WPML String Translation Pro – Detailed Review

Building a multilingual WordPress site sounds exciting until you realize half your website text isn’t inside posts or pages. Suddenly buttons, widgets, theme options, plugin notices, checkout labels, and random interface text start refusing to translate like stubborn little goblins.

That’s exactly where WPML String Translation comes in. It’s an add-on for WPML that focuses specifically on translating the “hidden” text strings generated by themes, plugins, widgets, and WordPress itself.

And honestly, if you’re building a serious multilingual WordPress site, this add-on is less “optional extra” and more “thing preventing your site from becoming a multilingual disaster.”

What Is WPML String Translation?

WPML String Translation is an add-on module included with WPML’s higher-tier plans. It allows you to translate:

Theme text
Plugin interface strings
Widget content
Admin text
WooCommerce labels
Dynamic interface elements

Instead of manually editing .po or .mo files like it’s still 2009, the plugin lets you manage translations directly from the WordPress dashboard.

This means every tiny piece of your website can become multilingual without custom coding.

Key Features

1. Translate Theme & Plugin Strings

This is the plugin’s core functionality.

You can translate text generated by:

WordPress themes
Third-party plugins
Elementor/WPBakery components
WooCommerce elements

Examples include:

Buttons
Form labels
Navigation text
Footer copyright notices
Error messages

Without String Translation, these elements often remain stuck in the default language. Which looks deeply unprofessional, like your website gave up halfway through learning another language.

2. Centralized Translation Dashboard

WPML includes a centralized translation system where all translatable strings appear in one interface.

Features include:

Search and filter strings
Group strings by plugin/theme
Edit translations directly
Track translation status

This dramatically simplifies multilingual management for large websites.

3. Automatic Translation Support

Modern WPML versions support AI-powered translation workflows using:

DeepL
Google Translate
Microsoft Translator
WPML’s own Private Translation Cloud (PTC)

You can automatically translate strings and then manually review them if needed.

This saves massive amounts of time for large websites.

4. WooCommerce Compatibility

One of WPML’s strongest areas is WooCommerce support.

String Translation can handle:

Product interface text
Cart labels
Checkout messages
Currency switchers
Email templates

This is critical for multilingual eCommerce stores because customers generally prefer understanding what they’re buying before giving you money. Strange human behavior, really.

5. Multilingual SEO Support

WPML integrates tightly with SEO plugins and multilingual indexing strategies.

Key SEO-related features:

Translatable metadata
Language-specific URLs
Localized slugs
Proper hreflang implementation

String Translation helps ensure even interface text is localized correctly for search engines and users.

6. Admin Text Translation

This feature is underrated.

You can translate:

Theme customizer text
Admin option fields
Dynamic settings panels

Normally, these are difficult to localize because they’re stored in the database instead of template files.

WPML solves this surprisingly well.

What’s Extra in the Pro Version?

Here’s the important part:

WPML String Translation is not available in the basic WPML Blog plan. It’s included in:

Multilingual CMS
Multilingual Agency

plans.

That means the “Pro-level” functionality includes:

Theme & plugin string translation
Translation management
Automatic translation credits
WooCommerce multilingual support
Advanced page builder compatibility
Team translation workflows

The cheaper Blog plan mainly handles basic content translation.

So if you’re building:

Business websites
WooCommerce stores
Client projects
Dynamic multilingual systems

you realistically need the CMS or Agency plan.

Pricing

WPML pricing changes occasionally, because software companies enjoy turning pricing pages into moving targets.

Current common plans include:

Plan	Approx Price	Best For
Multilingual Blog	€39/year	Basic blogs
Multilingual CMS	€99/year	Professional websites
Multilingual Agency	€199/year	Agencies & unlimited sites

CMS Plan Includes:

WPML core
String Translation
Translation Management
90,000 automatic translation credits

Agency Plan Includes:

Unlimited websites
180,000 credits
Full feature access

Additional AI translation credits are billed separately if usage exceeds limits.

Benefits for Developers

This is where WPML String Translation becomes genuinely valuable.

1. No Manual Language Files

Traditionally, developers had to:

Edit .po/.mo files
Use gettext functions manually
Handle localization structures

WPML simplifies much of this through its dashboard-based translation system.

That’s a major productivity gain.

2. Compatible With Popular Builders

WPML supports major tools like:

Elementor
WPBakery
Gutenberg
WooCommerce

Meaning developers can build multilingual sites without inventing custom translation workflows for every plugin.

3. Translation Workflow Management

Developers and agencies can:

Assign translators
Manage translation jobs
Review translation progress

This becomes extremely useful for enterprise or client projects.

4. Scalable Architecture

WPML is designed for large multilingual websites.

It supports:

Multiple languages
Large content databases
Dynamic string registration
Translation synchronization

That scalability matters for professional development work.

5. WooCommerce Localization

For developers building international stores, this is huge.

You can localize:

Products
Checkout flows
Emails
Currency systems

without patching together multiple translation plugins.

Pros

✔ Comprehensive Translation System

Translates nearly every part of a WordPress website.

✔ Excellent WooCommerce Support

One of the strongest multilingual eCommerce solutions available.

✔ AI Translation Integration

Automatic translation dramatically speeds up workflows.

✔ Strong Developer Ecosystem

Compatible with major themes and plugins.

✔ Advanced SEO Features

Supports multilingual indexing and optimization properly.

Cons

✖ Learning Curve

WPML can feel overwhelming initially, especially for beginners.

✖ Performance Overhead

Large multilingual databases can impact performance on poorly optimized hosting.

✖ Pricing Can Add Up

Automatic translation credits cost extra beyond included quotas.

✖ Complex Configuration

Advanced multilingual setups require careful planning.

Who Should Use WPML String Translation?

Best for:

Agencies building multilingual client websites
WooCommerce stores targeting global audiences
Developers needing scalable localization
Businesses managing multilingual SEO

Less ideal for:

Small hobby blogs
Ultra-lightweight websites
Users wanting a completely free solution

Final Verdict

WPML String Translation is one of the most powerful multilingual tools available for WordPress. It solves a problem many site owners don’t even realize exists until half their interface remains untranslated.

Its biggest strengths are:

Deep WordPress integration
Full theme/plugin localization
WooCommerce compatibility
Professional translation workflows

Its biggest weaknesses are:

Complexity
Performance considerations
Ongoing translation credit costs

Overall Rating: 8.7/10

If you’re running a serious multilingual WordPress website, WPML String Translation is extremely difficult to replace. It’s not the simplest solution, and it certainly isn’t the cheapest, but it’s one of the few plugins capable of handling multilingual websites at professional scale without collapsing into chaos.

Which, in WordPress land, is practically a miracle.