Translation Cleaner for WPML helps you keep your multilingual WordPress site clean by identifying and fixing three common categories of WPML data corruption, all from a single admin tool under Tools Translation Cleaner for WPML.
Module 1 — Orphan Translations
Finds translated posts whose main-language counterpart no longer exists (deleted or trashed). These orphaned records consume storage, clutter your admin, and break WPML’s translation groups.
- Bulk action: Move to Trash (reversible) or Permanently Delete
- Reason codes per row: Missing original, Original deleted, Original trashed
- Every deletion is re-validated immediately before execution — if the original was restored since the scan, the item is skipped
Module 2 — Misplaced Originals
Finds posts that WPML treats as originals (source_language_code = NULL) but are registered under a language that is not your main language — with no main-language version in that translation group at all.
This typically happens when content is created directly in a secondary language without going through the main language first. Left uncorrected, these posts can cause translation workflow issues and incorrect language flags.
- Per-row fix: select the post’s actual language from a dropdown and reassign it — no bulk guessing
Module 3 — Orphan Originals
Finds cases where a secondary-language post carries the “original” flag while a live main-language version exists in the same translation group. WPML incorrectly treats the secondary post as the source, which inverts the translation relationship for both posts.
- Per-row fix: one click to promote the main-language post to original and demote the secondary to a translation — the trid (translation group) is preserved
Common features across all modules
- Scan all WPML-tracked post types, including custom post types
- Filter by post type and main language
- Detailed results table with sort, search, and pagination
- Export results to CSV before taking any action
- Developer hooks:
wmtc_protected_post_ids,wmtc_orphan_results,wmtc_before_delete,wmtc_after_delete
Requirements
- WPML must be installed and active