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Troubleshooting CMB2 Translation and Language Issues

12 threads Sep 7, 2025 Plugin → Cmb2

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CMB2 is a powerful library for creating metaboxes and custom fields in WordPress. A common challenge users face is getting its interface to display in their preferred language, even when translation files are present. This guide will help you diagnose and resolve these translation issues.

Why CMB2 Might Not Be Translating

Based on common support threads, CMB2 translation problems typically occur for a few key reasons:

  • Bundled Library: Many themes and plugins bundle CMB2 within their own code. This embedded version may have been modified, might not load the translation files correctly, or could be overriding default strings, preventing the core translations from working.
  • Incomplete Translations: While CMB2 includes .po and .mo files for many languages, some community-contributed translations may not be 100% complete, leaving some strings in English.
  • Incorrect Loading: The theme or plugin bundling CMB2 might not be correctly loading the language files for the library.

How to Troubleshoot and Fix Translation Issues

1. Test With the Standalone Plugin

The first and most important step is to determine if the problem is with the bundled version of CMB2 or a broader issue. Deactivate the theme or plugin that bundled CMB2 and install the official CMB2 plugin from WordPress.org. If the translations work correctly with the standalone plugin, you have confirmed the issue lies with how the other product has bundled the library. You will need to contact that theme or plugin's support for assistance.

2. Contribute to or Create Translations

If you've confirmed the translations are incomplete, you can help improve them. The CMB2 team works with the WordPress translation community on translate.wordpress.org. You can create an account there and contribute translations for your language to benefit the entire community. For immediate needs, you can use a plugin like Loco Translate to create or edit translation files for your specific site.

3. Understand the Limits of Multilingual Plugins

It's important to distinguish between translating the CMB2 interface (e.g., button labels) and translating the content you put into its fields.

  • Interface Translation: This is handled by the .mo/.po files as described above.
  • Content Translation: Plugins like WPML and Polylang are designed to translate content stored in post meta, user meta, and term meta tables. Since CMB2 saves data to these standard tables, its field content is generally compatible. These plugins create separate posts for each language, each with its own meta data. If you are having trouble translating field content, the issue is likely related to the multilingual plugin's configuration, not CMB2 itself.

Key Takeaway

Most CMB2 translation problems are not caused by the core library but by how it is implemented by another theme or plugin. Isolating the problem by testing with the standalone CMB2 plugin is the most effective first step in any troubleshooting process.

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