Resolving Redirect Loops and 301 Errors with TranslatePress

Users of the 'Translate Multilingual sites – TranslatePress' plugin sometimes encounter frustrating redirect loops and 301 errors on their multilingual websites. These issues can affect SEO, create a poor user experience, and are often related to how the plugin interacts with other themes, plugins, or specific server configurations. This guide outlines the common causes and provides steps to troubleshoot and resolve these redirect problems.

Common Causes of Redirect Issues

Based on community reports, these redirect errors typically stem from a few key areas:

• Plugin or Theme Conflicts: Another plugin or your theme might be modifying URL structures or rewrite rules in a way that conflicts with TranslatePress.
• Custom Code for URL Slugs: Custom functions, like those that modify trailing slashes or file extensions (e.g., changing .html to -html), can sometimes become incompatible after a plugin update.
• Pagination and Special Characters: Pagination pages (like /blog/2/), especially those with non-Latin characters in the URL, can be a source of redirect loops.
• Cached Permalinks: WordPress's permalink structure may need to be flushed and resaved after making changes to translations or slug structures.
• SEO Sitemap Inconsistencies: Some SEO plugins may incorrectly display translated URLs in the sitemap with a trailing slash, causing Google to report unnecessary redirects.

How to Troubleshoot and Fix Redirects

1. Perform a Conflict Test

This is the most critical first step. Many issues are not caused by TranslatePress itself but by its interaction with other code.

1. Switch to a Default Theme: Temporarily activate a standard WordPress theme like Twenty Twenty-One.
2. Disable All Other Plugins: Deactivate every plugin except for TranslatePress.
3. Check if the Problem Persists: If the redirect error is gone, you have confirmed a conflict exists.
4. Re-enable Components One by One: Reactivate your theme and plugins one at a time, testing after each activation, until the error returns. This will identify the conflicting software.

Important: Always perform this test on a staging site, not your live production website.

2. Resave Permalinks

This simple action refreshes WordPress's rewrite rules and can resolve many 404 and redirect issues.

1. Navigate to Settings > Permalinks in your WordPress dashboard.
2. Without making any changes, simply click the "Save Changes" button.
3. Clear any caching on your site (server, plugin, or CDN) and retest the problematic URLs.

3. Review Custom Code

If you have added custom PHP snippets to functions.php to control URL output (e.g., forcing or removing trailing slashes), check their compatibility after updating TranslatePress. An update might change how URLs are handled, making previous custom code obsolete or conflicting. Temporarily disable the custom code to see if it resolves the issue.

4. Check Translated Slugs and Pagination

For issues with pagination or translated slugs containing special characters, ensure your server environment supports the necessary character encoding. The conflict test (Step 1) is essential here to rule out problems with other plugins affecting rewrite rules.

5. Address SEO Sitemap Warnings

If an SEO plugin like All in One SEO (AIOSEO) is adding trailing slashes to translated URLs in the sitemap, check the plugin's settings for options related to canonical URLs or trailing slashes. You may need to adjust these settings to match the actual structure of your translated pages.

When to Seek Further Help

If the conflict test points to a specific plugin or theme, you can search for known compatibility issues or report the conflict to the respective developer's support channels. For issues specifically related to the paid "Slug Translation" feature of TranslatePress, the 'Translate Multilingual sites – TranslatePress' team provides direct support on their official website.

By methodically following these steps, you can identify the root cause of most redirect issues and work towards a stable, error-free multilingual website.