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Translation in WordPress

How to Translate WordPress Themes and Plugins

Best Practices for Translating WordPress Content

Translating WordPress themes and plugins ensures accessibility for users across different languages and cultures. To maintain consistency and quality, follow these best practices:

Use translate.wordpress.org for Official Translation Projects

The website translate.wordpress.org is powered by the open-source GlotPress framework (a framework specifically designed to translate WordPress and related projects). Translate.wordpress.org is the official translation platform for themes and plugins hosted on wordpress.org. Translations made there benefit the entire WordPress community and ensure updates are seamless, as the WordPress software itself checks for updates and the latest language files there before updating

Steps to Use translate.wordpress.org:

  1. Log in to WordPress.org: Create an account if you don�t already have one.
  2. Go to the WordPress Translation Page and search for the theme or plugin you want to translate.
  3. Select Your Language: Click on your desired language to access its translation project.
  4. Start Translating: Translate individual strings by providing the appropriate translation in the editor.
  5. Submit for Review: Your translations will be reviewed by a translation editor for approval.

Use Poedit to Translate plugins not on wordpress.org

Poedit is a powerful desktop application for creating and editing .po and .mo translation files. These files allow you to translate themes and plugins not hosted on WordPress.org or for private projects.

Steps to Use Poedit:

  1. Download and Install Poedit: Visit Poedit�s Website and download the software for your platform.
  2. Extract the .pot File: Locate the .pot (Portable Object Template) file provided by the theme/plugin author. This file contains all translatable strings. Look in an unzipped archive of a plugin or theme for a directory named /languages/ or similar, as that’s usually where the POT file is.
  3. Open Poedit and select “Create New Translation.”
  4. Choose the .pot file from step 2.
  5. Select your target language.
  6. Translate Strings: Translate each string into the target language.
  7. Generate .po and .mo Files: Poedit automatically generates .po (Portable Object) and .mo (Machine Object) files when you save the translation.
  8. Upload Translation Files: Place the .po and .mo files in the appropriate language folder within your WordPress install. Note that this should be outside the plugin or theme directory, so that updates to the theme or plugin don’t overwrite the translations. Language files live in their own directory at /wp-content/languages/plugins/ and /wp-content/languages/themes/ and should be named exactly after the slug of the plugin or theme, with the language appended at the end. An example of a German translation of Solid Security Pro (which still has a slug of ithemes-security-pro) is /wp-content/languages/plugins/ithemes-security-pro/it-l10n-ithemes-security-pro-de_DE.mo

General Tips for Translators

  • Understand Context: Review how each string is used in the plugin or theme.
  • Follow Guidelines: Adhere to WordPress Translation Guidelines.
  • Test Translations: Apply translations on a staging site to ensure accuracy.
  • Collaborate: Work with local translation teams for consistency.
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