This is What Happens When WordPress PolyLang Only Translates WooCommerce Partially
Running a multilingual ecommerce store on WordPress can be a complex challenge. While there are several translation plugins available, they don't all work equally well with WooCommerce, the popular WordPress-based ecommerce platform.
One plugin that's often used for translation is WordPress PolyLang. However, many store owners find that PolyLang only translates certain elements of their WooCommerce site partially, leaving them with an inconsistent multilingual experience.
In this article, we'll explore why PolyLang's partial translation of WooCommerce happens, and look at some alternative translation plugins that may better suit the needs of a multilingual ecommerce business.
The Limitations of PolyLang's WooCommerce Integration
PolyLang is a free WordPress plugin that allows you to make your entire site multilingual, including post content, pages, categories, tags, and custom post types. It's a popular choice for translating WordPress sites, but when it comes to WooCommerce, PolyLang has some important limitations.
The core issue is that PolyLang is designed to translate the theme and plugin strings, but not the actual content of posts, pages, or custom post types like products. This means that PolyLang can translate things like button labels, menu items, and other interface elements, but it won't translate the actual product descriptions, categories, or other WooCommerce-specific content.
To illustrate this, let's look at a typical WooCommerce store translated with PolyLang:
- The main navigation, footer, and other theme elements will be properly translated.
- Product titles, categories, and tags may be translated.
- Product descriptions, short descriptions, and other custom field content will likely remain in the original language.
- Checkout, cart, and other WooCommerce-specific pages may have some translated elements, but others will remain untranslated.
This partial translation can result in a frustrating user experience, where parts of the store are in one language and other parts are in another. It can also hurt your search engine optimization (SEO), as Google and other search engines will see the site as having inconsistent content.
Why PolyLang Doesn't Fully Translate WooCommerce
The reason PolyLang doesn't fully translate WooCommerce is largely due to the way WordPress handles localization and translation.
WordPress uses .po and .mo files for translation, which are designed to translate theme and plugin strings, not the actual content of posts, pages, and custom post types. WooCommerce, on the other hand, stores its product data in the WordPress database, rather than in translation files.
This means that PolyLang, which relies on the .po/.mo file system, can't easily access and translate the WooCommerce-specific content. It can only translate the theme and plugin elements that are stored in those translation files.
To fully translate a WooCommerce store, you need a plugin that can directly interface with the WooCommerce data in the WordPress database, rather than just translating theme and plugin strings.
Alternatives to PolyLang for Multilingual WooCommerce
If you're running a multilingual ecommerce store on WordPress and PolyLang isn't meeting your needs, there are a few alternative translation plugins you may want to consider:
1. WPML
WPML (WordPress Multilingual Plugin) is a commercial plugin that's specifically designed to handle multilingual WordPress sites, including full support for WooCommerce. WPML can translate all the content in your WooCommerce store, including product descriptions, categories, tags, and more.
WPML uses a database-driven approach to translation, rather than relying on .po/.mo files. This allows it to directly integrate with the WooCommerce data and provide a seamless multilingual experience.
One of the key advantages of WPML is its extensive set of features, including support for e-commerce, SEO, and content synchronization across languages. It also has a large ecosystem of add-ons and integrations, making it a powerful and flexible solution.
The downside of WPML is that it's a commercial plugin, with prices starting at $29 per year. However, for many businesses, the investment is worthwhile to ensure a high-quality multilingual experience.
2. Qtranslate
Qtranslate is a free WordPress plugin that offers robust multilingual support, including for WooCommerce. Like WPML, Qtranslate uses a database-driven approach to translation, which allows it to handle all types of content, including WooCommerce products.
Qtranslate has a user-friendly interface that makes it easy to manage translations, and it also offers features like language switching, URL modifications, and content duplication.
One potential downside of Qtranslate is that it may not have the same level of polish and enterprise-grade features as WPML. However, for many small to medium-sized businesses, the free price tag and solid WooCommerce integration make it a viable alternative to PolyLang.
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3. Weglot
Weglot is a cloud-based translation service that integrates with WordPress and WooCommerce to provide multilingual functionality. Unlike PolyLang and the other plugins we've discussed, Weglot doesn't rely on .po/.mo files or a database-driven approach.
Instead, Weglot uses machine translation and human editing to automatically translate your site's content, including WooCommerce products, categories, and other elements. This can be a convenient solution for businesses that don't want to manage the translation process themselves.
Weglot offers both free and paid plans, with the paid plans providing more features and higher-quality translations. One potential downside is that you're relying on a third-party service, which may not offer the same level of control as a self-hosted solution.
Choosing the Right Multilingual Solution for Your WooCommerce Store
When it comes to translating your WooCommerce store, it's important to choose a solution that can handle all aspects of your content, not just the theme and plugin strings.
While PolyLang is a popular and powerful translation plugin for WordPress, its limitations in handling WooCommerce-specific content can lead to a frustrating user experience and suboptimal SEO.
By considering alternatives like WPML, Qtranslate, or Weglot, you can find a translation solution that seamlessly integrates with your WooCommerce store, providing a consistent and high-quality multilingual experience for your customers.
Ultimately, the best choice will depend on your specific needs, budget, and the complexity of your WooCommerce store. But by understanding the limitations of PolyLang and exploring other options, you can ensure that your multilingual ecommerce site is set up for success.
For more information on how Flowpoint.ai can help you identify and fix technical issues that are impacting the user experience and conversion rates of your multilingual WooCommerce store, visit our website