How to translate page or plugin elements in WordPress?

Sometimes a WordPress theme or plugin may contain text that has not been translated into your website’s language. You might encounter phrases such as “Read More”, “Next”, or “Previous” appearing in English on an otherwise fully translated website.

A simple way to translate or modify these phrases is by using the Loco Translate plugin.

Contents

• Installing Loco Translate
• Translating Theme Elements
• Translating Plugin Elements
• Editing Existing Translations
• Applying Changes

Installing Loco Translate

Step 1

Log in to your WordPress administration panel.

Step 2

Navigate to:

Plugins → Add New

Step 3

In the search field, enter:

Loco Translate

Step 4

When the plugin appears in the search results, click:

Install Now

Step 5

After installation is complete, click:

Activate

Accessing Loco Translate

Once activated, a new menu item will appear in the WordPress administration panel:

Loco Translate

The menu contains several sections, including:

• Themes
• Plugins
• Languages
• Settings

In most cases, translations will be managed from the:

Themes

or

Plugins

sections.

Translating Theme Elements

Step 1

Navigate to:

Loco Translate → Themes

Step 2

Select the theme you want to edit.

Step 3

A list of available language files will be displayed.

Select the language you want to edit and click:

Edit

Step 4

The translation editor will open.

The interface is divided into three sections:

Section	Purpose
Source Strings	Original text from the theme
Source Text	Selected original phrase
Translation	Your translated version

Step 5

Select the phrase you want to modify.

Example:

Read More

Step 6

Enter your preferred translation in the Translation field.

Example:

Read More → Continue Reading

or

Read More → Learn More

Step 7

Click:

Save

Translating Plugin Elements

The process for plugins is identical.

Step 1

Navigate to:

Loco Translate → Plugins

Step 2

Select the plugin whose text you want to translate.

Step 3

Choose the language file you want to edit.

Step 4

Search for the phrase you wish to translate or modify.

Step 5

Enter the new translation and save your changes.

Applying Changes

After saving your modifications, click:

Sync

if the option is available.

Synchronization updates the translation file and ensures newly added strings are included.

Important Note

Some caching plugins may delay the appearance of updated translations.

If your changes are not immediately visible:

• Clear the WordPress cache.
• Clear any server-side cache.
• Refresh your browser cache.

Benefits of Using Loco Translate

Loco Translate allows you to:

• Translate themes directly from WordPress.
• Translate plugins without editing files manually.
• Modify existing translations.
• Create custom language files.
• Manage translations without FTP access.

Summary

To translate theme or plugin elements in WordPress:

1. Install and activate Loco Translate.
2. Navigate to:

Loco Translate → Themes

or

Loco Translate → Plugins

3. Select the desired language.
4. Edit the phrases you want to translate.
5. Click:

Save

6. Synchronize translations if necessary.

Loco Translate provides a simple and effective way to customize the wording of themes and plugins without modifying their source code.