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Fixing YITH WooCommerce Wishlist Translation Issues: A Comprehensive Troubleshooting Guide

31 threads Sep 9, 2025 Plugin → Yith woocommerce wishlist

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Are you struggling to translate text in the YITH WooCommerce Wishlist plugin? You're not alone. Many users encounter issues where translated strings don't appear correctly on their site, despite using proper .po/.mo files or translation plugins like Loco Translate.

Why Translation Issues Occur

Based on common support threads, translation problems with the YITH WooCommerce Wishlist plugin typically stem from one of these causes:

  • Theme template overrides: Your theme may be using custom wishlist templates with different text domains
  • Incorrect file placement: Translation files might be in the wrong location
  • Cached translations: WordPress might be loading outdated translation files
  • Mixed text domains: Some strings actually come from WooCommerce, not the wishlist plugin
  • Incomplete translations: The bundled translation files might not include all strings

Step-by-Step Troubleshooting Solutions

1. Check for Theme Template Overrides (Most Common Fix)

The most frequent cause of translation issues is theme template overrides. Many themes include custom versions of wishlist templates that use their own text domain instead of the plugin's 'yith-woocommerce-wishlist' domain.

How to check:

  • Look in your theme's main folder and /woocommerce/ subfolder for these files:
    • wishlist.php
    • wishlist-view.php
    • wishlist-view-mobile.php

Solution:

  • Temporarily rename these files (add .bak extension) to test if translations work with the plugin's default templates
  • If translations work after renaming, you'll need to either:
    • Edit the theme templates to use the correct text domain ('yith-woocommerce-wishlist')
    • Contact your theme developer for updated templates
    • Use the plugin's default templates instead

2. Verify Translation File Placement and Naming

WordPress looks for translation files in specific locations with specific naming conventions.

Correct locations:

  • Primary: wp-content/languages/plugins/
  • Secondary: wp-content/plugins/yith-woocommerce-wishlist/languages/

Correct naming convention:

  • yith-woocommerce-wishlist-[locale].po (e.g., yith-woocommerce-wishlist-de_DE.po)
  • yith-woocommerce-wishlist-[locale].mo

Action steps:

  • Check both locations for existing translation files
  • Delete any cached versions in wp-content/languages/plugins/
  • Ensure your files follow the correct naming convention
  • Make sure the locale matches your WordPress settings (Settings → General)

3. Identify the Correct Text Domain

Not all text in the wishlist interface comes from the YITH plugin. Some strings are actually generated by WooCommerce:

  • YITH text domain: 'yith-woocommerce-wishlist' (for most strings)
  • WooCommerce text domain: 'woocommerce' (for buttons like "Add to Cart", "View Product")

If you can't find a string in the YITH translation files, check if it originates from WooCommerce instead.

4. Use Custom Code for Stubborn Strings

For strings that resist translation through normal methods, you can use filter hooks in your theme's functions.php file:

// Change "Product Name" heading
if ( ! function_exists( 'yith_wcwl_wishlist_view_name_heading_custom' ) ) {
    function yith_wcwl_wishlist_view_name_heading_custom() {
        return 'Your Translated Text';
    }
}
add_filter( 'yith_wcwl_wishlist_view_name_heading', 'yith_wcwl_wishlist_view_name_heading_custom', 99 );

// Change "Unit Price" heading
if ( ! function_exists( 'yith_wcwl_wishlist_view_price_heading_custom' ) ) {
    function yith_wcwl_wishlist_view_price_heading_custom() {
        return 'Your Translated Text';
    }
}
add_filter( 'yith_wcwl_wishlist_view_price_heading', 'yith_wcwl_wishlist_view_price_heading_custom', 99 );

// Change empty wishlist message
if ( ! function_exists( 'yith_wcwl_no_product_to_remove_message_custom' ) ) {
    function yith_wcwl_no_product_to_remove_message_custom() {
        return 'Your Translated Text';
    }
}
add_filter( 'yith_wcwl_no_product_to_remove_message', 'yith_wcwl_no_product_to_remove_message_custom', 99 );

5. Update Translation Files

If you're using Loco Translate:

  • Click the "Sync" button to update your translation file with any new strings
  • Ensure you're working with the correct text domain ('yith-woocommerce-wishlist')
  • Check that all relevant strings have been translated

When All Else Fails

If you've tried all these steps and still have translation issues:

  1. Test with a default theme: Temporarily switch to Twenty Twenty-One or Storefront to rule out theme conflicts
  2. Disable other plugins: Check if another plugin is interfering with translations
  3. Check plugin version: Ensure you're using the latest version of the wishlist plugin
  4. Contribute translations: Consider contributing your translations to the official WordPress translation platform to help others

Translation issues can be frustrating, but they're usually solvable by methodically working through these common causes. Start with checking for theme template overrides, as this resolves the majority of translation problems with the YITH WooCommerce Wishlist plugin.

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