Set up WPML

WPML adds multilingual content management to WordPress and integrates with WoodMart, WooCommerce, and the theme’s custom content types. This guide covers the initial WPML setup and the general translation workflow. For theme-specific content and settings, see How to make WoodMart multilingual with WPML.

Install the required WPML components

1. Install and activate WPML Multilingual CMS and WPML String Translation. You can download them from your WPML account or install them through the OTGS Installer. See the official WPML installation guide for details.

2. For a WooCommerce store, also install and activate WPML Multilingual & Multicurrency for WooCommerce.

3. Run the WPML setup wizard and choose your site languages, URL format, and translation workflow.

WPML setup wizard with language and translation configuration steps — Complete the WPML setup wizard after activating the required plugins.

Choose a translation workflow

WPML provides two main workflows:

Translate Everything Automatically translates supported site content automatically and lets you review the results according to your WPML settings.
Translate What You Choose lets you select specific content and decide whether to translate it yourself, assign it to translators, or use automatic translation.

WPML translation mode selection screen — Choose the translation workflow that matches how you want to manage site content.

WPML and compatible plugins register recommended translation behavior for their post types. Change these settings only when your project requires a different workflow.

WPML post type translation settings — Translation settings determine how individual post types are handled.

Translate selected content

1. Navigate to Dashboard -> WPML -> Translation Dashboard.

2. Select the pages, posts, products, or other content you want to translate, choose the target languages, and send the items for translation.

Selecting content for translation in the WPML Translation Dashboard — Select the content and languages in the Translation Dashboard.

3. To translate content directly from its list screen, use the plus icon to add a translation or the pencil icon to edit an existing one.

WPML translation icons in the WordPress content list — Use the language icons to create or edit a translation.

4. Complete the translation in the WPML translation editor and save it when every required field is translated.

Content being translated in WPML Advanced Translation Editor — Translate and review the content in WPML Advanced Translation Editor.

Translate interface strings

Texts stored in theme options, plugin settings, and other configuration fields are not always part of a page or post. Find them under Dashboard -> WPML -> Translation Dashboard -> Other texts (Strings). You can also use Dashboard -> WPML -> String Translation to search for an individual string or filter strings by domain.

WPML String Translation screen with searchable interface texts — Search for interface text in WPML String Translation.

Selecting WPML strings and adding them to the translation basket — Select the required strings and send them for translation.

Find missing strings

If a theme or plugin string is missing, navigate to Dashboard -> WPML -> Theme and plugins localization, scan the relevant theme or plugin, and search for the string again in the Translation Dashboard or String Translation.

WPML controls for scanning a theme or plugin for translatable strings — Scan the relevant theme or plugin when a string is not available for translation.

Translate Header Builder strings

Header Builder text is stored in a domain associated with the header ID. Open the header in Dashboard -> WoodMart -> Header builder and find its ID in the browser URL.

Header ID highlighted in the WoodMart Header Builder URL — Find the header ID in the Header Builder URL.

Then open Dashboard -> WPML -> String Translation and select the admin_texts_whb_header_{HEADER_ID} domain.

WPML String Translation domain for a WoodMart header ID — Filter strings by the domain associated with the required header.

Translating custom WoodMart Header Builder strings with WPML — Translate the required Header Builder strings for each language.

For the complete WoodMart-specific workflow, including Theme Settings and language switchers, see How to make WoodMart multilingual with WPML.

Set up a multilingual WooCommerce store

After activating WPML Multilingual & Multicurrency for WooCommerce, navigate to Dashboard -> WooCommerce -> WCML. Use its setup and translation screens to configure store languages, products, attributes, currencies, and other WooCommerce content. See the official WooCommerce multilingual guide for the full workflow.