All languages of your WPResidence site are managed on one screen: WPEstate Translate > Languages. Here you add a language, choose the default one, set the flag and the order in the switcher, and give each language its own property, agent, agency and developer URL names.
Add a Language
- Go to WPEstate Translate > Languages. The screen is called Languages Manager and is available to administrators.
- Open Select a language in the Language catalog box. The catalog has more than 200 languages with code, locale and flag already filled in. Languages you already added are greyed out.
- Click Add language. A new row appears in the list.
- Click Save languages.
- Save the permalinks: Settings > Permalinks > Save Changes, so the new language prefix works.
Add a Language That Is Not in the Catalog
Click Add custom language under the catalog box. An empty row appears: type the name, code and locale, choose a flag and click Save languages. Names in Cyrillic, Arabic, Greek, Hebrew, Chinese, Japanese, Korean or Thai are kept as you type them.
The Columns of the Languages Manager
| Column | What it does |
|---|---|
| Language | The name visitors see in the language switcher. The small box next to it is the language code. |
| Locale | The WordPress locale, for example pt_BR. It picks the .po translation files and the date format for that language. |
| Slug | The prefix in the address, for example br in example.com/br/. It is filled in from the code and cannot be edited here. |
| URL bases per post type | The property, agent, agency and developer URL names for this language. See URL Names per Language. |
| Flag | The flag shown next to the name in the switcher. |
| Default | Marks the main language of the site. Only one language can be the default. |
| Enabled | Turns the language on or off. |
| Visible | Shows or hides the language for visitors. |
| Trash icon | Removes the row after you click Save languages. |
Choose the Default Language
Click the Default radio button on the language your content is written in, then click Save languages. The default language:
- has no prefix in the address: example.com/properties/;
- is the language of every post and term that has no language set;
- is the language first-time visitors see, unless the link they open has a prefix.
Older versions had a separate Default Language setting. In version 1.0.9 this radio button is the only place where the default is chosen.
Change the Order
Drag a row by the handle on its left, then click Save languages. The order is used in the front-end language switcher and in the Content language list in the admin bar.
Enabled and Visible
| Enabled | Visible | Result |
|---|---|---|
| On | On | The language is live: it has its own URLs and appears in the switcher. |
| On | Off | You can prepare translations in wp-admin, but visitors cannot switch to the language. Use this while a language is not ready. |
| Off | – | The language is not used anywhere on the site. |
URL Names per Language
The default names, for example properties in example.com/properties/sea-view-villa/, are set in Theme Options > General > Property, Agent, Agency, Developer Links Names. For another language, fill Properties URL, Agents URL, Agency URL and Developer URL in the URL bases per post type column of that language. Empty fields use the default names. Click Save languages, then save the permalinks. The full steps are in Multi Languages with WPEstate Translate.
Theme and Plugin Texts
Adding a language does not translate buttons, labels and emails by itself. These texts come from .po files and from WPEstate Translate > Theme & Plugins Strings, where you check them, fill in what is missing and click Generate translation files. See Translating Theme and Plugin Strings.
Remove a Language
Click the trash icon on the row, then Save languages. Posts, pages and properties already translated into that language stay in the database. If you add the same language code again later, they are linked back. To hide a language for a while, untick Visible instead of removing it.
Next: Translating Posts and Pages and The Language Switcher Widget.