How to Translate a WordPress Plugin or Theme with Loco Translate?

Q: Where should I save my Loco Translate files?

For your own custom translations, the Custom location is usually the safer option. It keeps your translation files separate from the plugin's own folder, which helps protect them during plugin updates.

Q: What does Sync mean in Loco Translate?

Sync updates your translation editor with the latest strings available from the plugin. It is useful after a plugin update because you might have added new text that was not available when you created the original translation.

Learn how to translate WordPress plugin strings with Loco Translate. Follow simple steps to create, save, sync, and manage translations.

Have you ever translated a WordPress website only to find that some buttons, labels, or messages are still showing in English?

These pieces of text often come from plugin or theme files and are known as strings. To fully translate your website, you also need to translate these strings as well.

This is where Loco Translate can help.

Loco Translate lets you translate WordPress plugin strings directly from your dashboard. You do not need to open plugin files or edit code manually. You can select a plugin, choose a language, find the text you want to change, and add your translation from one place.

In this guide, we will show you how to use Loco Translate to translate a WordPress plugin step-by-step.

What Is Loco Translate?

Loco Translate is a popular WordPress plugin that provides a translation editor inside the WordPress dashboard.

It allows you to work with translation files used by WordPress plugins and themes without manually editing them on your server. For example, imagine a plugin displays a button called Read More. But your website is in German, and you want the button to display in German.

Instead of changing the plugin code, you can use Loco Translate to find the Read More string and add its German translation. Loco Translate saves your translation in a PO file and generates the MO file that WordPress uses to display the translated text on your website.

Loco Translate Issues & Solutions

Fix missing translations, sync errors, frontend display issues, and lost translations after the update.

Troubleshooting Guide →

Now let’s see how the translation process works using the Loco Translate plugin.

Step-By-Step Guide to Use Loco Translate for Plugin Translations in WordPress

Step 1: Install and Activate Loco Translate

From your WordPress Dashboard, navigate to Plugins > Add New, search for “Loco Translate“, and install the plugin.
Once installed, activate it.

Step 2: Choose the Plugin to Translate

Go to the Loco Translate section in your WordPress admin dashboard.
Here, you will see a list of installed plugins and themes that are translatable using Loco Translate. Choose the plugin you want to translate from the list and click on it.

Step 3: Choose the Language

Choose the language into which you want to translate the plugin. You can either choose from the list of available languages or add a custom language.

select-or-add-cusotm-language-for-transalation

Step 4: Add a New Translation

Click on the “New Language” button to create a new translation. You can either choose to create a new translation from scratch or import an existing translation file.

create-new-tranalstion-template-loco-addon

Step 5: Translate the Plugin Strings

Loco Translate will load the plugin’s strings for translation. You’ll see the original string on the left and a translation box on the right.
Simply enter the translated text in the translation box. You can translate one string at a time or use the “Next” and “Prev” buttons to navigate through the strings.

save-plugin-string-translation-loco-addon

Step 6: Save your Translations

After translating the strings, click on the “Save” button to save your translations. Loco Translate will generate a translation file (.mo) for the selected language and save it in the plugin’s language folder.

Step 7: Test your Translations

Once you’ve saved your translations, you can test them by changing your WordPress site’s language to the translated language. You can do this by going to Settings > General and selecting the translated language from the Site Language dropdown menu.
Make sure to save your changes. If everything is set up correctly, you should see the translated strings in your plugin when you visit the corresponding pages or sections on your site.

Can You Automatically Translate Plugin Strings in Loco Translate?

Manually translating a few strings is easy.

But things become different when a plugin contains hundreds or even thousands of strings. Translating each string one by one can take a lot of time.

So, if you want to speed up this process, you can use LocoAI – Auto Translate for Loco Translate.

LocoAI is an AI translation addon for Loco Translate that lets you automatically translate plugin and theme strings using supported translation providers, like Google Translate Widget, Yandex, OpenAI, Gemini AI, ChatGPT, Chrome Built-in AI / Edge Built-in AI, and DeepL.

Instead of translating every string manually, you can use an automatic translation workflow and then review the translated strings before saving them.

Manual Translation or Automatic Translation: Which Should You Use?

Loco Translate makes it easier to translate WordPress plugin text without changing the plugin’s code.

If you only need to change a few labels or messages, manual translation with Loco Translate is usually enough, but if you are working with hundreds of strings, an automatic translation solution like LocoAI can make the process much faster.

Either way, you can manage your plugin translations directly from WordPress and keep your website content consistent across languages.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Loco Translate free?

Yes. Loco Translate is available as a free WordPress plugin. You can use it to create and edit translation files for WordPress plugins and themes directly from your dashboard.

Can I translate any WordPress plugin with Loco Translate?

You can translate plugins that make their text available through the WordPress translation system. If a plugin has not made a string translatable, that string may not appear in Loco Translate.

Where should I save my Loco Translate files?

For your own custom translations, the Custom location is usually the safer option.
It keeps your translation files separate from the plugin’s own folder, which helps protect them during plugin updates.

Will updating a plugin remove my translations?

It depends on where your translation files are stored. If they are saved directly inside the plugin folder, they can be replaced during an update. Translations stored in a separate custom location are less likely to be affected by plugin updates.

What does Sync mean in Loco Translate?

Sync updates your translation editor with the latest strings available from the plugin. It is useful after a plugin update because you might have added new text that was not available when you created the original translation.

Can Loco Translate automatically translate plugin strings?

Loco Translate mainly provides the translation editor. If you want to automatically translate a large number of strings, you can use an addon such as LocoAI to connect automatic or AI-powered translation providers with the Loco Translate workflow.