WPML

Switching From WPML’s Classic to the Advanced Translation Editor (ATE)

The Advanced Translation Editor (ATE) is WPML’s recommended translation editor. It runs in the cloud, supports PTC and the legacy AI engines, splits content into translatable segments, and reuses prior translations from your translation memory. The Classic Translation Editor (CTE) is the older field-by-field editor that runs entirely inside WordPress. New WPML sites use ATE out of the box; some long-running sites are still on CTE from before ATE was introduced.

You’d switch from CTE to ATE to gain access to:

  • PTC and the legacy AI engines (DeepL, Google, Microsoft).
  • Translation memory. Translations of identical sentences from elsewhere on the site are reused automatically.
  • The auto-preference glossary that learns terminology from your edits.
  • Segmentation, markup safety, and translator-side ergonomics that CTE doesn’t have.

Switch From WPML > Settings > Translation Editor

Open WPML > Settings, scroll down to the Translation Editor section, and pick Advanced in the Editor choice card. Click Save settings.

If you want translations you’d previously made in the Classic editor to also open in ATE going forward, tick Use also for old translations created with the Classic Editor in the same card before saving. Without this tick, old translations stay on the editor they were created with; only newly-sent jobs open in ATE.

Each translator on the site can override the site-wide choice for themselves if their personal preference differs – see Translation editor for the per-user override and for which content types each editor handles best.

Your Existing Translations, Memory, and Glossary Carry Over

Translations you’ve already completed in CTE remain on the site as finished translations. They’re stored as regular WordPress posts and aren’t lost by switching editors. They simply stop being editable in CTE going forward; future edits open in ATE.

PTC’s edit-preservation behavior (PTC preserves your edits and translates like you do) means re-translating a hand-translated page through ATE won’t blow away the existing work. The risks of switching editors are limited and mostly cosmetic.

After Switching – The Editor Opens in ATE

  • Posts that already have translations stay translated. Opening them for editing now opens them in ATE.
  • ATE will pick up your existing translation memory and glossary from your WPML account, so suggestions for new translations start appearing immediately.
  • The CTE-specific Completion checkbox flow is replaced by ATE’s segment-by-segment Complete action.
  • If you’d previously used CTE features that aren’t represented in ATE (rare; CTE is a strict subset), check the editor-options docs in Translation editor.

Switching Back

Open WPML > Settings, scroll down to Translation Editor, pick Classic in the Editor choice card, and click Save settings. Switching back is non-destructive. Translations already created in ATE remain on the site.