Want to run your WooCommerce store in more than one language with WPML? Using Merchant’s WPML integration, 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 WPML.
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. Merchant integrates with WPML out of the box, so once Merchant is activated, WPML is supported by default.
Below, we’ll translate your Merchant strings from English into Spanish using WPML. Use the same workflow for any other languages.
Download the WPML plugins from your WPML account
First, sign in to your WPML account, go to the Downloads page, scroll to the bottom of the page, click the Download WPML manually button, and download both plugins:
- WPML
- String Translation
Install and activate the WPML and String Translation plugins
Click the Plugins » Add New Plugin menu in the left sidebar of your WordPress admin area, then click the Upload Plugin button.
Once the file uploader appears, click the Browse button, select the WPML String Translation ZIP file you downloaded from your WPML account, then click the Install Now and Activate Plugin buttons:
Then install and activate the WPML plugin from the same page. You can also install the two WPML plugins in the opposite order.
Configure the WPML plugin
Before translating your Merchant strings, configure WPML. Click the WPML » Setup menu in the left sidebar of your WordPress admin area and go through the onboarding process:
Once you’ve configured all the settings, click the Finish button at the bottom of the last screen in the setup wizard.
Activate the Merchant modules you want to translate
To translate a Merchant module with WPML, first activate it from the Merchant dashboard. Below, we’ll translate the Inactive Tab Message module from English into Spanish.
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
Click the WPML » String Translation menu in the left sidebar of your WordPress admin area to open the page where you add your translations:
Here, you’ll see all the strings belonging to the Merchant modules you’ve activated on your site. Add translations by clicking the + buttons next to the strings. If you prefer, filter for Merchant’s strings by clicking the In domain dropdown menu at the top of the page and selecting the Merchant option:
Translate each string by clicking its + button and entering the translated string into the string translation modal. WPML saves the translations automatically:
As you can see in the screenshot below, the translated text shows up in your store once you switch the site’s language to Spanish, either using the language switcher or entering the Spanish site URL manually into the browser’s address bar. Configure the site URL from the WPML » Languages » Language URL format menu:
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 WPML’s String translation 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 WPML.
Do I need to set up the WPML integration manually?
No. Merchant integrates with WPML out of the box. Once Merchant is active, WPML support is enabled by default, so you just need to install and configure WPML.
Which plugins do I need from WPML?
You need both the WPML plugin and the String Translation plugin. Download both from your WPML account, then install and activate them.
That’s it! You’ve successfully set up a multilingual site with Merchant and WPML.
Next, would you prefer a free translation plugin? Check out our guide on setting up a multilingual site with Merchant and Polylang to learn more.
