How To Use Woocommerce_Wpml

How to Use WooCommerce WPML: A Beginner’s Guide to Multilingual E-Commerce

Want to sell your amazing products to the world? Then you need a multilingual store! WooCommerce, the leading e-commerce platform for WordPress, combined with WPML (WordPress Multilingual Plugin), is a powerful solution. This guide will walk you through how to use WooCommerce WPML to create a multilingual online store, even if you’re a complete beginner.

What is WooCommerce WPML and Why Do You Need It?

WooCommerce is fantastic for setting up an online shop. But by default, it only speaks one language. That’s where WPML comes in. WooCommerce WPML is a plugin that seamlessly integrates WooCommerce with WPML, allowing you to translate your products, categories, tags, attributes, shipping options, and everything else in your store.

Why is this crucial?

• Reach a wider audience: Think about it. People are more likely to buy from a website in their own language. Speaking their language builds trust and makes the buying process smoother. Imagine trying to buy a complex piece of software with instructions only in a language you barely understand! Frustrating, right?
• Improve SEO: Google (and other search engines) reward websites that offer content in multiple languages. It helps them understand your target audience and rank you higher in relevant searches. Imagine searching for “best hiking boots” in Spanish – you want to see results in Spanish, not English!
• Increase sales: More traffic, more trust, and a smoother buying process ultimately lead to more sales. It’s simple math!

Getting Started: Installation and Setup

Before diving into the juicy details, you’ll need the following:

1. WordPress: A self-hosted WordPress installation (not WordPress.com).

2. WooCommerce: The WooCommerce plugin installed and configured.

3. WPML: The WPML Multilingual CMS plugin and its WooCommerce Multilingual add-on. You will need to purchase a WPML license.

Installation Steps:

1. Install WooCommerce: Follow the standard WordPress plugin installation process for WooCommerce.

2. Install WPML: Purchase and download the WPML Multilingual CMS plugin from WPML.org. Install and activate it through the WordPress plugin installer. This will also install the WPML String Translation module.

3. Install WooCommerce Multilingual: After activating WPML, you’ll be prompted to install other necessary WPML modules. Make sure you install and activate the “WooCommerce Multilingual” plugin.

WPML Setup Wizard:

After activating WPML, you’ll be guided through a setup wizard. Here’s what you’ll need to configure:

• Default Language: Choose the primary language of your store. This is the language you’ll create your content in first.
• Translation Languages: Select the languages you want to offer your store in. For example, you might choose English, Spanish, and French.

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• Translation Options: Decide how you want to translate your content:
• Translate Everything Automatically: (Available with WPML’s Automatic Translation feature, which requires Translation Units). This is the fastest option for translating your site and keeping it up to date.
• Translate Some: You translate yourself or assign translators. You can send content for professional translation.
• Create all content in the default language. Translate or duplicate as needed: This option allows you to choose what gets translated on a page-by-page basis.

Follow the wizard’s instructions, and you’ll be ready to start translating!

Translating Your WooCommerce Store

Now for the fun part: translating your products and other WooCommerce elements!

#### Translating Products

1. Go to WooCommerce > WooCommerce Multilingual: This is your central hub for managing translations.

2. Products Tab: You’ll see a list of your products, with flags indicating their translation status.

3. Translate Icon: Click the “+” icon (or pencil icon for existing translations) next to the language you want to translate a product Check out this post: How To Edit Woocommerce Dashboard Words into. This will take you to the translation editor.

4. Translate the Fields: Translate the following fields:

• Product Title
• Product Description (both short and long)
• Product Attributes
• Product Categories
• Product Tags
• SEO Title and Description (if you’re using an SEO plugin like Yoast SEO or Rank Math)

5. Save: Save your translations.

Example:

Let’s say you have a product called “Blue Wool Scarf.”

• English (Original): Blue Wool Scarf – Warm and cozy for winter days.
• Spanish (Translated): Bufanda de Lana Azul – Cálida y cómoda para los días de invierno.
• French (Translated): Écharpe en Laine Bleue – Chaude et confortable pour les journées d’hiver.

#### Translating Categories and Tags

1. WooCommerce > WooCommerce Multilingual: Navigate to the “Categories” or “Tags” tab.

2. Translate Icon: Click the “+” or pencil icon to translate the category or tag name and description.

Why translate these? Imagine someone searching for “blue scarves” in Spanish. If your product category “Scarves” is only in English, they might not find your product.

#### Translating Attributes

Attributes are characteristics of your products (e.g., color, size, material).

1. WooCommerce > WooCommerce Multilingual: Go to the “Attributes” tab.

2. Translate Icon: Click the “+” or pencil icon next to the attribute and its terms (e.g., the “Color” attribute might have terms like “Blue,” “Red,” and “Green”).

#### Translating Shipping Options

1. WooCommerce > WooCommerce Multilingual: Navigate to the “Shipping” tab.

2. Translate Icon: Translate your shipping methods and regions so that your international customers clearly understand shipping cost.

#### Translating Strings

“Strings” are text snippets used in your theme and plugins that are not directly part of a product or category. Think of things like “Add to Cart” or “Out of Stock.”

1. WPML > String Translation: Access the String Translation module.

2. Search for Strings: Use the search bar to find the string you want to translate.

3. Add Translations: Click the “+” icon to add translations for each language.

Example:

You might need to translate the “Add to Learn more about How To Remove Downloads From Woocommerce My Account Cart” button text:

• English: Add to Cart
• Spanish: Añadir al Carrito
• French: Ajouter au Panier

#### Translating the Checkout Page and Other WooCommerce Pages

WooCommerce creates pages automatically (Shop, Cart, Checkout, My Account). WPML allows you to translate these pages as well.

1. Pages > All Pages: Find the WooCommerce pages you want to translate.

2. Click the “+” icon next to each page’s title under the desired language column. This creates a translated version of the page.

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3. Translate any dynamic text on the page using WPML’s String Translation.

Displaying Language Switcher

Your visitors need a way to switch between languages! WPML provides a language switcher you can add to your website.

1. WPML > Languages > Language Switcher Options: Customize the appearance and behavior of the language switcher. You can choose:

• Where to display the switcher (menu, widget, or custom location)
• How to display the languages (flags, names, or both)
• Language order

Example:

You can add the language switcher to your main menu by selecting “Menu” in the “Where to show the language switcher” option. You can then drag and drop the language switcher to the desired position in your menu settings.

Troubleshooting

* Translations Not Showing: Double-check that you’ve saved your translations. Clear your website’s cache and browser cache.

* Language Switcher Not Working: Ensure the language switcher is properly configured and placed in a visible location.

* String Translation Issues: Make sure the correct text domain is selected when searching for strings. Sometimes, strings are located within your theme or plugin files.

Best Practices

• Plan your language strategy: Decide which languages are most important for your target market.
• Use professional translators: While automatic translation is improving, professional translators ensure accurate and natural-sounding translations. Especially for technical or legal copy.
• Keep your translations up-to-date: Whenever you update your products or content, remember to update your translations as well. WPML’s automatic translation can help simplify this process.
• Test thoroughly: Before launching your multilingual store, test all pages and functionalities in each language. Have native speakers review your translations.
• Optimize for multilingual SEO: Use language-specific keywords and meta descriptions to improve your search engine rankings.

Code examples with WooCommerce and WPML

Here’s a basic example of getting the translated product ID in PHP:

 <?php // Get the current product ID $product_id = get_the_ID(); 

// Get the translated product ID for the current language

$translated_product_id = apply_filters( ‘wpml_object_id’, $product_id, ‘product’, TRUE );

// Now you can use $translated_product_id to fetch the translated product details.

$translated_product = wc_get_product( $translated_product_id );

if ( $translated_product ) {

echo $translated_product->get_title(); // Output translated title

} else {

echo get_the_title(); // Show the default title

}

?>

Explanation:

1. `get_the_ID()` gets the ID of the current product.

2. `apply_filters( ‘wpml_object_id’, … )` is the WPML function that returns the translated ID for a given object type (in this case, ‘product’). The `TRUE` argument ensures that a translation is returned, even if it hasn’t been explicitly created (it will return the original ID if a translation doesn’t exist).

3. `wc_get_product()` retrieves the product object using the translated ID.

4. The code then displays the translated product title if available, otherwise displays the default product title.

Conclusion

WooCommerce WPML empowers you to create a truly global e-commerce store. While it might seem daunting at first, following this guide will give you a solid foundation. Remember to plan your strategy, use accurate translations, and test thoroughly. Happy selling to the world!