Wpml How To Translate Woocommerce Products

How to Translate WooCommerce Products with WPML: A Comprehensive Guide

Introduction:

WooCommerce is a powerful platform for building online stores, but reaching a global audience requires translating your product listings into different languages. WPML (WordPress Multilingual Plugin) is a popular solution for creating multilingual WordPress websites, including WooCommerce stores. This article provides a step-by-step guide on how to translate your WooCommerce products using WPML, ensuring your products are accessible to customers worldwide and boosting your international sales. We’ll cover the necessary settings, translation methods, and troubleshooting tips to get you started.

Setting Up WPML and WooCommerce Multilingual

Before you can begin translating your WooCommerce products, you need to ensure both WPML and the WooCommerce Multilingual plugin are installed and configured correctly.

1. Install and Activate WPML Core Plugins:

• Purchase and download the WPML Multilingual CMS package from WPML’s website.
• Install and activate the following WPML plugins:
• WPML Multilingual CMS
• WPML String Translation
• WPML Translation Management
• WPML Media Translation

2. Install and Activate WooCommerce Multilingual:

• This plugin is crucial for managing multilingual WooCommerce. You can download it from the WPML website after purchasing a WPML license that includes WooCommerce support.
• Install and activate the “WooCommerce Multilingual & Multicurrency” plugin.

3. Configure WPML:

• Upon activation, WPML will guide you through a setup wizard. Choose your site’s languages, translation methods, and other essential settings. Pay close attention to the language URL format.
• Important: Select “Create translations manually” or “Use WPML’s Translation Editor” depending on your preferred translation workflow.

Translating WooCommerce Products: A Step-by-Step Guide

Once WPML and WooCommerce Multilingual are set up, you can start translating your products. WPML offers several methods for translating your products. Here are the most common:

#### Method 1: Translating Products Manually

This method provides you with granular control over each translation. It’s suitable for smaller catalogs or when you want to meticulously craft each translation.

1. Navigate to Products:

• In your WordPress dashboard, go to “Products” -> “All Products.”
• You’ll see language flags next to each product.

2. Translate Products:

• Click the “+” icon (add translation) for the language you want to translate into.
• This will open the product editing screen in the selected language.
• Translate all the necessary fields:
• Product Title
• Product Description (Short and Long)
• Product Excerpt
• Product Attributes (if applicable)
• Product Categories
• Product Tags
• Images Alt Text (using WPML Media Translation)

3. Save and Publish:

• Once you’ve translated all the necessary fields, save and publish the translated product.

#### Method 2: Using WPML’s Translation Editor

WPML’s Translation Editor provides a user-friendly interface for managing translations. It allows you to send products to translators or translate them yourself directly within a single screen.

1. Enable the Translation Editor:

• In WPML settings, ensure the “Use WPML’s Translation Editor” option is selected as your translation method.

2. Send Products for Translation:

• Navigate to “WPML” -> “Translation Management.”
• Select the products you want to translate.
• Choose the target language(s) and assign the translation job to yourself or a translator.

3. Translate in the Translation Editor:

• Go to “WPML” -> “Translations.”
• You’ll see a list of translation jobs. Click “Take and Translate” next to the relevant product.
• The Translation Editor will display the original text on the left and the translation fields on the right.
• Translate each field and mark it as “Translation complete.”
• Save the translation.

#### Method 3: Translating Product Categories and Tags

Translating product categories and tags is crucial for improving searchability in different languages.

1. Go to WooCommerce -> WooCommerce Multilingual.

2. Click on “Categories” or “Tags” in the WooCommerce Multilingual dashboard.

3. Use the “+” icon to add translations for each category and tag.

4. Translate the Name and Slug for each item.

5. Save your changes.

Common Issues and Troubleshooting

Even with a well-configured setup, you might encounter issues when translating WooCommerce products with WPML. Here are a few common problems and their solutions:

• Images not displaying correctly: Ensure you’ve used WPML Media Translation to duplicate or translate your product images. Go to *WPML -> Media Translation* and translate your media based on the instructions.
• Translations not showing on the front end: Clear your website’s cache and your browser’s cache. Also, double-check that the translations are published and the correct language is selected.
• Product variations not translating: WooCommerce Multilingual offers specific settings for managing product variations. Go to *WooCommerce -> WooCommerce Multilingual* and check the settings for variations. Make sure variations are translatable.
• Incorrect currency display: Configure the currency settings in WooCommerce Multilingual to display the appropriate currency for each language. Check this under *WooCommerce -> WooCommerce Multilingual -> Multi Currency*.
• Performance Issues: When dealing with large product catalogs, translation can become resource-intensive. Consider using a translation service to offload the translation process or optimize your server configuration.

// Example of how to programmatically retrieve a translated product title
function get_translated_product_title( $product_id, $language_code ) {
return apply_filters( 'wpml_translate_single_string', get_the_title( $product_id ), 'WooCommerce', 'product-' . $product_id, $language_code );
}

// Example usage

$product_id = 123;

$translated_title = get_translated_product_title( $product_id, ‘fr’ ); // Get the title in French

echo “Translated Title: ” . $translated_title;

Conclusion:

Translating your WooCommerce products with WPML opens up your store to a global audience, increasing your potential customer base and driving sales. While the setup process may seem complex initially, following this guide provides a solid foundation for effectively managing your multilingual product catalog. By understanding the various translation methods, addressing common issues, and continuously optimizing your translation workflow, you can create a seamless and engaging shopping experience for customers worldwide. Remember to prioritize accurate and culturally relevant translations to build trust and credibility with international shoppers. This will also help improve your search engine rankings in different languages.