Multilingual Custom Fields

Documentation Guides Multilingual Custom Fields

Last updated Aug 29, 2023

Introduction

Translating your WordPress website into multiple languages is one way to increase traffic and engage visitors from other countries. It may also be a requirement for your project.

In this guide, we’ll explore the basic concept of translations and a few plugins that get the job done.

Multilingual Solutions

Since version 4.0, WordPress has offered language selection within the installation process. That language then becomes the one and only language of the site.

If you want to have posts, pages, and custom post types available in multiple languages, you will need a translation plugin to handle the extra functionality. Translation plugins allow you to translate the content (often by hand, manually) into numerous other languages.

Then when your users come to the site, they can pick which language to view the post in.

WordPress are planning to add support for native multilingual functionality in phase 4 of the Gutenberg development program. Until then, plugins are the current solution.

Compatible Plugins

Luckily there’s an array of great translation plugins available for WordPress, and we’ve rounded up the top 4 along with their guides on translating custom fields with ACF.

1: WPML

WPML, short for WordPress Multilingual, has over 1 million installations and offers a number of features, including:

• Automatic translations powered by DeepL, Google, Microsoft
• Integrate professional translation services or set up a team of translators
• One dashboard to manage all translations

No matter how you choose to translate your site’s content, WPML has got your back.

WPML is fully compatible with ACF, and comes bundled with ACFML (Advanced Custom Fields Multilingual) for translating your ACF or ACF PRO powered website.

According to the folks behind WPML, the plugin is crafted specifically to help you effortlessly translate everything you create with ACF. WPML provides an easy, no-code approach to translating custom field values, labels, and titles. Tailor the translation workflow for all your field groups, no matter how complex, directly from the ACF interface.

WPML offers packages starting at €39 and ranging up to €199. The ACFML plugin is included in packages starting from €99.

2: Polylang

Polylang is another powerhouse translation plugin that now boasts over 500,000 active users. A freemium plugin by nature — the ACF integration requires Polylang Pro.

While the translation process is straightforward, there is one caveat. Currently, their integration only works for posts and pages and does not work for options pages.

Although there is an additional plugin contributed by BeAPI that does translate the options pages using Polylang Pro.

Check out the full guide on translating ACF with Polylang here.

Pricing wise? Polylang Pro comes in at €99 for a single site license, climbing to €495 for a 25 site license pack.

3: TranslatePress

TranslatePress is more unique in the plugin translation world, focusing more on an easy to use front-end interface; it’s one of the most user-friendly translation plugins on the market.

Making good use of the WordPress customizer to manage and edit front-end translations, and content it also comes with both automatic and manual translations.

Meaning if you don’t know the language you can let the plugin run with it and translate for you. Should you? Most probably not if you don’t have anyone to look over it. However, it’s still a nifty feature.

Translating ACF with TranslatePress is a painless process, and they have an easy to follow guide you can check out here. 

Pricing? Coming in at €79 for a single site license without all the add-ons and climbing to €179 for the most expensive license.

4: WeGlot

WeGlot is one of the newest translation plugins to market. Unlike every other tool we mention here, it’s a SaaS-based application that offers a WordPress plugin for translation along with support for other platforms such as Shopify.

The main unique selling point is its automated translation ability and the ability to translate any content (if it’s on your website WeGlot can translate it). Automated translations can be updated manually if you don’t feel they are word for word perfect.

Translating with WeGlot is a breeze and everything is done from the WeGlot website making management simple. You can find a quick guide on translating Advanced Custom Fields with WeGlot here.

Pricing wise? WeGlot charges on a word count and language count. 1 language and 10,000 words will cost you €99/yr climbing to €1,990/yr for a million words and 10 languages.

Conclusion

Translating your ACF powered website doesn’t have to be a long slog. Thanks to the ease of use of translation plugins available you can translate your ACF powered website quickly and easily.