WPML Export and Import – Multilingual WooCommerce Products, Real-Estate Listings, Event Feeds

Multilingual WooCommerce Product Catalogues

The most common reason to use WPML Export and Import is a multilingual WooCommerce store with a large product catalogue. Build the catalogue in a spreadsheet, in a PIM, or in any system that can export CSV or XML, then run the import – every product row, every translation row, every category, attribute, and variation comes through with the right language attached.

After the import plugin finishes, click Run WPML Import in WPML > Export and Import once. WPML reads the language metadata on every row and connects each translation to its source. Categories, attributes, and variations follow their parent product’s language.

Variable products with custom WooCommerce attributes work too. The _wpml_import_wc_local_attribute_labels column lets you translate the attribute names per language alongside the product. Size / Taille, Color / Couleur – the variation labels read naturally in every store language.

Multilingual Real-Estate Listings

Real-estate sites sync listings from an MLS, a property-management system, or a brokerage CRM into WordPress on a recurring basis. WPML Export and Import handles the multilingual side of that sync. Each property’s localized description, features, and amenities go in as the right language, with translations linked across languages so the property listings page can switch between them.

The same workflow applies to property-finder feeds, brokerage syndication, and IDX exports, wherever the source system delivers locale-specific data per listing.

Multilingual Event and Ticketing Feeds

Event sites and ticketing platforms publish feeds that include the event title, description, schedule, and venue in multiple languages, each event with its own localized copy per region or audience. WPML Export and Import wires those feeds into WPML’s translation model so each language version of an event becomes a translation of the source, not an unrelated post.

This works for event aggregators pulling from industry feeds, ticketing providers pushing events into WordPress, and conference platforms maintaining schedules across markets.

Multilingual Supplier Catalogues and B2B Feeds

B2B sites (distributors, dealer networks, parts catalogues, services directories) often mirror a supplier’s catalogue into WordPress so customers shop locally while the source data lives elsewhere. Suppliers publish their product data in multiple languages; WPML Export and Import preserves the language structure when the data lands in WordPress.

When the supplier refreshes the catalogue, the next import (and the next WPML wiring pass) keeps the language structure intact. Translations stay linked, new products land in the right language.

Your Own CSV and XML Pipelines

If your data doesn’t come from a supported import plugin (a custom export script, an ETL pipeline, a connector for a niche third-party system), WPML Export and Import still wires up the languages. Add three documented language columns to your CSV or XML (_wpml_import_translation_group, _wpml_import_language_code, _wpml_import_source_language_code), and the wiring step reads them the same way it reads a supported plugin’s output.

The full column specification lives on How to import multilingual content into WordPress.

Works With the Export/Import Plugin You Already Use

Most multilingual imports land on one of these tools. WPML Export and Import is built to fit alongside each:

• WP All Import Pro / WP All Export Pro. The canonical pair for spreadsheet-driven imports.
• The native WooCommerce CSV Importer. The built-in tool for product imports.
• The standard WordPress importer. For posts, pages, and custom post types.
• Your own scripts. Through the three documented language columns.

For supported plugins, language metadata is added to the export file automatically. For unsupported plugins, the language columns get added manually.

Multilingual Imports on a Schedule

For nightly catalogue syncs, supplier feed refreshes, scheduled event pulls, or any recurring import, the WPML wiring step runs automatically right after the import plugin finishes – no manual click in the admin. Two ways to wire it up:

• URL endpoint. For cron-driven schedules (e.g., WP All Import Pro’s manual scheduling). Add one cron URL to the existing schedule and the WPML step runs silently after every import.
• Action hook. For PHP-scheduled imports using Action Scheduler. Trigger the WPML step with one do_action( 'wpml_import_process' ) call after your import action.

For deployment scripts, container builds, and pipelines where the admin UI isn’t available, run the wiring step from WP-CLI: wp wpml import process.