Sending WordPress content for translation with WPML

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The WPML localization and translation plugin for WordPress has one of the best (if not the best) systems for managing the translation of a WordPress web site by other translators.

The left-hand WordPress menu with "WPML" expanded and "Translation Management" selected under it.

However, it works best when someone is in charge of the translators and translations – the translation manager. It’s not always the most intuitive process, so here are the typical steps the translation manager would take to get content translated.

In the WordPress admin interface, click on the WPML option in the left-hand menu to go to the Translation Management interface.

Add content to the “translation basket”

The Translation Management interface showing the "Dashboard" tab. Heading: "1. Select items for translation", followed by a group of form fields to filter and search translatable content and then a list of translatable content with a checkbox to the left of each one and some status information to its right.

In the Dashboard tab, select the items you want translated using the checkbox to the left. You can use the fields at the top to filter or search the list of content on the site (helpful for large sites).

Heading: "2. Select translation options" followed by options to "translate", "Duplicate content", or "Do nothing" for each language (only Spanish is available in this screenshot). At the end is a blue button labeled "Add selected content to translation basket"

Once you have selected the content you want to translate, make sure Translate is selected and click Add selected content to translation basket.

Duplicate Content will just copy over the original language, overwriting translations in the process, and Do Nothing is for use when you have multiple target languages and don’t want to translate all of them.

Tabs under the "Translation Management" heading. After "Dashboard", which is currently selected, a tab reading "Translation Basket" is highlighted in blue and has small "2" alert bubble inside it.
Switch to the Translation Basket tab at the top of the page.

The Translation Basket is something like a shopping cart – it holds pieces of content that need to be translated until you “check out” and send them off to someone for translation.

Send translation jobs to translators

The "Translation Basket" tab showing the following sections: 1. Review documents for translation (followed by the list of documents), 2. Set a batch name and deadline (followed by form fields for those options), and 3. Choose translator or Translation Service (followed by a column for "Language pair" with English to Spanish shown as the only option and a "Translator" dropdown field currently set to "First available"). At the very bottom of the screen is a blue button labeled "Send all items for translation"

In the Translation Basket, all you have to do is click Send all items for translation.

You can review what you’re sending, remove individual items (with the red X on the right) and change a few options if you want.

  • The Batch name is an internal label for future reference
  • The Suggested deadline will show up for translators. Fair warning, by default WPML will email you if the translation is not completed by this date!
  • You can also choose a specific translator in #3 Choose translator or Translation Service, but if you have a pool of translators and they don’t need any specific knowledge to do these translations, you’ll want to leave it on First available.
A blue check mark icon with the heading "Sending your jobs to translation", followed by the text "Batch #1, Ready! You can check the status of these jobs in WPML - Translation Jobs"

After a moment, you should see a confirmation message that the jobs have been sent. They are now available for translators to translate.

Common problems and next steps

Users can’t see translation jobs

If users are having trouble seeing the translation jobs in their queue, make sure their WordPress user account is set up as a translator in WPML.

Review previously completed translations

If you have content that has already been translated and you want to re-send it to the queue for review or update, you’ll need to make a small change to switch status from “complete” to “needs update”.