Translate Milano with Loco Translate

Use Loco Translate to change every piece of text that comes from the Milano theme. This works well when you need your store in one language other than English.

Loco Translate is a free WordPress plugin. It reads the theme’s translation template and lets you type in your own text for each string.

Before you begin

• Install and activate the Milano theme.
• Make sure you know which language you want to translate into.
• Back up your site before installing new plugins.

Install Loco Translate

1. Go to Plugins → Add New Plugin in your WordPress admin.
2. Search for “Loco Translate”.
3. Click Install Now on the Loco Translate result by Tim Whitlock.
4. Click Activate.

Create a new language for Milano

1. Go to Loco Translate → Themes in your WordPress admin.
2. Find “Milano” in the list and click it.
3. Click New language at the top of the screen.
4. Choose your target language from the “Choose a language” dropdown.
5. Select a location to save the translation file.
6. Click Start translating.

Caution

Save your translation file in the system location (listed as “Language” or the default option), not the author location. Files saved in the author folder get overwritten when you update the theme. The system folder (wp-content/languages/themes/) is the standard WordPress location — it keeps your translations safe and they still work after you deactivate Loco Translate.

Translate individual strings

You now see a list of every translatable string in Milano. The left column shows the original English text. The right column is where you type your translation.

1. Use the search box at the top to find a specific string.
2. Click on a string to open the translation field.
3. Type your translation in the bottom text box.
4. Click Save to store the translation.

Tip

Translate the most visible strings first. Focus on navigation labels, button text, and checkout messages. These affect the customer experience the most. You can always come back and translate the rest later.

Filter untranslated strings

The filter bar at the top lets you narrow down the list:

• Click Untranslated to see only strings that still need work.
• Click Fuzzy to see strings marked as needing review.
• Click Translated to review what you have already done.

Save and compile translations

Loco Translate saves your work as you go. You can also compile the translation file manually.

1. Click the Sync button to pick up any new strings added in a recent theme update.
2. Click Save to write all changes to the file.
3. The compiled .mo file is generated automatically. Your site uses this file to show translated text.

Note

The .po file holds your translations in a readable format. The .mo file is the compiled version that WordPress reads. Loco Translate builds the .mo file each time you save.

Update translations after a theme update

When you update Milano, new strings may appear. Your existing translations stay intact, but you should check for anything new.

1. Go to Loco Translate → Themes and click “Milano”.
2. Click Sync. This pulls in any new strings from the updated theme.
3. Filter by Untranslated to see what needs work.
4. Translate the new strings and click Save.

Caution

This is why you saved to the system location. If you saved to the author location, a theme update would wipe out all your translations. Check that your file path includes languages/themes/ rather than themes/milano/languages/.

Troubleshooting

Problem: Translations do not appear on the site.

Fix: Check that the translation file is in the system location. Go to Loco Translate → Themes → Milano and look at the file path. It should read something like /wp-content/languages/themes/milano-xx_XX.po. If it shows the theme folder instead, create a new translation in the system location and re-enter your work.

Problem: Some strings still show in English.

Fix: Those strings may come from a plugin, not the theme. Loco Translate only handles theme strings. Go to Loco Translate → Plugins to translate plugin text separately.

Problem: The language does not show up in the list.

Fix: WordPress may not have the language pack installed. Go to Settings → General and check that your site language is set correctly. WordPress downloads language packs automatically when you change this setting.