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Handling Existing Translations

Choose whether to skip or override existing translations when products already have translations in WPML.

Override vs Skip​

In Step 3 (Target Languages), you'll see: "Override existing translations" checkbox

Skip (Default - Unchecked)​

  • Only translates products that don't have translations yet
  • Preserves existing manual translations
  • Safer for incremental updates

Override (Checked)​

  • Replaces all existing translations for selected products
  • Use when updating outdated translations
  • Use when fixing translation errors

When to Skip (Default)​

Use skip when:

  • ✅ Adding new products to catalog
  • ✅ First translation of new languages
  • ✅ You have manual translations you want to keep
  • ✅ Translating only untranslated products

Example: You have 100 products, 50 already translated to Spanish. Skip will only translate the remaining 50.

When to Override​

Use override when:

  • ✅ Updating old AI translations with better quality
  • ✅ Fixing translation errors across all products
  • ✅ Product descriptions changed and translations are outdated
  • ✅ Switching translation style or terminology
Backup First

Override replaces ALL translations. Export your current translations as backup before using override!

How WooTUI Detects Existing Translations​

WooTUI checks WPML columns in your CSV:

  • Meta: _wpml_import_language_code - If this has a value (e.g., "es"), product has a translation
  • Meta: _wpml_import_translation_group - Links source product to translations

Example CSV:

ID,Name,Meta: _wpml_import_language_code
123,T-Shirt,       (empty = source product)
124,Camiseta,es    (Spanish translation exists)

If es translation exists and skip is enabled, WooTUI won't re-translate product 123 to Spanish.

Common Scenarios​

Scenario 1: Adding New Products​

Situation: You added 20 new products, already have 100 translated

Setting: Skip (default)

Result: Only the 20 new products get translated

Scenario 2: Updating Descriptions​

Situation: You improved English descriptions, need to update translations

Setting: Override enabled

Result: All products re-translated with new descriptions

Scenario 3: Mixing Manual + AI Translations​

Situation: 10 products manually translated (high quality), 90 need AI

Setting: Skip (default)

Result: AI translates only the 90 products, keeps your 10 manual translations

Scenario 4: Fixing Bad Translations​

Situation: Previous AI run had poor quality, need to re-translate

Setting: Override enabled

Result: All products re-translated, replaces old translations

Best Practices​

1. Always Test with Override Disabled First​

Run a small test (5-10 products) with skip enabled to:

  • Verify translation quality
  • Check what products get translated
  • Confirm cost estimates

Then decide whether to use override for full catalog.

2. Backup Before Override​

Before enabling override:

  1. Export current products with translations
  2. Save CSV as backup: products_backup_YYYYMMDD.csv
  3. If something goes wrong, you can re-import the backup

3. Use Override Selectively​

Don't need to override everything? Filter your CSV:

  1. Open in Google Sheets
  2. Filter to products that need updating
  3. Export filtered rows
  4. Translate with override enabled

Only those products get replaced.

Common Issues​

Override Didn't Work​

Problem: Enabled override but old translations still appear

Solution:

  1. Verify translated CSV has language code column populated
  2. Re-import with "Update existing products" enabled
  3. Clear WooCommerce and WPML cache
  4. Check WPML translation status in admin

Some Products Skipped Unexpectedly​

Problem: Products you expected to translate were skipped

Cause: Products have existing translations you didn't know about

Solution:

  1. Check WPML → Translation Management for hidden translations
  2. Export products and check _wpml_import_language_code column
  3. Enable override if you want to replace those translations

Next Steps​