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To translate a WordPress page, install and configure a multilingual plugin, add the source and target languages, create a linked translation from the page editor or translation dashboard, translate the page content, then check links, media, metadata, layout, and language navigation before publishing. You do not need to build a separate WordPress installation for each language.
WPML, TranslatePress, and Polylang support that process in different ways: WPML combines language controls with a translation dashboard and optional automatic translation, TranslatePress lets you edit text on the rendered page, and Polylang links language versions directly in the page editor. The right choice depends on how much visual control, automation, content coverage, and SEO administration your site needs.
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What a translated WordPress page actually includes
A page translation is more than replacing the paragraphs in the editor. A complete localized version can include:
- The page title, body, headings, captions, and calls to action.
- Links, including links to other translated pages.
- Images, image text, captions, and alternative text.
- Navigation menus, buttons, widgets, forms, and language-switcher labels.
- SEO titles, meta descriptions, social-sharing text, and translated URLs or slugs.
- Theme and plugin strings that appear around the page.
- Categories, tags, parent pages, and other relationships used by the page.
WordPress separates translation of content from localization of software strings. Its developer documentation describes localization as adapting page text and other settings to another language and culture, including strings supplied by themes and plugins: “The second step is the actual localization (l10n), the process by which the text on the page and other settings are translated and adapted to another language and culture.” See the WordPress Localization – Common APIs Handbook (updated November 17, 2022) for the POT, PO, and MO file workflow used by developers and translators.
A multilingual plugin normally stores the relationship between the original and translated pages. That lets visitors switch languages and lets you update one language without losing the connection to the others.
Choose a translation workflow
| Plugin | How you start a page translation | Editing experience | Automation and scope | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WPML | Click the plus icon for the target-language flag in the Pages screen, or use the Translations dashboard. | Language controls and translation-management screens; you can create from scratch or copy the source as a starting point. | Documents an automatic mode that can translate pages and pick up new posts and edits. Review remains necessary. | Sites needing centralized translation management across pages, posts, custom post types, and other content. |
| TranslatePress | Open the WordPress Admin Bar and choose Translate Site. | In-context visual editing on the rendered page. | Visible front-end text is easy to locate; translated sitemap support is provided through its SEO Pack add-on. | Editors who want to see the exact page design while translating. |
| Polylang | Assign a language to the existing page, then click the plus link for a new target-language translation in the editor. | Language fields and linked translations in the normal page-editing workflow. | Links pages and can associate translated categories, tags, and parent pages when those translations exist. | Sites that prefer a WordPress-native editor workflow and explicit language relationships. |
Read each plugin’s current documentation before enabling features or buying add-ons: WPML Translating Content, TranslatePress Translation Editor, and Polylang Translating posts or pages. Feature availability and administration screens can change by plugin version and plan.
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1. Decide the language model
Choose the current language of the page and every target language you will publish. Establish the language code, writing direction, date and number conventions, and preferred terminology before translating. If the target language has regional variants, decide whether you need separate versions rather than treating one translation as universal.
2. Back up and test on a safe copy
Take a current database and file backup, and test the multilingual plugin on staging when possible. Translation plugins change URLs, page relationships, menus, and sometimes database records. A staging test gives you a place to check a representative page without breaking the live language switcher.
3. Inventory the page and its dependencies
Record the page’s parent, categories, tags, reusable blocks, images, forms, buttons, internal links, SEO fields, and template or page-builder elements. Note which items already have translations. This prevents a translated page from linking visitors back to an untranslated section by accident.
4. Configure languages and fallback behavior
In the selected plugin, add the source language and target language, choose how language selectors appear, and decide what happens when a translation is missing. A fallback to the default language is safer than a dead link, but it should be visible to editors so missing work is not mistaken for a completed translation.
Translate a page with WPML
WPML provides both a page-level workflow and a centralized Translations dashboard. Its documentation says you can manually translate native WordPress content such as pages, posts, and custom posts. The exact statement is: “WPML lets me manually translate any type of native WordPress content, like pages, posts, and custom posts.” (WPML documentation, updated January 12, 2026.)
Page-level procedure
- Open Pages in the WordPress dashboard and locate the source page.
- In the language columns, find the target-language flag and click its plus icon. WPML’s Translating Content documentation describes this control.
- Choose whether to create the translation from scratch or use Copy content from English as a starting point when English is the source language. If your source language is different, use the equivalent source-copy option shown by your configuration.
- Translate the title, headings, body blocks, links, captions, and any custom fields exposed by the editor. Replace links with the corresponding translated pages when available.
- Review images, image text, alt text, metadata, and the page layout. A copied page can retain source-language text in fields that are not obvious in the main editor.
- Save or publish the target-language page, then open its public URL in a logged-out browser to test the language switcher and every important link.
Use the Translations dashboard
For a site with many pages, open WPML’s Translations dashboard, select the content and target language, and assign the work or open it in the available translation editor. WPML also documents an automatic mode that can translate pages and pick up new posts and edits. Automation changes the workflow, not the need for review: inspect meaning, formatting, links, names, measurements, and local conventions before publishing.
WPML’s guide on translating posts, pages, and custom post types was updated July 1, 2026; consult its current procedure if your page is a custom post type or uses a specialized editor.
Translate a page with TranslatePress
TranslatePress is designed for in-context translation. Instead of translating an abstract list of strings first, you open the page as visitors see it and select visible text.
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- From the WordPress Admin Bar, choose Translate Site to open the Translation Editor, as described in the TranslatePress documentation.
- Use the editor’s language selector to choose the target language.
- Click text on the rendered page and enter its translation in the editor panel. Work through headings, paragraphs, buttons, menus, widget text, forms, and other visible strings.
- Check responsive views and elements that appear only after interaction, such as menus, accordions, pop-ups, or validation messages.
- Save the translations, switch the site to the target language, and test the public page without administrator controls.
The visual approach helps catch text that is easy to miss in a block list, but it does not automatically guarantee that every SEO field, email, dynamic value, or third-party plugin string is translated. Audit those separately.
TranslatePress states that its SEO Pack add-on extends sitemap functionality to translated content. Treat SEO support as a separate configuration task: verify which URLs and metadata your installation exposes rather than assuming that translating visible text also updates the sitemap.
Translate a page with Polylang
Polylang starts by assigning a language to the existing page and then linking a new page in another language.
- Open the page in the WordPress editor and assign its source language if it does not already have one.
- In the language panel, choose the target language. Polylang presents three choices for that language: leave it unassigned, select an existing translation, or click the plus link to create a new translation.
- Click the plus link for a new target-language page. The new page remains linked to the source-language page.
- Translate the title, content, featured image details, links, and any custom fields. Associate translated categories, tags, and parent pages when those versions are available.
- Save or publish the translation, then test the language switcher and the translated URL as a visitor.
The Polylang documentation for translating posts or pages explains the language panel and plus-link workflow. If you create a page outside that workflow, it may exist as an unrelated page rather than a linked translation.
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Translate everything visitors can encounter
Page content and reusable elements
Translate block patterns, reusable blocks, global sections, page-builder modules, image captions, button labels, accordions, and text embedded in shortcodes. A page can look translated while a shared header, footer, cookie notice, or form remains in the source language.
Menus, widgets, and interface strings
Create or associate a menu for each language when your plugin requires it. Check widget titles, search labels, pagination, breadcrumbs, date text, error messages, and account controls. Theme and plugin strings may be managed through the plugin’s string-translation tools or through WordPress localization files rather than the page editor.
Forms and transactional messages
Translate field labels, placeholders, consent text, validation errors, confirmation messages, autoresponder emails, and success or failure redirects. Submit the form in every language and confirm that the recipient receives the intended localized message.
Media and alternative text
Decide whether each language needs a different image or only translated caption and alt text. Text baked into an image needs a localized graphic; changing the HTML alt attribute does not translate words visible inside the bitmap.
Handle URLs and SEO deliberately
For each target page, inspect the slug, canonical URL, language links, title tag, meta description, heading hierarchy, image alt text, and social-sharing fields. A translated page should point to the translated equivalents of internal pages instead of sending visitors through the source language.
Confirm that your plugin generates language-aware links and that translated pages appear in the multilingual sitemap. TranslatePress specifically documents sitemap extension through its SEO Pack add-on, so check that add-on’s settings if you use TranslatePress. Also verify canonical and alternate-language tags with your SEO plugin; the presence of a translated page alone does not prove that search engines can discover the relationship.
Do not translate keywords word-for-word when local search behavior calls for different terminology. Preserve the page’s intent, but adapt headings, calls to action, units, currency references, legal wording, and examples for the target audience.
When languages need different page designs
A translation editor is ideal when every language uses the same structure. If one language needs a different hero image, longer form layout, different legal notice, or a culturally specific call to action, use the native WordPress editor or page-builder workflow for that language and maintain the relationship through your multilingual plugin.
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Copying the source layout can save time, but it can also preserve unsuitable spacing, text overflow, or source-language images. Check mobile, tablet, and desktop breakpoints after the translation; longer words can change line wrapping and button widths.
Automatic translation: speed with a review gate
Automatic translation can create a first draft quickly, especially across a large content library. WPML documents automatic translation that can process pages and pick up new posts and edits, but the documentation does not provide a universal accuracy guarantee. Treat machine output as unpublished until a fluent reviewer checks:
- Meaning, tone, idioms, and terminology.
- Names, product terms, legal language, numbers, units, and dates.
- Links, HTML formatting, placeholders, and variables.
- Gender, formality, regional spelling, and cultural references.
- Text inside images, forms, pop-ups, and dynamic components.
Keep a glossary for recurring terms and record who approved each language. Automatic updates can make a translation outdated when the source page changes, so add a review status or editorial checklist rather than assuming that synchronization equals approval.
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Define what happens after a source edit
Decide whether a source-page edit should mark the translation as needing review, copy selected fields, or leave the translation untouched. Replacing an entire translated page with a newer source copy can erase deliberate local adaptations.
Review linked content
When you change a parent page, category, menu, form, or internal link, check every language version. A translated page can remain technically published while pointing to a deleted or untranslated destination.
Schedule language-specific checks
After plugin, theme, or page-builder updates, test the language switcher, menus, forms, metadata, sitemaps, and responsive layout. Third-party strings can change independently of the page body.
Troubleshoot common translation problems
The plus icon or target language is missing
Confirm that the target language is enabled and that the source page has a language assigned. Check user permissions and whether the page type is included in the plugin’s translation settings. For Polylang, assign the existing page’s language before looking for the plus link.
The translated page shows source-language text
Inspect reusable blocks, widgets, menus, theme strings, form messages, image text, and fields supplied by plugins. In TranslatePress, use the rendered page to locate visible leftovers; in WPML or Polylang, inspect fields outside the main content editor.
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Verify that the pages are linked translations rather than separately created pages. Check slugs, parent pages, translated categories, and canonical settings, then clear page-cache and CDN caches before retesting in a private browser window.
The layout breaks in the target language
Look for fixed-width buttons, clipped headings, untranslated strings with different character lengths, and source-language images. Adjust the target-language design in the native editor when preserving the source layout is not practical.
Search engines do not show the translation
Confirm that the page is indexable, has a stable translated URL, includes appropriate metadata and language links, and appears in the multilingual sitemap. Recheck the SEO add-on or integration settings and submit the translated URL through your normal search-console process.
Publication checklist
- The source and target languages are correctly assigned.
- The translation is linked to the source page in the selected plugin.
- Title, body, headings, buttons, captions, and custom fields are translated.
- Internal links point to translated destinations where available.
- Menus, widgets, forms, notices, and dynamic messages use the target language.
- Images, alt text, and text embedded in graphics have been reviewed.
- Slug, title tag, meta description, canonical, language links, and sitemap behavior are correct.
- Desktop and mobile layouts have been checked with a logged-out browser.
- Automatic output, if used, has been reviewed by a fluent editor.
- The page, language switcher, forms, and important links work after caches are cleared.
For a quick visual workflow, start with TranslatePress. For centralized management and documented automatic translation, evaluate WPML. For linked pages managed directly in the standard editor, Polylang is the most natural fit. Whichever workflow you choose, publish only after checking the complete visitor path—not just the paragraph text.
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