This thread is resolved. Here is a description of the problem and solution.
Problem:
The client is managing images and product listings on their multilingual website and is concerned about the potential increase in storage space and loading speed due to duplicate images and listings for each language. They asked if updating a photo and sharing it across translations requires removing the image separately for each language, if WPML creates multiple product listings and duplicate images for each language, and if there is a more efficient translation function to reduce storage and improve loading speed.
Solution:
We clarified that when an image is shared across different translations in WPML, it does not duplicate the image file itself but creates multiple entries in the database. Therefore, if an image is 100MB, it still occupies only 100MB of space, regardless of the number of languages. When you update a photo and choose to share it with different translations, removing the image does not require switching between languages multiple times; it can be managed centrally. WPML does create multiple listings for a single product according to the translations, but this does not mean duplicating the image files themselves. For a more efficient translation function, we recommend exploring WPML's automatic translation features, which can utilize online dictionaries and preserved translations to streamline the process.
If this solution does not fully address your concerns or seems outdated, we highly recommend checking related known issues at https://wpml.org/known-issues/, verifying the version of the permanent fix, and confirming that you have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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