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Automatic Translation with OpenAI

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The Automatic Translation screen in WPEstate Translate lets you pre-fill translations for posts, properties, agents, and individual strings using an AI translation service. This saves hours of manual work and gives translators a strong starting draft instead of a blank page. Automatic translation is one of several features covered in our complete multi-language real estate website guide.

Translation Service

Automatic translation uses OpenAI, with the gpt-4o-mini model, through the official OpenAI API.

Step 1 – Get an OpenAI API Key

Create an account at platform.openai.com, add prepaid credit (see OpenAI Billing below), and generate an API key. Keys look like sk-…. Keep the key private: anyone with it can spend from your OpenAI account.

Step 2 – Configure the Plugin

Go to WPEstate Translate → Automatic Translation:

  • Automatic Translation – tick to enable auto-translation for new content.
  • Translation Engine – choose OpenAI.
  • OpenAI API Key – paste the key. It is stored in the WordPress options table.
  • System prompt – the base instruction sent as the system message. Default: You are a translator that converts WordPress post data into the requested language. You can customise the tone (formal vs informal) here.
  • User prompt – the base instruction sent as the user message. Default: Translate the following WordPress post payload into the %1$s language. The %1$s placeholder is replaced with the target language code.

Click Save Settings.

Step 3 – Choose Post Types

The second card, Select post type for translation, lists every public post type on your site (Posts, Pages, Properties, Agents, etc.). For each one pick:

  • Translate – include in bulk auto-translation runs.
  • Do Not Translate – skip.

Step 4 – Pick the Target Language

Use the Translate into language dropdown to choose which language is being filled this run. Auto-translate handles one target language at a time; repeat the run for each additional language.

Step 5 – Run the Bulk Job

Click Start translation. A progress status area shows processing per post. You can halt a run at any time with Stop translation. Partial progress is kept – restarting picks up where it left off.

Auto-Translate on the String Grid

The same OpenAI settings power the Automatic translate strings block on Theme & Plugins Strings. Pick a domain, a target language, and click Automatic Translate to fill untranslated textareas.

Auto-Translate From the Post Editor

When editing a post, page, or property, the editor header language selector also offers a one-click auto-translate action. This is handy for one-off items you don’t want to run as a bulk job.

Glossary & Translation Memory

A Glossary screen lets you define fixed translations for specific terms (brand names, legal phrases, domain jargon). Each entry takes a Source Term, a Preferred Translation, and optional Context / Notes. The plugin also maintains a translation memory keyed by similarity hash, so repeated sentences reuse previous translations and reduce API cost.

OpenAI Billing – Is There a Free Option?

No. Automatic translation runs on the OpenAI API, and the API does not work on a free account with no credit. On a free account the run stops at the first item and the plugin shows OpenAI rate limit reached. Wait a moment and try again, or check your OpenAI usage quota.

  • Add prepaid credit in your OpenAI account under Settings → Billing. The minimum purchase is $5.
  • There is no plan to choose. You pay only for the text you translate, and the credit is used up as you go.
  • ChatGPT Plus or Pro does not include the API. OpenAI bills the API separately from ChatGPT.
  • Auto recharge is on by default when you add credit. Turn it off in OpenAI billing if you do not want automatic top-ups.

OpenAI explains it here: How prepaid billing works. After you add credit, click Start translation again. Items already translated are skipped.

Cost Considerations

  • OpenAI bills per token. Translating a typical property description costs a fraction of a cent; translating thousands of posts at once can add up.
  • Use the Do Not Translate radio for post types you don’t need (for example utility CPTs).
  • Always review machine output. Real estate language (legal terms, measurements) benefits from human review.

Rate Limits & Timeouts

Each request can take several seconds (the HTTP timeout is 540 seconds). The plugin retries up to 3 times on transient failures. If OpenAI returns a rate-limit or transient 5xx error, wait a minute and re-run – processed items will be skipped automatically.

Fallback Behaviour

  • If the API key is missing, the button shows an error; nothing is written.
  • If OpenAI returns malformed JSON, the plugin rejects the response and leaves the post untouched.

Related Articles

For the full product overview of our multilingual setup, see the multi-language real estate website guide.