Client: Parts Expert (https://parts-export24.com/)
Industry: Wholesale of engines and car parts
Goal: To reach new foreign markets by professionally translating the website.
Translation Partner: Skrivanek
Challenges:
- Migration of existing translation from the Polylang plugin to WPML.
- Translation of the website into 6 additional languages.
- Resolving an issue with the language selection menu displaying incorrectly after implementing the translations.
Introduction:
Parts Expert is a dynamically developing company specializing in the wholesale of engines and car parts. With a well-established position in the domestic market, the company made a strategic decision to expand into foreign markets. A key element of this strategy was the professional translation of its website, which serves as the main tool for communication with potential clients and business partners. To this end, Parts Expert partnered with the renowned translation agency Skrivanek.
Interaction 1: Migration from Polylang to WPML
The initial challenge faced by the Skrivanek team was the need to migrate the existing website translation of Parts Expert. The client’s website was based on the WordPress platform and already had an English language version implemented using the popular Polylang plugin. However, Skrivanek, as an experienced partner in website localization, prefers and recommends the WPML plugin to its clients due to its advanced features, stability, and comprehensive support.
The migration process from Polylang to WPML required careful planning and execution. The first step was a thorough analysis of the structure of the existing translations in Polylang. Subsequently, the Skrivanek technical team proceeded to install and configure the WPML plugin on the Parts Expert website. A crucial stage was mapping the data from Polylang to a format compatible with WPML. Thanks to the tools and features offered by WPML, including import and export of translation data, it was possible to transfer the existing English language version without data loss or compromising the website’s integrity.
The migration also included transferring language settings such as URLs, language flags, and other configurations specific to Polylang. The Skrivanek team ensured that after the migration, the website functioned without disruption and that the existing English language version was fully functional under WPML control. This stage was crucial as it provided a solid foundation for further translation work.
Interaction 2: Translation into Additional Languages
Following the successful migration to WPML, Skrivanek proceeded to implement the main goal of the project – translating the Parts Expert website into 6 additional languages: Greek, Estonian, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, and Spanish.
The translation process was carried out by a team of experienced linguists specializing in the automotive industry. Thanks to the WPML platform, Skrivanek was able to efficiently manage the translation process, assigning individual pages and elements to appropriate translators. WPML also enables the creation of glossaries and translation memories, which ensures terminological consistency and high-quality translations across all language versions of the website.
As part of the translation process, Skrivanek ensured not only the accurate translation of the content but also its localization, taking into account the cultural and linguistic specificities of the target markets. This included, among other things, adjusting date formats, currencies, and units of measurement. After the translation was completed, each language version underwent rigorous quality control by independent proofreaders to ensure the highest linguistic standards.
WPML also facilitated the integration of translations with various elements of the website, such as texts in templates, menus, product descriptions, and SEO metadata. As a result, all key elements of the Parts Expert website were professionally translated and optimized for search engines in each of the target languages.
Interaction 3: Resolving the Language Switcher Menu Issue
After uploading the translated content using the WPML platform, an unexpected issue arose with the language selection menu on the Parts Expert website. Instead of the standard, compact menu, this element expanded to an enormous size, occupying almost 80% of the page width. This was caused by an error in the PHP code, which resulted in raw HTML code being displayed instead of the correctly generated language menu.
This situation could have negatively impacted the user experience and hindered navigation. Therefore, the Skrivanek team immediately contacted WPML technical support. Thanks to the quick and professional response from WPML support, the problem was diagnosed and resolved in a short time.
It turned out that the cause of the problem was a minor error in the PHP code of one of the website’s theme files. WPML specialists provided detailed instructions, pointing out the specific line of code that needed modification. After making a small change to the code, the issue with the incorrectly displayed language selection menu disappeared, and the website returned to proper functioning.
This interaction perfectly illustrates the high quality of technical support offered by WPML. Thanks to the prompt and effective assistance, it was possible to quickly resolve the issue and avoid potential negative consequences for the client.
Summary and Conclusions:
The collaboration between Parts Expert and Skrivanek, based on the use of the WPML plugin, brought significant benefits to the company. Thanks to the professional translation of the website into 6 additional languages, Parts Expert gained the opportunity to reach a wide range of potential customers in new foreign markets.
The migration process from Polylang to WPML was smooth and seamless, and the advanced features of WPML enabled efficient management of the translation process and ensured high-quality translations. Additionally, the prompt and professional assistance from WPML support in resolving the language menu issue confirmed the reliability of this plugin and its technical support.
Thanks to the investment in professional translation and the utilization of WPML’s potential, Parts Expert has strengthened its position as a global supplier of engines and car parts, paving the way for further growth and development in the international arena.