Problem: The client needed to translate categories and tags for a custom post type called Case Studies on their WordPress site using WPML and BLEND's translation service. Initially, these taxonomies were not set to be translatable, and the client was unsure how to send them to BLEND without resending all the posts. Solution: To translate the taxonomies while sending them to a translation service, creating a new post, assigning all categories and tags to it, and then sending it to the translation service. This method allows the categories to be included in the translation when the post is processed. Generally, Taxonomies will be translated using the WPML > Taxonomy Translation option. After translating, you can go to WPML > Support > Troubleshooting and use the first option in the "Clean up" section to synchronize the post taxonomies.
If this solution does not apply to your situation, or if it seems outdated, we highly recommend checking the related known issues, verifying the version of the permanent fix, and confirming that you have installed the latest versions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.
Problem: You are experiencing an issue where a hardcoded string 'Built for the New Reality' on your homepage is not displaying its French Canadian translation on the live site, despite working on the staging site. You've tried saving the page, syncing theme translations, updating the translated string in String Translation, and clearing the page cache. Solution: We noticed that WPML could not write to the
/wp-content/languages/wpml
folder, which prevents it from generating the .mo files necessary for displaying translations. To resolve this, please ensure that WPML has the necessary permissions to write to this folder. You can do this by following these steps: 1. Visit the WPML documentation on .mo file generation. 2. Navigate to WPML → Theme and Plugins Localization. 3. Generate the .mo files.
If this solution does not resolve your issue or seems irrelevant due to being outdated or not applicable to your case, we highly recommend checking related known issues at https://wpml.org/known-issues/, verifying the version of the permanent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 needed, please do not hesitate to open a new support ticket for further assistance at WPML support forum.
Problem: The client is experiencing issues with 'Learn More' links not pulling in translations automatically, even though other content on the page is translated. These links are created using Advanced Custom Fields (ACF).
Solution: 1. Ensure all relevant plugins are updated to the latest versions: - ACF Pro (6.3.12) - AFCML (2.1.5) - WPML CMS (4.7.3) - String Translation (3.3.2) You can download the latest versions from the Downloads page.
2. After updating the plugins, follow these steps: - Edit the page in the default language. - Add "V2" to the page's title and update the page. - Remove "V2" from the title and update the page again. - Update the page's translation. - Clear the cache and check the front end.
If the issue persists after following these steps, it might be due to outdated information or a different issue not covered here. 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 necessary, please open a new support ticket at WPML support forum for further assistance.
Problem: The client was preparing their theme for translation and needed to register hardcoded image alt attributes for translation with WPML. Since the images were hardcoded in the theme (not in the Media Library), they wanted the alt text to be translatable.
Solution: We explained that any hardcoded string, including image alt tags, must be wrapped in a gettext function (e.g., __() or _e()) with a textdomain to be detected by WPML’s String Translation. For example:
<img src="image.jpg" alt="<?php echo __('My alt text', 'your-text-domain'); ?/>">
After making this change, WPML could register the string and the alt text was successfully translated.
For a complete guide on making hardcoded theme and plugin strings translatable—including how AI can simplify the translation workflow—see: Translate WordPress Themes and Plugins with AI.
Please note that this solution might be outdated or not applicable to your specific case. 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 the issue persists, please open a new support ticket at WPML support forum.
Problem: You are trying to ensure that translated pages in French Canadian display the same images and strings as the original version, specifically for header and footer logos and social media text stored as ACF fields on an Options Page. Despite setting the field group to 'Expert' mode in WPML, registering fields as strings, and applying the 'Copy' setting, the French Canadian version returns NULL for image IDs. Solution: First, ensure that WPML creates an image for each language with a proper ID by navigating to WPML > Settings > Media Translation and clicking "Start". Allow the dialog to complete without closing the tab, as this scans the media library and creates any missing entries in second languages.
If the issue persists, it might be due to the ACF option field copying the original ID incorrectly. Go to your Options page, switch the language in the top admin bar, and edit the logo ID using the correct ID for the translated logo. Set the ACF field to "Copy once" in "Expert" mode or set the whole group to "Different fields across languages". To find the translated logo ID, switch the language in the media library, open the logo, and check its ID.
If these steps do not resolve your issue, or if the solution becomes 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 necessary, please open a new support ticket at WPML support forum for further assistance.
Problem: The client could not locate or translate certain hardcoded strings in their theme (for example, text inside a template partial registered as an ACF block). Running Theme and Plugin Localization showed some strings, but the specific ones (like homepage carousel text) were missing.
Solution: We recommended the client to: 1. Ensure they have a full backup of their website and database. 2. Perform these steps preferably on a staging or development site to avoid issues on the live site.
3. Update WordPress to the latest version.
4. Deactivate all plugins except for WPML and its String Translation add-on.
5. Scan the theme again and then search for the strings in the String Translation section.
When these steps didn't bring expected results, it turned out that the root cause was that the missing strings were not wrapped for translation. Once the customer encased them in gettext functions such as __() or _e() with a textdomain, WPML successfully detected them.
For a complete guide on preparing themes and plugins for translation—including gettext wrapping best practices and how AI can help streamline the translation process—see: Translate WordPress Themes and Plugins with AI
If this solution does not resolve the issue or seems irrelevant due to being outdated or not applicable to your specific case, we highly recommend opening a new support ticket.
Please also check related known issues at https://wpml.org/known-issues/, verify the version of the permanent fix, and confirm that you have installed the latest versions of themes and plugins.
For further assistance, you can contact us directly at the WPML support forum.
Problem: The client is unable to update the site key for acosta.ca to a unique one, as it auto-completed with the site key from another site, acosta.group. Attempts to update or unregister the site key were unsuccessful, with errors indicating a mismatch or invalid site key. Solution: If you're experiencing issues with updating or registering your site key for WPML, we recommend the following steps: 1) Visit the WPML account websites page. 2) If the site URL is already registered, delete it from the list. 3) Re-enter the site URL to generate a new site key. 4) Click on "Show key" and copy the new site key. 5) Navigate to Plugins > Install > Commercial (tab) in your WordPress dashboard, and enter the new key to re-register WPML. If WPML is still registered, de-register it first.
If this solution does not resolve your issue, or if it seems outdated or irrelevant to your case, please check the related known issues and confirm that you have installed the latest versions of themes and plugins. We highly recommend opening a new support ticket for further assistance at WPML support forum.
