Want to run your WooCommerce store in more than one language? Because Merchant integrates with the Polylang translation plugin, you can translate the text strings of your Merchant modules into any language.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to set up a multilingual site with Merchant and Polylang.
Before you get started, make sure you’ve installed and activated the Merchant plugin on your WordPress site. If you’re using premium modules, ensure you have Merchant Pro installed and active.
Below, we’ll translate your Merchant strings from English into Spanish using Polylang. Use the same workflow for any other languages you want to support.
Note that Polylang only translates strings coming from the database, for example text defined under the module settings pages in Merchant. Text and strings hardcoded inside the plugin or theme should be translated with Loco Translate, for example if you’re using the Checkout Layouts in Merchant and want to translate them.
Install and activate the Polylang plugin
Click the Plugins » Add New Plugin menu in the left sidebar of your WordPress admin area and type polylang into the search box.
Once Polylang shows up in the results, click the Install Now button, then the Activate button:
Go through Polylang’s onboarding wizard
Polylang shows an onboarding wizard as soon as it’s activated. The wizard has five screens where you configure your translation settings. Fill in all the options carefully:
Once all the settings are configured, click the Return to the Dashboard button.
Activate the Merchant modules you want to translate
To translate a Merchant module, first activate it from the Merchant dashboard. Below, we’ll translate the Inactive Tab Message module into Spanish, which includes two text strings.
Click the Merchant menu in the left sidebar of your WordPress admin area, open the module, then click the Enable button to activate it:
Translate your text strings
Open Polylang’s Translations page by clicking the Languages » Translations menu in your WordPress admin area. Here, you’ll see all the strings belonging to the Merchant modules you’ve activated on your site.
Type the translations right into the translation fields. If you prefer, filter for Merchant’s strings by clicking the View all groups dropdown at the top of the page, selecting the Merchant option, then clicking the Filter button:
Translate the strings, then click the Save Changes button at the bottom of the page:
As you can see in the screenshot below, the translated text shows up in your store immediately once the changes are saved:
In the example above, only one Merchant module was activated on the demo site. If you have more than one active module, they all show up on Polylang’s Translations page, so you can translate them all at once:
Frequently asked questions
Below, we’ve answered some of the most common questions about translating Merchant with Polylang.
Which strings can Polylang translate?
Polylang translates strings that come from the database, such as text you set on a Merchant module’s settings page. Hardcoded strings in the plugin or theme need Loco Translate instead.
Do I have to translate each module separately?
No. Every active Merchant module’s strings appear together on Polylang’s Translations page, so you can translate them all in one place.
That’s it! You’ve successfully set up a multilingual site with Merchant and Polylang.
Next, would you prefer to use a different translation plugin? Check out our guide on setting up a multilingual site with Merchant and WPML to learn more.
