How to export and import translations in WordPress

Separate the job into content and strings. Posts, pages, products, custom post types, and taxonomies are handled as multilingual content. Theme labels, plugin text, widget titles, and similar interface text are handled through String Translation.

If you are only sending translation work to a translator, the built-in XLIFF workflow is usually enough. If you are moving existing multilingual content between WordPress sites, use a multilingual import workflow rather than relying on the standard WordPress importer.

Back up the source and destination sites before exporting or importing anything. On the destination site, configure WPML and create every language that will be imported under WPML > Settings > Languages.

Make sure the relevant post types and taxonomies are translatable. Custom post types and custom taxonomies often default to not translatable, so check Post Types Translation and Taxonomy Translation before looking for missing content.

For posts and pages sent to an external translator, open WPML > Translations, select the translation jobs, choose an XLIFF export action, and download the files. The translator can edit them in a compatible CAT tool and return individual XLIFF files or a ZIP. Upload completed files from the Import / Export XLIFF section on the same screen.

For theme and plugin strings, register the strings first, then use the PO import/export utility in the Strings area. Importing the translated PO file merges its translations into the string table. This route is fine for translation hand-offs, but it does not copy a complete multilingual site to another WordPress installation.

For a site-to-site move, export the content with a supported WordPress export tool. A WPML-aware workflow adds language information to the export so the destination can identify each item and connect it to its source translation.

If your export tool is not supported, prepare the file with the required language data: a shared translation-group value, the row language code, and the source-language code on translation rows. Do not guess these values or omit them; otherwise imported items can be placed in one language or remain unlinked.

Import the posts, pages, products, custom post types, and taxonomies into the destination site using your chosen importer. Then run the WPML import process so it assigns languages and connects translations. Until that step is complete, imported content can appear under the default language and mixed languages may show on the front end.

For WooCommerce products, install the WPML WooCommerce integration as well. Keep imported content unpublished or otherwise hidden until the language assignment and translation-linking process has finished.

Review the front end and the WordPress admin in every language. Check translated URLs, menus, custom fields, taxonomy terms, product variations, SEO text, and strings from themes or plugins. A custom post type that is missing usually needs to be set to translatable; missing interface text may need registration in String Translation.

For repeated or large migrations, WPML Export and Import is the faster route. It adds language information to supported exports, connects translated content after import, supports custom post types and taxonomies, and can process multilingual content in batches. It is useful when the standard XLIFF or PO workflow is too narrow for a complete site-to-site transfer.