Hello friends,

I have already created a review for one great (and free to use) plugin that will allow you to translate your website and also to make it bilingual or multilingual. This can be achieved by using QtranslateX. Make sure to read this post by clicking here.

But in this post I will make you familiar with a similar plugin that is focused on helping you translate your WordPress website with extreme ease. This plugin is called Loco Translate.

What does Loco Translate do?

Translation! This is its main purpose. As you know some plugins and themes are created in one language only and this may not be suitable for you, your clients (if you are creating a website for them) and especially for the target visitors and future customers. Another very common situation is that there may be some translations provided but your target language is not yet supported.

In both situations you need to figure it out how to translate the specific plugin or theme. There are different ways to achieve this, however you may discover that Loco Translate is one of the best ways to do it. Mainly because it is super easy to use and also because it is already part of your website (since it is a WordPress plugin). This means that you will not be needing any additional software and/or tools to transform each non-translated section of your website to the correct language.

How to use Loco Translate?

Begin by downloading it from WordPress.org or by using the plugin installer system in the admin panel of your own website. Then activate Loco Translate and click on the newly created menu that has the same name. There you will see several sub-menus:

• Home – here you will see all of your installed themes and plugins that have provided translation files. This means that you will be able to start translating them by clicking on the link with the name of the plugin/theme;
• Themes – a list only with the themes that may be translated;
• Plugins – the same but this time focused on plugins only;
• WordPress – the ability to translate WordPress itself. If you are not aiming at using some extremely rare language then you should see 100% translation or similar number for your chosen one;
• Settings – here you may change the way Loco Translate functions;

This plugin also creates an additional user role, called Translator which means that you may provide access to specific people in order to translate your website if needed.

Now let’s click on one plugin or theme in order to start translating it. You can do this from the Home sub-menu or one of the two other options regarding your choice. You should see three tabs:

• Overview – providing the current translation files so that you may choose from them for edit or create a new one;
• Setup – here you can see the status of the bundle auto-configuration. This tab also provides you with the possibility to make advanced configuration, import config from XML, check config repository and get help if needed. The Author details are specified here as well;
• Advanced – some advanced settings for the current object that you will be translating. From this tab you will be able to download XML config if needed;

So click on the language that needs translation in the Overview tab or create a new language. Bear in mind that you can also get info on each available translation as well as its percentage of completion. You will also be able to delete translations.

When you do this you will see the Source text and each translatable string is on a different line. Click on one of the strings. In the field below this list you will see the current source text for the selected string and further below is the field with the translation for the selected language. It may be empty or translated incorrectly. In both ways you will be able to add the correct translation and then save your work by clicking on the blue “Save” button at the beginning of the screen. From here you will also be able to download the *PO and *MO files which may be useful for using them on different websites with the same plugin/theme as the one you are translating currently.

For each language you will also see several tabs:

• Editor – the tab that I have just described;
• Source – the source of the translation;
• File Info – some information about the percentage of translation, the name of the last translator, the last modified date and additional information;
• Delete – permanent deletion of the translation;

When you are done translating you may sync your work with the repository, download the translation files and most importantly – utilize the translation that you have created. Bear in mind that WordPress has to be set for the target language in order to see your translation text. This is done in the Settings menu in your admin panel.

What do you think about Loco Translate friends? Will you use it? Share your feedback in the comment section below and help us reach more users like you that are in need for a great plugin for WordPress translation. Do this by sharing this post in social media.

Thank you and see you soon!

*The images are embedded from the WordPress.org page of Loco Translate