WPML String Translation Addon

Version 5.2.0 — 21 October 2026

• New The theme and plugin scan can ignore strings from text domains that belong to other themes and plugins.
• New The settings explain what each translation preference, Page URL option and scan option does to your content.
• New Duplicate string packages can no longer be created.
• New Translation files are regenerated when a language's locale changes.
• Security Security hardening: stored values are escaped, stored data is read more strictly, request input is validated and translation file names are safe.
• Improved The site's languages are read once per request instead of once per plugin translation file, and no translation file loads twice.
• Improved Front-end pages viewed by an administrator no longer look up every plugin's folder for each translation file, which took seconds on some hosts.
• Improved Saving a post reads each of its string packages only once.
• Improved Translated URL rules are built once instead of on every read, which speeds up WooCommerce pages.
• Improved Translated URL rules are no longer rebuilt twice on every page when a theme or plugin registers post types late.
• Improved Looking up categories and tags by slug no longer repeats the same work on every call.
• Fixed The theme scan works for themes whose stylesheet sits in a subdirectory.
• Fixed Must-use plugins listed on Theme and plugins localization can be scanned for strings again.
• Fixed Theme and plugins localization lists must-use plugins as active with their text domain, and scanning a loader file also scans the folder it loads.
• Fixed Must-use code in a folder below mu-plugins can be scanned.
• Fixed With a child theme active, the parent theme is listed as active on Theme and plugins localization.
• Fixed Viewing the source of a string from a must-use plugin's folder shows its file and line.
• Fixed The 'No TextDomain' label of a theme or plugin without a text domain is no longer a link to an empty list.
• Fixed The theme scan logs each file the theme loads from outside its folder, which the scan skips, and says how to register those strings.
• Fixed Generated translation files carry only the strings the site changed, so WordPress core plurals are no longer overridden.
• Fixed A parent theme's translation files are registered while a child theme is active.
• Fixed Translation files are imported on sites whose content folder is not directly under the WordPress folder.
• Fixed Translation files of a theme in an additional theme folder are recorded as the theme's, not as WordPress core files.
• Fixed A customization that only changes letter case, an accent or spacing regenerates the translation file.
• Fixed After translation files are rebuilt, a text domain whose customized translations all need updating gets its file back.
• Fixed Changing the language of strings regenerates the translation files of both languages, so each language's pages show the right text.
• Fixed Plugins that load translations before WPML sets the language, such as must-use plugins, get the page's language instead of the default.
• Fixed Every plural form of imported and customized strings is kept, and the form follows the language's plural rule.
• Fixed Plural strings use the language's plural rule everywhere in String Translation, and "0 items" no longer shows as "0 item" while translations load.
• Fixed Languages with three or more plural forms, such as Polish, get the right form for every number.
• Fixed Plural strings for zero or negative numbers use the plural form while translations load, as WordPress does.
• Fixed Text domains whose names differ only in letter case share one translation file and one plural rule.
• Fixed Showing the translated site title and tagline no longer costs database queries on every page.
• Fixed Admin texts stored as JSON are translated value by value instead of as one long string.
• Fixed No fatal error when a theme or plugin reads a translated admin text before WPML knows the language.
• Fixed Updating from 5.1.0 keeps a translated option's text in its own language and the file that serves it.
• Fixed Registering the first admin text on a site no longer writes an empty entry that runs extra code on every request.
• Fixed The translation files prompt also shows on Admin Texts Translation, and old Theme and plugins localization links open the theme and plugin scan.
• Fixed The translation files prompt links to the Admin Texts Translation page instead of a menu entry that no longer exists.
• Fixed Turning Translate Everything off while strings are translating no longer leaves them "Translation in progress" for good.
• Fixed Translate Everything no longer re-sends a job you cancelled during the first site-wide pass, so it is not charged twice.
• Fixed Translate Everything no longer sends and charges a taxonomy label twice when its status record is lost.
• Fixed A discarded failed automatic translation job stays discarded, and the strings pass no longer slows down on sites with many past batches.
• Fixed Admin texts registered for translation are sent by Translate Everything automatically, like every other string.
• Fixed Translate Everything's record of completed languages no longer grows with repeated entries, and stays accurate when a language is removed.
• Fixed Translate Everything no longer loses its progress record when two requests save its settings at the same time.
• Fixed Taxonomy labels that Translate Everything sends have their own row in the estimate.
• Fixed The setup wizard's estimate includes the category and tag fields each post's job carries.
• Fixed The setup wizard's estimate includes the taxonomy label strings sent right after setup.
• Fixed The setup wizard's estimate includes the string packages that the first pass sends on page-builder sites.
• Fixed The estimate row for block widgets is titled Widget and Widgets instead of Block.
• Fixed Translating or duplicating a post into several languages at once no longer saves a link to a custom post type with a translated slug in the wrong language.
• Fixed After you click Update Now, the "WPML needs to update the database" notice no longer returns on every admin page.
• Fixed The Elementor editor and other admin screens stay in your profile language instead of mixing in the page's language.
• Fixed A string registration batch interrupted by a server limit is set aside, and background registration stops while automatic string registration is off.
• Fixed Two admin requests at the same time no longer register the same string package twice.
• Fixed String package tables are created on sites set up through WP-CLI or REST, so saving posts logs no errors.
• Fixed Changing a string's language no longer leaves a translation in that same language behind.
• Fixed The String Translation screen no longer shows "No strings found" after you delete one domain's strings while others remain.
• Fixed The Translation Dashboard section for block widgets is titled Widgets again, not Block.
• Fixed Custom post type and taxonomy addresses with a translated slug, such as the Avada Portfolio, no longer return 404 errors.
• Fixed Translated WooCommerce Brands links and language switcher links no longer lead to 404 errors.
• Fixed WPML creates all its tables with one character set and collation.
• Fixed String Translation re-checks the strings table index until it is in place instead of remembering a failed check.
• Fixed WooCommerce Memberships "Ended" emails reach customers in their own language when sent in the background.
• Fixed The Translation Priority setting is removed.
• Fixed Read the release announcement for WPML 5.2 for the full story behind this version.

Earlier versions

• 5.1.0 (29 September 2026): 1 new, 11 improved, 14 fixed
• 5.0.2 (22 September 2026): 1 new, 12 improved, 2 fixed, 1 security
• 3.5.3 (10 June 2026): 1 improved, 2 fixed