Translate PO and POT Files Automatically with AI

Translate PO and POT files with AI in minutes. Upload your file and download .po and .mo translations for WordPress plugins and themes.

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How to Translate PO Files and POT Files Online
Loading Translation Files in WordPress
Automating Translations
FAQ: WordPress POT and PO File Translation

How to Translate PO Files and POT Files Online

Step 1: Create a PTC Account

Create a free PTC account and select the Manual File Upload option during project setup. This method allows you to upload .pot files and download translated .po and .mo files.

Step 2: Configure AI Translation Settings

Next, go through the setup wizard to:

Tell PTC what your WordPress theme or plugin is about, so it can generate human-quality translations
Select target languages
Upload .pot files
Select output files you want to receive. By default, PTC creates .po files, but you can also configure PTC to create .mo files, .l10n.php files, and .json files
Add terms to your glossary (optional)

PTC project setup

Telling PTC about your theme or plugin

PTC resource file configuration

Selecting output files from translation

Step 3: Download Translation Files

Once PTC finishes translating:

Go to the Translations tab to review all translated strings.
Go to the Resource Files tab to download your translation files as a ZIP archive

PTC Translations tab

Viewing strings in the Translations tab

Resource Files tab in PTC

Downloading the files in the Resource files tab

Loading Translation Files in WordPress

After downloading your translated .po and .mo files from PTC, you need to load them in your WordPress plugin or theme.

You have two options: bundle the translations with your plugin/theme, or import them to WordPress.org (if your project is hosted there).

Option 1

Bundle translations with your plugin or theme (recommended)

Place .po and .mo files in your /languages/ directory
Add load_plugin_textdomain() or load_theme_textdomain() calls to load the text domain (see the PHP commit and JavaScript commit in our demo plugin repository)

Option 2

Import translations to WordPress.org

Create a CLPTE (Cross-Locale Project Translation Editor) account on WordPress.org
Wait around 4-6 days for approval
Import the translated files to your plugin or theme’s translation project page

See our complete guide on loading WordPress translations for step-by-step instructions and comparisons of both options.

Automating Translations

Once you’ve translated your first PO or POT file manually, you can automate the entire process so translations stay up-to-date as your code changes. PTC gives you two options:

Automate with Git Integration

Connect your GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket repository to PTC:

Connecting PTC to a Git repository

Select the repository and branches you want PTC to monitor
Define the output paths for your .pot files.
When PTC detects changes, it automatically translates updated strings
Translations are delivered back to your repository via merge request

Automate with the PTC API

If you prefer not to connect your repository directly, integrate translations into your CI/CD pipeline:

Use the PTC API to upload your .pot files automatically when your build pipeline generates them
PTC translates the files and returns .po and .mo files in the API response
Your CI system saves the translated files as artifacts or commits them back to your repository

FAQ: WordPress POT and PO File Translation

Why aren’t my translations showing up in WordPress?

The most common cause is mismatched text domains. Your code, plugin header, file names, and load_plugin_textdomain() call must all use the exact same text domain.

Other common issues:
– .mo files aren’t in the correct directory
– Missing load_plugin_textdomain() or load_theme_textdomain() call
– For plugins/themes on WordPress.org: Community translations are overriding your bundled translations

For detailed troubleshooting steps and solutions to specific scenarios, see why your translations might not be showing.

Why are some of my strings not getting translated?

If text isn’t wrapped in a gettext function like __() or _e(), it won’t be extracted into your .pot file.

Hardcoded (won’t get translated):

echo 'Read more';

echo 'Read more';

Wrapped in gettext (will get translated):

PHP

echo __( 'Read more', 'your-plugin' );

echo __( 'Read more', 'your-plugin' );

How should I handle dynamic text like numbers or names?

Always use placeholders (%s, %d) instead of breaking sentences into pieces.

PHP

printf( __( 'You have %d new messages.', 'your-plugin' ), $count );

printf( __( 'You have %d new messages.', 'your-plugin' ), $count );

Using placeholders also prevents variables from being translated as text. PTC automatically detects and preserves placeholders during translation.

Learn more about how PTC handles placeholders.

When should I regenerate my POT file?

Whenever you add or change translatable strings in your code, regenerate the POT file so your translations stay up to date. If you set up automated translations through Git or CI/CD, PTC can detect changes to your POT file and automatically translate the updated strings.

How do I translate my readme.txt file?

Readme.txt files aren’t included in your .pot file, so you need to translate them separately using PTC’s Paste to translate feature. You can also use Paste to translate for emails, release notes, and other types of text that live outside your POT file.

Can I use PTC to translate other file formats besides PO files?

Yes. While this guide focuses on .po and .pot files for WordPress, PTC supports many other resource file formats. This includes .json, .yaml, .xcstrings, .xml, and many more.

See all supported resource file formats.

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