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Fixing PDF Invoice Language Issues: A Complete Troubleshooting Guide

35 threads Sep 24, 2025 Plugin → Pdf invoices & packing slips for woocommerce

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Why Are My PDF Invoices in the Wrong Language?

If you're using the PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for WooCommerce plugin and finding that your documents are displaying in the wrong language, you're not alone. This is one of the most common support issues users encounter, especially on multilingual sites. The good news is that most language problems can be resolved with the right approach.

How PDF Language Detection Works

The plugin determines which language to use for PDF generation based on several factors:

  • Site Default Language: The free version primarily uses your WordPress site's default language setting
  • User Language Preference: For logged-in users, their profile language setting may influence the output
  • Multilingual Plugin Context: When using multilingual plugins, the language context of the current order or page is considered

Common Language Issues and Their Solutions

1. Basic Translation Problems

Problem: PDF documents show English text instead of your site's language.

Solution: First, verify that your language files are properly installed. The plugin supports over 30 languages through WordPress's translation system. Check if your language is available at the official translation page. If translations exist but aren't working, try these steps:

  • Go to Settings > General and ensure your site language is correctly set
  • Clear any caching plugins you might be using
  • Check that your WordPress installation can automatically download language updates

2. Issues with Custom Translations (Loco Translate)

Problem: Custom translations made with Loco Translate get overwritten during plugin updates.

Solution: This is expected behavior when storing translations in the default location. To preserve your custom translations:

  • Use Loco Translate to save translations to /wp-content/languages/loco/plugins/ instead of the plugin folder
  • This location is safe from plugin updates and will persist across versions
  • Ensure you're translating the correct strings by syncing with the latest POT file

3. WordPress 6.7+ Compatibility Issues

Problem: After updating to WordPress 6.7 or later, PDF attachments in emails appear in English instead of the correct language.

Solution: This is a known compatibility issue. Add this code to your theme's functions.php file:

add_filter('wpo_wcpdf_allow_reload_attachment_translations', '__return_false');

4. Multilingual Site Limitations

Problem: On sites using WPML, Polylang, or other multilingual plugins, invoices show mixed languages or default to English.

Important Note: The free version of PDF Invoices & Packing Slips has limited compatibility with multilingual setups. The PDF Invoices & Packing Slips team states that full multilingual support requires their Professional extension, which includes:

  • Proper language detection per order
  • Separate document language settings for invoices vs. packing slips
  • Support for language-specific invoice numbering
  • Compatibility with WPML, Polylang, TranslatePress, Weglot, and GTranslate

5. Mixed Language Content

Problem: PDFs display some text in one language and other text in another language.

Solution: This often occurs when:

  • Translation files are incomplete for your locale
  • There are conflicts between different translation methods
  • Product names or custom fields aren't properly translated by your multilingual plugin
  • Check that all components (theme, WooCommerce, and PDF plugin) have complete translations for your target language

Advanced Troubleshooting Steps

If the basic solutions don't resolve your language issues:

  1. Test with a fallback language: Some locales may need a fallback. For example, if using Dutch for Belgium (nl_BE), set Dutch (nl_NL) as a fallback using a plugin like Language Fallback.
  2. Check the translation path: If using Loco Translate, verify that the custom translation path is correct and the files are being loaded.
  3. Disable conflicting plugins: Temporarily deactivate other plugins to identify conflicts, especially caching or optimization plugins that might serve outdated translations.
  4. Verify multilingual settings: If using a multilingual plugin, ensure that language settings are consistent across your site and that the order data contains the correct language information.

When to Seek Additional Help

If you've tried all these solutions and still experience language issues, consider these factors:

  • The problem might be specific to your theme or custom code
  • Complex multilingual requirements may need the advanced features available in the Professional extension
  • Some language combinations require specific configuration that isn't covered by standard troubleshooting

Remember that language issues can be complex, especially on multilingual sites. The solutions provided here cover the most common scenarios reported by users of the PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for WooCommerce plugin.

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