Hello fellow WordPress user! 👋 Are you looking to translate a WordPress plugin into your language? You‘ve come to the right place. In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll walk you through everything you need to know to localize any WordPress plugin from start to finish.
But first, let‘s discuss why translating plugins is so important. WordPress is a global platform, powering over 40% of the web. While the WordPress core software has been translated into over 200 languages, the same can‘t be said for most plugins. Out of the 60,000+ plugins in the WordPress.org directory, only a small fraction are available in multiple languages.
This is a huge missed opportunity. By translating a plugin into additional languages, you can:
🌍 Make it accessible to a wider global audience
🌐 Improve the user experience for non-English speakers
🙌 Contribute something valuable back to the WordPress community
📈 Increase the plugin‘s visibility and growth potential
In short, plugin translation is a win-win endeavor for everyone involved. And with the right tools and approach, it‘s easier than you might think!
WordPress Plugin Translation Methods
There are three main ways you can translate a WordPress plugin, depending on your technical skills and needs:
- The WordPress.org web translation editor
- Using the Loco Translate plugin
- Manually editing the .pot file
Let‘s go through each method in detail.
Method 1: WordPress.org Web Editor
The easiest way to translate a plugin hosted in the wordpress.org directory is through the convenient web translation interface. Here‘s how it works:
- Go to the plugin‘s page on WordPress.org and click the "Translate" link under the header.
- Select the language you want to translate into.
- The translation editor will open with the English strings on the left and a field for your translation on the right.
- Enter your translations for each string. Be sure to keep placeholders like %s intact.
- When finished, click "Translate & Download" to generate the .po and .mo language files.
- Send the files to the plugin author or submit them to the WordPress Polyglots team for inclusion in the plugin‘s official language packs.
Here‘s a quick visual walkthrough:
Some major plugins like WooCommerce and Yoast SEO make the process even simpler with dedicated web translation platforms. These allow you to easily translate and update plugin text strings without any technical setup.
[Screenshot of WooCommerce Translate interface]Method 2: Loco Translate Plugin
If you want to translate a plugin directly from your WordPress dashboard, the free Loco Translate plugin is a great solution. Here‘s how to use it:
- Install and activate the Loco Translate plugin on your WordPress site.
- Go to Loco Translate > Plugins and select the plugin you want to translate.
- Click "New language" and choose the language to translate into.
- Create a new template (.pot) file for the translation and choose where to save it (the plugin‘s /languages/ directory is best).
- Enter your translations in the editor. Loco Translate will provide automatic suggestions and validations.
- Save your translations and sync them to generate the compiled .mo file WordPress needs.
- To use the translations on your site, go to Settings > General and choose the new language.
Loco Translate is straightforward to use and lets you update your translations anytime the plugin is updated. You can also use it to translate WordPress themes or even create bundles of your translations to share.
[Screenshot of Loco Translate plugin]Method 3: Edit the .pot File
For more advanced users comfortable editing code, you can translate plugins manually by editing the gettext portable object template (.pot) file. Here‘s how:
- Download the plugin‘s source files and extract them on your computer.
- Find the .pot file in the plugin‘s /languages/ folder (it will be named something like plugin-name.pot).
- Open the .pot file in a text editor or translation program like Poedit.
- For each string, replace the msgstr line with your translation, keeping the surrounding quotes.
- Save a copy of the file as plugin-name-LOCALE.po and plugin-name-LOCALE.mo (LOCALE is the language/region code like en_US or es_ES).
- Upload the .po and .mo files back to the /languages/ folder.
- Edit the plugin‘s main .php file and make sure it has a line to load the translations, like
load_plugin_textdomain( ‘plugin-name‘, false, dirname( plugin_basename( __FILE__ ) ) . ‘/languages/‘ );
While this method gives you the most control, it‘s best reserved for those already comfortable with code and WordPress development. However, knowing how the .pot file works can be helpful for understanding how WordPress internationalization works under the hood.
Why Plugin Authors Should Prioritize Translation
Are you a WordPress plugin developer? Investing some effort into making your plugin translation-ready is one of the best things you can do to grow your user base and contribute to the global WordPress community.
The numbers speak for themselves. According to WordPress.org, only 42% of WordPress sites use English as their primary language. The next most popular languages are Spanish (13%), Indonesian (7%), Portuguese (6%), and French (4%). By translating your plugin into just a few additional languages, you can make it accessible to a significantly larger slice of the WordPress user base.
[Pie chart of top WordPress languages]But plugin translation isn‘t just about increasing downloads. It‘s also about making a positive impact. Many WordPress users, especially in developing countries, rely on plugins to build their businesses and express themselves online. By providing plugin translations, you‘re helping break down language barriers and empowering users worldwide.
Fortunately, WordPress makes it relatively straightforward to internationalize plugins. By using gettext functions like __() and _e() to wrap translatable strings, plugin authors can make their code translation-ready. The WordPress Plugin Developer Handbook provides detailed guidance on I18n and L10n best practices.
While you can certainly translate your own plugin, you don‘t have to do it all yourself! The WordPress Polyglots community is an incredible group of volunteers dedicated to translating plugins and themes. By coordinating with the polyglots team, you can get expert translations of your plugin in dozens of languages, which are then automatically served to users based on their WordPress language settings.
To make your plugin available for translation, simply add a Text Domain header to the main plugin file and include a .pot template file in a /languages/ folder. Then, post a sticky topic in your plugin support forum inviting translators to contribute. Once your plugin reaches 90% translation coverage for a supported language, you can request language packs that ship the translations with your plugin automatically.
Taking these steps will make your plugin instantly more accessible and appealing to a global audience. Plus, you‘ll be doing your part to make the WordPress ecosystem more inclusive!
Tips for Providing Quality Translations
When it comes to plugin translations, quality matters just as much as quantity. Poor or incomplete translations can confuse users and reflect badly on the plugin and author.
As a translator, your goal should be to accurately convey the meaning and tone of the original text while sounding natural in the target language. This can be challenging, especially for technical or highly-contextual strings.
Here are some tips to keep in mind:
- ✅ Translate into your native language whenever possible for fluency
- ✅ Maintain consistency with WordPress core terminology and conventions
- ✅ Keep placeholders and HTML tags in place
- ✅ Consider the context and adjust words as needed to convey meaning
- ✅ Use appropriate formality, gender, and plurality
- ❌ Avoid machine translation without human review
- ❌ Don‘t translate proper names, URLs, or technical terms
- ❌ Avoid using slang, idioms, or colloquialisms that may not translate
It‘s also important to review your translations for completeness. Make sure you‘ve translated every user-facing string in the plugin, including form labels, button text, settings, and help documentation. When in doubt, install the plugin on a test site using your language and check for any untranslated or awkward-sounding text.
Finally, remember that translation is an ongoing process, not a one-time task. As a plugin adds new features or text strings, those will also need to be translated to keep the plugin fully localized for your language. Consider subscribing to the plugin‘s news feed or signing up as a translation contributor to be notified of updates.
Troubleshooting Plugin Translations
Even with a solid translation in place, you may still run into issues with how the translated text appears on your site. Here are some common problems and solutions:
🔧 Translations not showing up:
- Make sure the .mo file is named correctly and in the right location (/wp-content/languages/plugins/ for plugins, /wp-content/languages/themes/ for themes)
- Check that the plugin is properly internationalized with a Text Domain and a
load_plugin_textdomain()function call - Verify your WordPress installation is using the correct language in Settings > General
🔧 Weird characters in translations:
- Ensure the .po and .mo files are UTF-8 encoded
- Check for any broken HTML tags or quotation marks in the translated strings
- Make sure you haven‘t modified any of the original placeholders or variables
🔧 Untranslated text:
- Check if the untranslated strings are wrapped in gettext functions in the plugin code
- Look for any typos or inconsistencies in the text domain or string keys
- Regenerate the .pot file and update your translations if the plugin has changed
🔧 Plural forms not working:
- Make sure you‘ve correctly defined the Plural-Forms header in the .po file
- Use the _n() function for strings with singular and plural forms
- Check the translated strings for the correct plural syntax, e.g. msgstr[0] and msgstr[1]
If you‘re still having trouble, don‘t hesitate to reach out to the plugin author or the WordPress Polyglots community for assistance. The polyglots forum and #polyglots Slack channel are great places to ask questions and get support from experienced translators.
Case Study: Translating the Smush Plugin
Let‘s take a look at a real-world example of a plugin that has successfully leveraged translations to reach a global audience.
Smush is a popular WordPress image compression and optimization plugin used by over a million websites. Originally released in 2015, the plugin has since been translated into 35 languages thanks to contributions from the WordPress community.
[Image of Smush WordPress.org page showing language list]According to Umesh Kumar, lead developer of Smush, translations have been instrumental in the plugin‘s growth and success:
"Translations have played a huge role in making Smush accessible to a wider audience. We‘ve seen significant adoption in non-English speaking countries, especially in Europe and Asia. The feedback we‘ve received from users who can now use the plugin in their native language has been overwhelmingly positive.
By internationalizing the plugin and working with the polyglots team, we‘ve been able to tap into a global community of translators passionate about WordPress and performance. Their contributions have been invaluable in making Smush a truly international plugin."
The Smush team has made it a priority to provide complete and up-to-date translations of the plugin, working closely with the WordPress polyglots team to maintain language packs. They also use tools like Loco Translate and Transifex to manage the translation workflow.
For other plugin authors looking to achieve similar success with translations, Kumar offers this advice:
"Treat internationalization as a first-class feature, not an afterthought. Make sure your plugin is fully prepared for translation from the start, with a proper text domain and gettext calls. Include a .pot file with your plugin release to make it easy for translators to contribute.
Most importantly, engage with the polyglots community and let them know you‘re looking for translation help. They‘re an amazing group of volunteers who can help open up your plugin to whole new audiences."
By prioritizing translations and collaborating with the WordPress community, Smush has been able to grow from a small performance plugin to a global WordPress powerhouse. Their success is a testament to the impact that plugin translations can have.
Wrapping Up
Plugin translation is a powerful way to make your WordPress plugin more accessible, impactful, and successful on a global scale. By providing your plugin in multiple languages, you can tap into massive new audiences and make a meaningful difference for users around the world.
Whether you‘re a developer looking to grow your user base or a translator passionate about WordPress, I hope this guide has given you the knowledge and tools you need to start translating plugins today.
Remember, WordPress translation is a community effort. By working together and contributing our skills, we can help make WordPress—and the web—a more inclusive and empowering place for everyone.
So what are you waiting for? Pick a plugin and start translating! Your fellow WordPress users will thank you. 🙌
Do you have any experience translating WordPress plugins or themes? What challenges did you face and how did you overcome them? Share your thoughts and tips in the comments below!
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