Frequently asked questions
Translations and AI
Section titled “Translations and AI”Does the AI publish translations on its own?
Section titled “Does the AI publish translations on its own?”Not for posts and pages: each translation is saved as a draft for you to review and publish.
A few things do take effect straight away, so keep them in mind:
- Re-translate with AI on a translation that was already published updates it on your site at once.
- The translations of your theme’s templates and of your images and files are visible as soon as they’re created.
- ✦ Translate missing with AI, in String translations, saves the texts at once.
Do I need AI to use LingoPress?
Section titled “Do I need AI to use LingoPress?”No. Your languages, the web addresses, the language switcher, the menus and everything Google needs work without AI. The AI is only there to translate for you; without it, you translate by hand.
How much does it cost?
Section titled “How much does it cost?”LingoPress is free, with all its features. If you use an AI, you pay for it to the company that provides it, not to LingoPress. See What it costs.
What exactly does the AI translate?
Section titled “What exactly does the AI translate?”In posts and pages, the title, the text and the excerpt. It keeps your formatting, images, buttons and links as they were. It also translates the texts of your images (if you turned on media translation), your theme’s templates and the texts in String translations.
It doesn’t translate what you write in SEO plugins, such as the SEO title and description in Yoast SEO or Rank Math. Write those yourself in each translation.
How do I stop the AI from getting a word wrong?
Section titled “How do I stop the AI from getting a word wrong?”In LingoPress → AI translation:
- In Site context, explain what your site is about and which words could be misunderstood.
- In Glossary, write fixed rules:
word = translation, or just the word if it should never be translated (like your brand).
See Translate with AI.
Can it translate very long posts?
Section titled “Can it translate very long posts?”Yes. LingoPress splits long posts into sections and translates them one after another, keeping the same words throughout. You’ll see the progress as Translating… section 1 of 3.
I edited the original. Does the translation update?
Section titled “I edited the original. Does the translation update?”Not on its own. LingoPress marks its translations with a ⚠ so you know they’re out of date. Inside each one, Re-translate with AI brings it up to date. Keep in mind that it replaces the whole text, including any changes you made by hand.
What happens if the AI service is busy or fails?
Section titled “What happens if the AI service is busy or fails?”LingoPress waits a little and tries again on its own, up to 3 times. If it still fails, you’ll see the error in LingoPress → Queue, with a Retry failed button.
Where do I keep my AI key?
Section titled “Where do I keep my AI key?”If you use WordPress (Connectors), you don’t need one in LingoPress: WordPress keeps it in Settings → Connectors. With the other providers, paste it in LingoPress → AI translation. Whoever handles the technical side of your site can also store it in a WordPress configuration file, for extra security.
Your site
Section titled “Your site”Why have my old posts disappeared from my site?
Section titled “Why have my old posts disappeared from my site?”Posts and pages created before you installed LingoPress don’t have a language yet, and your site only shows posts in the language the visitor is reading. Open each one, check its language in the Language box and click Update. See First steps.
Why do some texts still appear in the original language?
Section titled “Why do some texts still appear in the original language?”It depends on where the text comes from:
- Dates, “Read more” links and your theme’s buttons: install that language in WordPress. See the tip in First steps.
- Your header and footer, with block themes: translate them in LingoPress → Templates.
- Your menus: create a menu for each language. See A menu for each language.
- Other short texts from your theme or plugins: look for them in LingoPress → String translations. If they aren’t there, your theme doesn’t offer them for translation.
- Your site’s title and tagline: LingoPress doesn’t translate them yet.
Can I translate shop products, events or other types of content?
Section titled “Can I translate shop products, events or other types of content?”Out of the box, LingoPress translates posts, pages, categories, tags and, if you turn it on, images and files. Other types of content created by other plugins, such as shop products, need someone to enable them technically. See For developers.
Why doesn’t it send visitors to their browser’s language?
Section titled “Why doesn’t it send visitors to their browser’s language?”On purpose, for Google. If each visitor were redirected according to their browser, Google (which usually browses in English) could miss the other versions, and the links people share would open in another language. Your visitors choose their language with the switcher. See Your site on Google.
Can I migrate from Polylang?
Section titled “Can I migrate from Polylang?”Yes, with one click from LingoPress → Getting started, and without duplicating anything. See Coming from Polylang.
If I stop using LingoPress, do I lose my content?
Section titled “If I stop using LingoPress, do I lose my content?”No. Your posts, pages and their translations are normal WordPress posts and stay on your site. If you deactivate LingoPress, your site goes back to being a single-language site and all your posts appear together. If you delete it, LingoPress also removes its languages, the links between translations and its settings, but not your posts.
What do I need to use it?
Section titled “What do I need to use it?”WordPress 6.5 or later and PHP 8.1 or later. If you’re not sure what your hosting has, your hosting provider can tell you.
How do I report a problem?
Section titled “How do I report a problem?”Write to us at wp-support@balles.dev and tell us what happened. The easiest way is from your dashboard: in LingoPress → About, the Email us button opens your email app with your site details already filled in (the versions, your theme, your languages and your AI provider; never your site’s address or your keys). If you use email in the browser, those details are on the same screen, ready to copy.
Found a security problem? Write to the same address, and please don’t post it in public forums until it’s fixed.