Split: additional question regarding language support

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

Problem:
The client inquired if WPML can fully support Papiamentu as a custom language for page translations, integrate with automatic translation services, and if there are any limitations or best practices to consider.
Solution:
We informed the client that Papiamentu can be added as a custom language in WPML for manual translations across the site. However, for automatic translations, there are limitations since not all custom languages are supported by WPML's integrated translation engines. Although Google Translate supports Papiamentu, it is not supported directly by WPML's engines. We recommended checking the supported languages on https://ate.wpml.org/mt_langs. As a workaround, the client can map Papiamentu to a supported language for automatic translations.

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This topic is split from https://wpml.org/forums/topic/wpml-acf-multilingual-setup-review-best-practices/

Tagged: Documentation request

This topic contains 1 reply, has 0 voices.

Last updated by Bassam Al Dana 1 week ago.

Assisted by: Dražen.

Author	Posts
March 27, 2026 at 6:02 am #17930834
Bassam Al Dana	Hi Dražen, Thank you for your guidance so far. I would like to inform you that, based on your recommendations, the setup is now working as expected. The ACF Field Groups are configured using “Same fields across languages,” and content updates in the default language are correctly reflected and translated in the secondary language. So far, everything seems stable and aligned. I do have one additional question regarding language support: Papiamentu (Pap) is not available by default in WPML. I understand that it can be added manually as a custom language. However, Google Translate does support Papiamentu: hidden link Would it be possible to configure WPML in such a way that Papiamentu can be used as a translation language leveraging available translation engines (e.g., Google Translate or others)? Specifically: • Can WPML fully support Papiamentu as a custom language for page translations? • If added manually, can it be integrated with automatic translation services? • Are there any limitations or best practices we should consider when using a non-default language like Papiamentu? Your advice on this would be highly appreciated before we proceed further with the remaining websites. Thank you again for your support. Best regards, Bassam Al Dana Millennium Net Services
March 27, 2026 at 6:06 am #17930837
Dražen Supporter Languages: English (English ) Timezone: Europe/Zagreb (GMT+02:00)	Hi, Regarding Papiamentu, you can add it as a custom language in WPML and use it normally for translations across your site. However, automatic translation has some limitations. Not all custom languages are supported by WPML’s translation engines. Even though Google Translate supports Papiamentu, the engines integrated in WPML are not identical and have their own supported language list. You can check supported languages here: hidden link Since Papiamentu is not listed, automatic translation will not be available directly. As a workaround, you can map the custom language to a supported language and use that for automatic translation. Best regards, Dražen
March 30, 2026 at 7:47 am #17935345
Bassam Al Dana	I will figure this out later.