Do you want to translate a WordPress extension in your language? Many WordPress plugins are fully translated and can be easily translated by anyone in the world. In this article, we will show you how to easily translate a WordPress extension in your language (without knowing any code).
Why and when should you translate a WordPress extension
WordPress itself is available in many languages ​​and can be translated into other languages. As a user, you can use WordPress in your own language, and you can even build multilingual websites using plugins.
Most of the best WordPress plugins are also ready for translation. You can help extension authors by contributing translations into other languages. It will also help thousands of other WordPress users.
That being said, let's take a look at how to easily translate the WordPress plugins in your language.
1 Method: Help translate a WordPress extension into your language
This method is the easiest and highly recommended because it not only helps you use the extension in your language, but it also helps other users to automatically use the extension in their language.
WordPress.org is currently hosting a web-based translation tool that allows anyone to contribute translations for WordPress extensions hosted on WordPress.org.
When you visit an extension page, you will see a notification asking for your help to translate the extension into your language.
If you don't see this notification, you can also search the WordPress Translate website for the plugin.
You will be asked to select your language and then you can start contributing.
On the translation screen, you will see a simple user interface with the source text and the text box to provide translation for specific words.
2 Method: Translate a WordPress Extension for Your Own Website
This method allows you to translate a WordPress extension for your own use. You will translate the plugin in your WordPress dashboard, and your translations will immediately take effect on your website.
The first thing to do is to install and activate the extension Loco Translate. For more details, see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.
After activation, you must visit the page Loco Translate »Extension to start translating your extensions.
You will see a list of all extensions currently installed on your website. You must click on the extension you want to translate.
On the next screen, you will see a list of languages ​​available for the extension along with the translation progress status for each language.
If the language you want to translate is listed here, then you have to click on it. Otherwise, you can click on the 'New Language' button at the top.
On the new language page, you must first choose your language. You have two options available. The first option is the WordPress language. This option will automatically start using this language file if a user sets the WordPress admin area to that language. The second option is to use custom language.
Next, you need to choose the location where you want to store the translation files. By default, Loco Translate recommends that you save the translation file in its own folder. You can change this to save translation files in WordPress languages ​​or in the plugin's languages ​​folder.
Once you have configured your settings, click the Start Translation button to continue.
Translating an extension is really simple. You will see the source text and below you will see the translation field
Simply enter your translation for the source string and select the next string to translate.
Don't forget to click on the Save button to save your progress.
Method 3. Translate a WordPress Plugin on your computer
You can also translate a WordPress plugin on your computer using gettext translation apps. This is convenient, and you can also submit your translations to the authors of the extension in question, so that they can include it in their extensions.
First you need to download the extension you want to translate to your computer. Then you need to double click on the extension zip file to extract it.
After extracting the file, open the extension folder and locate the languages ​​folder. Inside you'll find a .pot file. This is the translation template file that you will need to translate the extension.
If the extension does not have a .pot file or languages ​​folder, it is probably not ready for translation. In this case, you can contact the author of the extension and ask him if he intends to prepare the translation of his extension.
Once you have the .pot file, you are ready to translate the extension to other languages ​​you want.
First of all, you need to download and install the app poedit on your computer. Poedit is a free translation application for Mac and Windows.
After installing the app, go ahead and open the app. You will see a wizard asking you to select an option. If you are using the pro version of the app, you can choose to translate a WordPress plugin or theme. Otherwise, you must select the option "Create a new translation".
You will be asked to select the extension's POT file. Once the file is selected, Poedit will ask you to select the language of the translation.
Just type the name of the language or select from the drop-down menu and click the OK button.
Poedit will now show the translation interface. You will see the list of available channels. All you have to do is click on a channel to select it and provide a translation.
Once the translation is complete, you are ready to save and export it. You must access File »Save and name your file after the name of the language and country code, eg. en_US for French and France, En_GB for English and Great Britain.
Poedit will record your translation in .po and .mo files. You must place these files in the language folder of your extension to start using them immediately.
We hope this guide has helped you learn how to translate WordPress extensions.
