Background of the issue:
I am developing a website and trying to translate the homepage titles (heading 1 and heading 2) and two action buttons using WPML. The strings for the headings exist in string translation and I have translated them there. Unlike other headings on the homepage they do not appear as segments when translating the page though but I am not sure if they should appear there or just be translated in strings translation.
Symptoms:
The translated titles do not appear on the German version of the website; they remain in English. The strings for the action buttons do not appear in the string translation search, although they have been translated in other pages/posts before.
Questions:
Why are the translated titles not showing on the German version of the homepage?
How can I find and translate the strings for the action buttons that do not appear in the string translation search?
Certain strings may require a specific procedure to be located and translated. There may also be duplicate strings; we need to find and translate the correct ones.
Moreover, the proper method for translating strings greatly depends on how they have been incorporated into the theme/plugin.
Please attempt both methods and check if either of them resolves the issue.
Method 1:
Navigate to WPML > String Translation and at the bottom of the page, you will find a checkbox labeled "Look for strings while pages are rendered." You can enable (check) that option, then go to the front end to a page where the string is displayed, and afterwards return to WPML > String Translation to search for that string and see if it now appears.
Method 2:
If you can't locate them within WPML > String Translation, they might be included as admin text strings.
PS: There is also something important to mention; if the strings come from outside of WordPress, it would be impossible for WPML to see or translate them.
Many thanks for your message and the options to try. I tried them all and unfortunately it did not work.
ii think one of the issues is that most strings that do not translate are strings that I was actually able to find and translate before, but they just don't show as translations. The image attached is an example - it is heading 1 of the home page. I translated it into German as you can see on the image, but it is still in English on the German version of the home page. The same applies to heading 2 and I think also the call to action buttons if I remember correctly.
The only sligthly odd thing about this example is that there is no button that I can click to actually save the translation. I use the enter key to get out of it and when I search for the same string again, it shows the translation, so it is saved somehow. I'm not sure if this helps in any way.
Sorry to hear that the methods shared above are not working for you. I will need to closely examine your website. Therefore, I will require temporary access (WP-Admin and FTP) to a test site where the problem has been replicated, if possible. This will enable me to provide better assistance and determine if any configurations need to be modified.
Please note that it is important to have a backup for security purposes and to prevent any potential data loss. You can use the UpdraftPlus plugin (https://wordpress.org/plugins/updraftplus/) to fulfill your backup requirements.
Your upcoming reply will be treated with confidentiality and will only be visible to you and me.
✙ To resolve the issue, I may need your consent to deactivate and reactivate plugins and the theme, as well as make configuration changes on the site if necessary. This emphasizes the significance of having a backup.
Many thanks for your message. I'm now thinking of switching themes.
The only reason I installed and used Colibri was because a training course from Proz.com suggested it and also used WPML with it, so I thought it would work.
When searching for the Elementor theme in wordpress it comes up with many differernt Elementor themes, e.g. Restaurant Elementor, News Elementor, Business Elementor etc - are they all Elementor and compatible with WPML?
If you have any better suggestions of a free theme which has a page builder, please let me know.
Elementor's Hello Elementor theme https://wpml.org/theme/hello-elementor-2/ and its page builder are fully compatible with WPML. Also, all the themes that are listed here https://wpml.org/theme/ are fully compatible with WPML. Free themes are usually locked with limited features so you need to take note of that.
