is robust translation tool that allows you to set up Magento 2 multi language store in days, not weeks.
But the best part is you don't have to switch to developer mode to add translations, or migrate your content back and force.
You add translation for any kind of content — products, categories, email templates, buttons and labels — directly in the admin. Manually or automatically.
So, in this guide you'll learn everything to configure and use the Magefan Translation Extension. From general config to import, export and translations management — we cover it all.
Configuration
Before you start adding translations, you have to go through a number of general settings. Navigate to Stores > Configuration > Magefan Extensions > Translation to do that.
Note: these options are available only in the Translation Plus and Extra.
General
The general section covers basic translation settings related to all translations.
- Flush Cache On Translation Change — if enabled, the translation cache is automatically flushed when you add or edit translations. If disabled, the translation cache is simply marked as invalid.
- Ignore GWS Permissions On Translation Grid — ignores GWS permissions.
Translation APIs
Translation APIs allow you to translate content in your Magento automatically.
- Default Locale — the default language of the content in your admin. Language AI tools should translate your content from.
- Default Translator — the default AI tool you want to use for auto translation.
Daily Usage Limit
In this section, you define a limit for using the AI tools per day.
- Limit By — how you want to limit the AI usage — by requests or characters (depends on the AI tool).
- Count — number of requests or characters you want to use per day.
Google Translate API
- API Version — defines the free or advanced Google Translate API.
- API key — the key used to integrate Google Translate with Magento.
ChatGPT API
- ChatGPT API Model — a model of ChatGPT you want to use for translations.
- ChatGPT API Key — the key used to integrate ChatGPT with Magento.
- Additional Instructions (for ChatGPT) — additional instructions you can give ChatGPT about the tone of the translations, etc.
DeepL API
- API URL — defines the free or paid version of the DeepL API.
- API key — the key used to integrate DeepL Translator with Magento.
Glossary
Each AI-based translator comes with the Glossary option. This allows you to create a dictionary for brand-specific words, product names, etc., which each translator should use in auto translation.
Note: if you want to create a glossary for Google Translate, you have to set up an advanced Google Cloud API, which is paid, and upload the API JSON to Magento (instead of just an API key like in the free Google Translate edition).
Schedule Translations
The translation schedule allows you to reduce all manual work altogether. However, you still need to configure one of the APIs and set it as the default.
Note: if you enable the translation schedule, it won't just translate pages once. It will update all existing translations if you make any changes to the default locale.
Skip store views
If you don't want to translate the default locale to some specific store view (language) just exclude it from auto translation.
Skip fields
If you don't want to skip some fields from auto translation, simply specify them in the Skipped section.
e.g. you can skip product or category URL keys or meta titles from translation (though it's recommended to localise these).
Set schedule
- Enable — enable the translation schedule.
- Source — define what entities you want to auto translate automatically on schedule.
- Schedule Selected Sources — set up the schedule for translating all pages, blocks and other elements in your store.
- Delay Before Translation (minutes) — specify the delay (in minutes) for scheduling text for auto-translation. It helps to prevent sending the same page or entity for translation multiple times if you edited and saved it multiple times within a short time period.
Note: Translation will be delayed by this many minutes from the last save. If the entity is saved again within this window, the timer resets.
- Schedule Commands — we also offer some CLI commands to schedule translation of separate entities if scheduling ALL takes too much time.
Translations
Navigate to System > Translations > Translations to find this section. That's where you can see all translations you've added manually (not automatically) and add new translations.
- Original Text — the text you want to translate (e.g. a button or label on the frontend or admin).
Note: for the translation to be applied, it must be wrapped in the translation function, according to Magento requirements.
- Store View — a store view you want to add a translation to (only if you have more than one webite).
e.g. you have German (Germany) store view on Website #1 and German (Germany) store view on Website #2 and want to have different translations for each of these store views.
- Locale — language you are translating to.
Note: make sure you set different locales for each of your store views when creating store views. If you don't set the locale translations won't be applied.
- Translate Text — translated text.
Once you add and Save your translations, flush Magento cache to see it on the frontend or backend.
Want to see it in action? Watch this short video.
Search and Translate
Magefan Translation Extension automatically searches for all texts available for translation in your database, extensions, themes and email templates (if any).
It even translates some of them automatically right after the installation. There are a couple of things you can do here, under System > Translations > Search and Translate.
Find text to translate
Use extensive filters to find text you can translate based on the language, original text, text location, where it's used and more.
You can also find whether a text is translated for a specific store view, using the store_view_translated filter.
Translate text
Click on a particular text from the grid to start translating it for all store views at once via popup.
Auto translate text
Click on the Auto Translate option in the Action column or tick text to translate and choose the same option from Mass actions.
Glossary
Create a dictionary for any AI translator to use for all store views to keep some text translations consistent across the entire store. Navigate to System > Translations > Glossary.
Here you can find all the texts you've added to the dictionary, what translator it is used by, and when it was last synced with the AI translation tool.
Note: if you use ChatGPT as your translator, the glossary is never synced with ChatGPT since we simply send your glossary to ChatGPT with each request.
To add a new word, press Add Glossary Entry and fill out the following:
- Source Language — what locale the original text is coming from
- Original Text — a self-explanatory field
- N Translation — translations for each store view correspondingly.
Each AI-based translation tool in the Magefan Translator will use this glossary to translate texts for each language according to your translation.
Translation Schedule
Monitor text scheduled for translation and executed translation along with their statuses under System > Translations > Translation Schedule. Here you can:
- Filter through all scheduled translations by multiple values.
- View translation statuses.
- Monitor which entity was translated by schedule and when.
- Force run the translation via mass action if it's still in the Scheduled stage.
Add entities to schedule
If you want to add some specific pages or entities, or specific page fields for translation, you can do it directly from here. Press Add Entities to Schedule to move on.
- Entity Type — select what pages you want to send for translation.
- Store Views to Translate — specify specific languages you want to translate the selected pages to or leave empty to translate to all languages.
- Fields to Translate — choose specific fields from the page or entity you want to translate.
e.g. you can translate product descriptions or URLs to DE languages only or CMS page meta titles only.
Once you select what to send for translation, you can preview entities that will be added to the translation schedule. Don't forget to press Add Selected to Schedule after you preview the entities.
Translation Options
Based on the Magento 2 Translation Extension plan you have, there are different translation options available for you.
Manual translation
As we've discussed before, you can add translations for short form content, like buttons and labels, via System > Translations > Translations.
Translation forms and popups (manual)
The next up on the list of translation options are the translation form and pop-up. The latter appears as the Translate option under a separate field.
It offers you to translate a particular field for all store views at once.
The other option is to view and translate all fields for all store views at once. Find it by clicking Translate in the top page menu.
Note: with the Translation Extra, there's also the Auto Translate option available on both the translation pop-up and form.
Auto translation button
Once you configure one or a couple of the AI engines and enable it for your store, you can Auto Translate all pages and blocks in your admin panel. Just hit a corresponding option at the top page menu.
Bulk translation for all or specific languages
Go back to the grid (except product categories) and hit Auto Translate from Mass actions for the selected pages or blocks. Additionally, you can choose what Store views to initiate the bulk translation for.
Bulk translate specific fields
If you want to translate sme specific fields for translation, e.g. product meta title, CMS page titles, etc., go to System > Translations > Translation Schedule and press the Add Entities to Schedule button.
Then select the entities, their fields you want to translate and specific languages if you want to. Hit Add Selected to Schedule to auto-translate specific fields.
Translations Are Not Applied: Troubleshooting
As we've already mentioned, our extension works based on the Magento translation functions and provides 100% translation if the text code provided is correct.
Let's review a few cases why it might not be applied and how to fix that.
Translation functions
If you've completed all of the steps correctly, but the text still won't translate, check if that text is wrapped in the translation function. It might be that developers didn't wrap the text in the translation function in their module or theme.
Thus, translation conditions weren't created, and the text wouldn't translate even if you applied the language packs to it.
Regarding the file type, you have to use different translation functions:
e.g.
- if this is *.php file or *.phtml file use __('yourtext')
- if this is the *.js file use mage.translate
- if this is for cms block or cms page trans function
- if this is *.html file you can use or
Translations in JavaScript
Magefan Translator automatically translates texts in JavaScript and Knockout templates.
However, if you add some through JavaScript yourself, you might need to run the following command for them to be applied to the frontend:
php bin/magento setup:static-content:deploy
Text with variables
The other case might be that the text you're trying to translate is generated with variables.
e.g. "%1 reviews", "Please enter a valid date between %1 and %2 at %3."
Here, you have to add translation with the variables too (when adding translations manually). If you're translating text through the Search and Translate panel our Extension will find text with variables for you to translate more easily.
Besides, you can use Translate Inline Tool to work with the variables easier.
What's Next?
Magefan Translation Extension for Magento is the ultimate localisation tool you need. It harnesses the power of AI to help you create a Magento multi-language store significantly faster.
So, once you configure the Translation Extension and choose the option you want to work with, start translating Magento products, categories and other pages.
