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Resolving Translation and Multilingual Issues with XML Sitemap Generator for Google

18 threads Sep 9, 2025 Plugin → Xml sitemap generator for google

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Many WordPress users rely on the 'XML Sitemap Generator for Google' plugin to create essential sitemaps for their websites. However, a common and frustrating category of problems arises when using the plugin on multilingual sites or with translated interfaces. This guide will explain the root causes of these issues and provide the most effective solutions based on community feedback.

Common Symptoms

Users often report the following problems:

  • The plugin's admin interface does not translate, showing English text even when other language files are present.
  • Translated pages from multilingual plugins (like TranslatePress, qTranslate-X, WPML, GTranslate, or Transposh) are missing from the generated sitemap.
  • The sitemap URL redirects to a language-specific version (e.g., /sitemap.xml redirecting to /es/sitemap.xml).
  • Sitemap files or URLs contain unexpected country codes (e.g., sitemap-pt-post-2018-06.xml).
  • Translation files downloaded from WordPress.org are not being used by the plugin.

Why This Happens

These issues typically stem from two main sources:

  1. Plugin Translation (i18n) Inconsistencies: Historically, the plugin used a text domain of sitemap, which required translation files to be named like sitemap-de_DE.mo. The official translation project on WordPress.org, however, uses the plugin slug google-sitemap-generator, creating files named google-sitemap-generator-de_DE.mo. This mismatch prevents the plugin from loading the correct translation files.
  2. Limited Native Multilingual Support: Based on user reports, the plugin does not automatically detect and include pages from all languages generated by popular translation plugins. This is a known limitation, and the 'XML Sitemap Generator for Google' team has indicated that broader multilingual support is on their development roadmap.

How to Fix These Issues

Solution 1: Fix Admin Interface Translation

If the plugin's settings pages are not translating, the problem is likely the translation file naming convention.

  1. Navigate to your WordPress installation's language directory: /wp-content/languages/plugins/.
  2. Look for translation files for this plugin. They may be named with either convention: google-sitemap-generator-[language_code].mo or sitemap-[language_code].mo.
  3. The plugin expects the older naming convention (sitemap-[language_code].mo). If you have files with the google-sitemap-generator- prefix, you can try renaming them to the sitemap- prefix (e.g., rename google-sitemap-generator-de_DE_formal.mo to sitemap-de_DE_formal.mo).
  4. Clear any caching plugins you have running and reload your WordPress admin area.

Solution 2: Manually Add Translated URLs to the Sitemap

For the issue of missing translated pages, the most reliable current workaround is to add them manually. This is practical if you have a manageable number of translated pages.

  1. In your WordPress admin area, go to XML-Sitemap > Additional Pages.
  2. Click Add New Page.
  3. Enter the full URL of the translated page (e.g., https://yourdomain.com/es/sample-page/).
  4. Set the priority and change frequency if desired.
  5. Click Add This Page and then Update Options to save your changes.
  6. Resubmit your sitemap to Google Search Console.

Solution 3: Check for Plugin Conflicts and Redirects

If your main /sitemap.xml URL is redirecting to a language version, this is usually caused by your multilingual plugin or its configuration.

  1. Temporarily disable your multilingual translation plugin.
  2. Visit yoursite.com/sitemap.xml to see if the redirect stops. If it does, you have confirmed the conflict.
  3. Re-activate the multilingual plugin and search its settings for options related to XML sitemaps, redirects, or canonical URLs. Some plugins have settings that force language-specific URLs for all content.
  4. If no clear setting exists, you may need to consult the support resources for your specific multilingual plugin for guidance on excluding the sitemap from language rules.

Conclusion

Dealing with translation and multilingual sitemap issues can be complex because it involves the interaction between two different plugins. The core solutions involve ensuring translation files are named correctly for the admin interface and manually managing URLs for the public sitemap until more native integration is developed. For ongoing updates on multilingual support, monitoring the official plugin page for release notes is recommended.

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