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Translate Strings with Loco Translate

BuddyX Pro is fully translation-ready and works seamlessly with the Loco Translate plugin. This guide walks you through translating theme strings into your preferred language.

What You’ll Need

Section titled “What You’ll Need”
  • WordPress 5.0 or higher
  • Loco Translate plugin (free)
  • BuddyX Pro theme installed and active

Why Use Loco Translate?

Section titled “Why Use Loco Translate?”

Loco Translate provides several advantages:

Feature Benefit
In-Dashboard Editing Translate directly in WordPress admin
Safe Location Stores translations outside theme folder
Update-Proof Translations survive theme updates
No Coding Required Visual interface for all strings
PO/MO Generation Automatically creates translation files

Step-by-Step Translation Guide

Section titled “Step-by-Step Translation Guide”

Step 1: Install Loco Translate

Section titled “Step 1: Install Loco Translate”
  1. Go to Plugins > Add New
  2. Search for “Loco Translate”
  3. Click Install Now then Activate

Step 2: Set Your Site Language

Section titled “Step 2: Set Your Site Language”
  1. Navigate to Settings > General
  2. Scroll to the Site Language dropdown
  3. Select your target language (e.g., French, German, Spanish)
  4. Click Save Changes

Note: If your language isn’t listed, you may need to install language packs manually. You can temporarily set it to English while preparing translations.

Step 3: Verify Folder Structure

Section titled “Step 3: Verify Folder Structure”

Before translating, ensure this directory exists and is writable:

wp-content/languages/loco/themes/

Why this matters:

  • Translations saved here are protected from theme updates
  • WordPress automatic updates won’t delete your work
  • This is the recommended “Custom” location in Loco Translate

To create the folder:

  1. Connect via FTP or use File Manager in cPanel
  2. Navigate to wp-content/languages/
  3. Create folder loco if it doesn’t exist
  4. Inside loco, create folder themes
  5. Ensure folders have write permissions (755)

Warning: Never save translations directly in the theme folder (wp-content/themes/buddyx-pro/languages/) as theme updates will delete them.

Step 4: Access Translation Dashboard

Section titled “Step 4: Access Translation Dashboard”
  1. Click Loco Translate in the admin menu
  2. Select Themes from the submenu
  3. Find and click BuddyX Pro from the theme list

You’ll see a list of existing translations and available languages.

Step 5: Add a New Language

Section titled “Step 5: Add a New Language”
  1. Click the New language button (has a + icon)
  2. Select your target language from the dropdown
  3. Important: Choose Custom as the location
    • This saves to wp-content/languages/loco/themes/
    • Protects translations from updates
  4. Click Start translating

Step 6: Translate Theme Strings

Section titled “Step 6: Translate Theme Strings”

The translation editor shows all translatable strings:

Understanding the Interface:

Element Meaning
Bold blue text Untranslated strings
Regular text Already translated
Star icon (*) Unsaved changes
Filter box Search for specific phrases

How to Translate:

  1. Click on a string in the upper pane
  2. The original English text appears in the Source text area
  3. Enter your translation in the Translation area below
  4. Move to the next string (use Tab or click)
  5. Repeat for all strings you want to translate

Tips for Efficient Translation:

  • Use the Filter to find specific words (e.g., “Login”, “Profile”)
  • Focus on user-facing strings first (buttons, menus, messages)
  • Keep placeholder variables intact (e.g., %s, %d, {name})
  • Match the tone and formality of your site

Step 7: Save Your Work

Section titled “Step 7: Save Your Work”
  1. Click the Save icon in the editor toolbar (or press Ctrl+S)
  2. Loco Translate creates/updates the .po and .mo files
  3. Your translations are immediately active on the frontend

Common Strings to Translate

Section titled “Common Strings to Translate”

Here are frequently translated BuddyX Pro strings:

Navigation & Menus

Section titled “Navigation & Menus”
English Purpose
Home Main navigation
Activity BuddyPress activity stream
Members Member directory
Groups Group directory
Log In / Log Out Authentication
Register New user signup

Profile & Members

Section titled “Profile & Members”
English Purpose
Profile User profile page
Edit Profile Profile editing
Messages Private messaging
Notifications User alerts
Friends Friend connections
Following / Followers Social follow system

Activity Stream

Section titled “Activity Stream”
English Purpose
What’s new? Activity post box
Post Update Submit button
commented Activity action
liked Reaction action

Groups

Section titled “Groups”
English Purpose
Create a Group Group creation
Join Group Membership action
Leave Group Exit action
Group Settings Admin area

Updating Translations After Theme Updates

Section titled “Updating Translations After Theme Updates”

When BuddyX Pro is updated, new strings may be added:

  1. Go to Loco Translate > Themes > BuddyX Pro
  2. Click on your language
  3. Click Sync to detect new strings
  4. New untranslated strings appear in bold blue
  5. Translate the new strings
  6. Save your work

Troubleshooting

Section titled “Troubleshooting”

Translations Not Showing

Section titled “Translations Not Showing”

Problem: Frontend still shows English text.

Solutions:

  1. Clear any caching plugins
  2. Verify site language is set correctly
  3. Check that .mo file was generated (not just .po)
  4. Ensure file permissions allow writing

Permission Denied Error

Section titled “Permission Denied Error”

Problem: Cannot save translations.

Solutions:

  1. Check folder permissions (should be 755)
  2. Verify wp-content/languages/loco/themes/ exists
  3. Contact hosting provider if using managed WordPress

Missing Strings

Section titled “Missing Strings”

Problem: Some strings don’t appear in Loco Translate.

Causes:

  • Strings may be from plugins (BuddyPress, WooCommerce)
  • JavaScript strings may need separate translation
  • Custom code may have hardcoded text

Solution: Translate plugin strings separately via Loco Translate > Plugins

Placeholder Variables

Section titled “Placeholder Variables”

Problem: Translation shows broken text like %s or {name}.

Solution: Keep all placeholder variables in your translation:

  • Original: Welcome back, %s!
  • Translation: Willkommen zurück, %s! (German)

The %s gets replaced with the actual username at runtime.

Alternative Translation Methods

Section titled “Alternative Translation Methods”

WPML (Premium)

Section titled “WPML (Premium)”

If you need a multilingual site (multiple languages simultaneously):

  • BuddyX Pro is WPML compatible
  • Allows visitors to switch languages
  • More complex setup than Loco Translate

Polylang (Free/Premium)

Section titled “Polylang (Free/Premium)”

Another multilingual option:

  • Compatible with BuddyX Pro
  • Free version available
  • Good for simple multilingual needs

Manual PO File Editing

Section titled “Manual PO File Editing”

For developers:

  1. Copy buddyx-pro.pot from theme’s languages folder
  2. Rename to your locale (e.g., buddyx-pro-de_DE.po)
  3. Edit with Poedit or similar tool
  4. Generate .mo file
  5. Upload to wp-content/languages/themes/

Best Practices

Section titled “Best Practices”
  1. Backup First - Export translations before major changes
  2. Use Custom Location - Always save to wp-content/languages/loco/themes/
  3. Sync Regularly - Check for new strings after theme updates
  4. Test Thoroughly - View translated pages to check context
  5. Keep Consistent - Use the same terms throughout (e.g., always “Profile” not sometimes “Account”)
Section titled “Related Resources”

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