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Troubleshooting Common TranslatePress Issues: From Blank Pages to Redirect Loops

30 threads Sep 10, 2025 Plugin → Translate multilingual sites – translatepress

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Users of the 'Translate Multilingual sites – TranslatePress' plugin occasionally encounter technical issues that can disrupt their websites. Based on community reports, here are some of the most common problems and their potential solutions.

1. Blank Pages or 500 Errors After Activation/Update

The Problem: After activating the plugin or updating it, the site displays a blank white screen, a 500 error, or the message "There has been a critical error on this website."

Why It Happens: This is a generic server-level error, often caused by a lack of server resources (PHP memory), a syntax error in the plugin code after an update, or a fatal PHP error triggered by a conflict.

Common Solutions:

  • Check PHP Error Logs: Contact your web host to get the specific PHP error log. This will pinpoint the exact cause of the failure.
  • Increase WordPress Memory Limit: Add define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M'); to your wp-config.php file.
  • Enable Debugging: Temporarily enable WP_DEBUG in your wp-config.php file to see if any error messages are displayed on screen.
  • Manual Plugin Deactivation via FTP: If you are locked out of your admin area (/wp-admin), use an FTP client to navigate to /wp-content/plugins/ and rename the translatepress-multilingual folder. This will deactivate the plugin and should restore access.

2. ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS

The Problem: Activating the plugin causes a redirect loop, making the entire site or specific pages inaccessible.

Why It Happens: This is frequently related to URL configuration conflicts, often involving SSL/HTTPS settings or an existing page, post, or media item that has a slug identical to a language code (like /en/, /fr/, or /de/).

Common Solutions:

  • Check HTTPS Settings: If you use an SSL plugin, deactivate it. Then, go to WordPress → Settings → General and ensure both the WordPress Address and Site Address URLs start with https://. Save the settings and reactivate your SSL plugin.
  • Check for Conflicting Slugs: With the plugin deactivated, try to visit your website followed by a language slug (e.g., https://yourwebsite.com/es/). If it loads a page, you have a conflict. Rename the slug of that existing page or post to something other than a language code.
  • Resave Permalinks: Go to WordPress → Settings → Permalinks and simply click "Save Changes" to flush the rewrite rules.

3. The Translation Editor Pencil Not Appearing

The Problem: The blue or green translation pencil icon is visible on the homepage but disappears on other pages and posts, preventing front-end translation.

Why It Happens: This is typically caused by a conflict with other plugins, most commonly optimization or caching plugins that minify or combine JavaScript files.

Common Solutions:

  • Perform a Conflict Test: Temporarily deactivate all other plugins except TranslatePress. If the pencil reappears, reactivate your plugins one by one to identify the culprit. Common conflicts are with caching plugins like Autoptimize, W3 Total Cache, or WP Rocket.
  • Check String Translation: If the pencil is missing but you know a string is translatable, you can still find and translate it by going to TranslatePress → Translation Editor, selecting the language, and using the "String List" dropdown menu to search for it.

4. Warnings from Security Plugins (e.g., Wordfence)

The Problem: Security plugins like Wordfence block requests to the trp-ajax.php file, flagging them as potential cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks. This can slow down the site and generate many alerts.

Why It Happens: Aggressive security rules can sometimes misinterpret legitimate translation requests as malicious attacks, especially from bots probing the site.

Common Solutions:

  • Update the Plugin: Ensure you are using the latest version of TranslatePress, as updates often include compatibility fixes.
  • Whitelist Requests: Consult your security plugin's documentation on how to whitelist the trp-ajax.php file to prevent false positives.

General Troubleshooting Steps

If you encounter an issue not listed above, these general steps can often help isolate the cause:

  1. Clear All Caches: Clear your browser cache, any WordPress caching plugins, and your server-level cache (if applicable).
  2. Conflict Test: As mentioned above, test with all other plugins disabled and a default WordPress theme (like Twenty Twenty-Four) active. This is the most reliable way to identify a conflict.
  3. Check for Known Updates: Always ensure your WordPress core, theme, and all plugins are updated to their latest versions. The TranslatePress team is active in releasing patches for bugs quickly after they are reported.

Remember, these solutions are compiled from community experiences. For persistent or complex issues, reviewing the official WordPress plugin support forums can provide additional insights from other users.

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