Bigul
July 30, 2025 at 6:11 pm #17283070
christopherH-36	Hi, I've attached the debug info. Just a heads-up: the client wants to prevent Authors from publishing any translation pages. Only Admins should be able to publish them, since they need to verify if a translated page is good enough to go live. To help with that, I changed a setting in WPML so that when a translation is marked as complete, it no longer auto-publishes. It stays in draft instead. Do you see any potential issues with WPML if we restrict publishing capabilities for the Author role?
July 31, 2025 at 9:18 am #17284451
Bigul	Hello, Thank you for the updates. It is fine to customize user roles and publishing capabilities while using WPML. Since you have already selected the “Save the translated post as a draft” option under WPML >> Settings >> Translated documents options, your current setup is appropriate. If you are using the WPML Advanced Translation Editor for translating posts and pages, you can further enhance control by enabling the “Wait for review” option under WPML >> Settings >> Automatic translation. This ensures that completed translations remain in review status until approved. For more details about advanced role-based control, you can also refer to the following guide: https://wpml.org/documentation/translating-your-contents/how-to-use-access-plugin-to-create-editors-for-specific-language/ -- Thanks! Bigul
July 31, 2025 at 6:38 pm #17286292
christopherH-36	Got it thank you so much Bigul! One last thing, I'm sorry if this ticket has become a bunch of different questions one after the other. One thing that’s starting to concern me about WPML is synchronization. When I make edits to the English version, those updates obviously need to be reflected in the translations. However, I’ve noticed that after translating a page, if I edit the English version afterward, the translated page doesn’t automatically update the content boxes—like when I add or rearrange a case study in the related insights section. These layout or content block changes don’t sync automatically. I currently have to go into WPML’s translation management, check the box for that page, and update it for the other languages—although I can leave existing translations as they are. I just want to confirm if this is the correct process, or if there’s a better way to handle this? New threads created by Bigul and linked to this one are listed below: https://wpml.org/forums/topic/translated-pages-not-updating-after-original-page-layout-changes-in-wpml/
August 1, 2025 at 3:09 am #17286960
Bigul	Hello, Thank you for the updates. Please note that I have created a new ticket specifically for the sync issue. This will help us assist you more efficiently and keep the discussions focused. I will follow up shortly in the new ticket. -- Thanks! Bigul