How to Translate WPForms into a Different Language

Would you like to translate WPForms into a different language? There are many translation tools available for WordPress, and it can be challenging to find the best approach.

WPForms has several built-in translations available, including Spanish, Italian, Japanese, French, German, Russian, Portuguese (Brazilian), Hindi, and Dutch. If you’d like to translate your forms into a language not on this list, we’ll discuss our recommended strategies in this tutorial.

Here are the main topics we’ll cover:

• Translating Form Fields
• Translating Validation Messages
• Translating WPForms Admin Pages, Form Builder, and Default Values
• Advanced Translation Options
• Frequently Asked Questions

Before we get started, be sure to take a minute to create your first form.

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Translating Form Fields

Changing the default names of fields is super easy, and provides a simple option to add any language you’d like.

By default, field labels will be in English. To change the label for any field, you’ll just need to click that field in the preview pane to display its Field Options panel.

There, you can replace the default label to fit your site’s language.

Translating Validation Messages

Validation messages are displayed when a required field is empty or when certain types of fields contain incorrect formatting.

For example, when a required field is skipped and the user tries to submit the form, they’ll see a validation message that reads “This field is required”.

This and other validation messages can be customized and translated by going to WPForms » Settings and opening the Validation tab.

Here are all of the validation messages currently available for customization, and their default values:

• Required: This field is required.
• Website URL: Please enter a valid URL.
• Email: Please enter a valid email address.
• Email Suggestion: Did you mean {suggestion}?
• Number: Please enter a valid number.
• Confirm Value: Field values do not match.

• Checkbox Selection Limit: You have exceeded the number of allowed selections: {#}.
• Phone: Please enter a valid phone number.
• File Extension: File type is not allowed.
• File Size: File exceeds max size allowed.
• Time (12 hour): Please enter time in 12-hour AM/PM format (eg 8:45 AM).
• Time (24 hour): Please enter time in 24-hour format (eg 22:45).

• Payment Required: Payment is required.
• Credit Card: Please enter a valid credit card number.
• Field Upload Total Size: The total size of the selected files {totalSize} Mb exceeds the allowed limit {maxSize} Mb.
• Unique Answer: The value must be unique.

For more details, please check out our tutorial on customizing validation messages.

Translating WPForms Admin Pages, Form Builder, and Default Values

It may be useful to also translate the WPForms form builder and other WPForms pages you can see from the WordPress admin area.

Translations for the admin areas of WPForms can be approached in many ways, but Loco Translate and Poedit are both popular options. For this tutorial, we’ll focus on Loco Translate.

To get started, be sure the language is set for your WordPress site. To do this, you’ll need to go to Settings » General and select a Site Language. When saved, WordPress will install the language pack needed for this translation.

As a free plugin, Loco Translate can be installed and activated right from the WordPress Plugins page.

Now that you’ve installed and activated Loco Translate, you’ll need to go to Loco Translate » Plugins, then find WPForms in the list. You can either look through the alphabetical list or use their Search box to narrow your options.

Next, you should be taken to a page showing all of the existing translations for WPForms. To build out a new translation, click on New Language.

To start adding a new language, you’ll first need to select which language you’d like. Then, you’ll need to select a location to save the translation file. Be sure to select the System location option, as this will protect your translations from updates to WPForms.

When you’re ready, go ahead and click the Start Translating button.

Next, you’ll be shown a list of all text in WPForms that’s ready to be translated. When a Source Text option is selected, you’ll have the opportunity to add a translation for the word or phrase.

Be sure to click the Save button when you’re done. Any translations will immediately become visible in the site’s WPForms pages and form builder.

Advanced Translation Options

As you begin translating your forms, you may notice a couple of parts that aren’t able to be translated with the techniques described above. However, we have code snippets ready to take your translations a step further. Just follow the links below:

• Date field: Datepicker calendar (day and month names)
• User Registration addon:
  • Registration email for users
  • Login and registration form validation messages
• Credit Card field: How to Change Sublabels for the Credit Card Field

Frequently Asked Questions

I’m looking for translations for a specific addon, but they’re not coming up.

Each addon has its own separate bundle that you’ll need to open in Loco Translate to access its translation strings. For example, if you wanted to translate the Authorize.Net strings on your site, you’d need to open that bundle under Loco Translate » Plugins.

How Do I Translate the File Upload Field on my Forms?

The File Upload phrases can be found within the Loco Translate plugin, under the WPForms bundle. You can find the specific phrase you’d like to translate (including “Click or drag a file to this area to upload”) by using the built-in search functionality.

That’s it! You can now translate WPForms into an alternate language on both the frontend of your site and in the WordPress admin area.

Now that your form is set up, you may also want to check out our tutorial on how to set up automatic notification emails.