Do I need WPML?
Yes. This is an add-on for WPML , not a standalone translation plugin. It extends WPML with AI-powered automatic translation and does nothing without it.
How is this different from WPML’s own automatic translation?
WPML bills automatic translation in WPML credits, purchased from WPML. This plugin bills nothing at all: you connect your own provider key and the provider charges you directly at their list price. There is no markup and no intermediary. In exchange you manage your own API account and your own spending limits.
The one exception is LATW Cloud, if you choose to connect it. Then you pay for translation in LATW Credits instead of keeping your own provider account, or you use your own API key in LATW Cloud.
Is my content sent anywhere else?
No. Content goes from your server to the engine you selected and back. It does not pass through our servers, and we neither see nor store it. The exception is the optional LATW Cloud engine, if you connect it: LATW’s servers then read the text from your site, have it translated by the AI model chosen for the site and write the translation back. Source texts are not stored. A translation is kept on LATW’s servers only while your site can’t be reached to receive it, for up to 7 days (see LATW Cloud above).
What can I do with the free version?
Translate unlimited content into every language configured in WPML, using MyMemory, Google Translate, OpenAI GPT-6 luna, GPT-5.4 nano or Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite, or connect LATW Cloud. Posts, custom post types, taxonomies, ACF, Elementor, Bricks, SEO metadata and WPML strings are all included. It is not a trial and it does not expire.
How much does translation actually cost?
It depends on the engine and the volume. Language models bill per token, Google Translate and DeepL bill per character, MyMemory is free within its quota.
Rough guide for a single 1,000-word page:
- OpenAI GPT-5.4 nano — under $0.01
- Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite — under $0.01
- Google Translate — $20 per million characters
- MyMemory — free, within its daily quota
- Batch mode — roughly half the synchronous price
For a full project: 30 articles into 3 languages runs to €386.00 in WPML Automatic Translation credits, against $0.45 with GPT-5.4 nano through this plugin.
LATW Cloud prices each job by the number of words and charges it in LATW Credits, or your provider bills you directly if you use your own API key in LATW Cloud. Current prices are at latw.ai/cloud .
Which engine should I choose?
If quality on nuanced content matters most, use a language model. It sees the whole page, follows the translation prompt and your website description, and keeps tone consistent. If you are pushing large volumes of straightforward text and cost is the priority, Google Translate and DeepL are cheaper and faster, and MyMemory is free within its daily quota. If you don’t want to manage an API key, WP-Cron is unreliable on your host or your server is small, choose LATW Cloud.
Can I switch engines later?
Yes, at any time. Each engine keeps its own key and model setting, so switching back does not mean re-entering anything.
While the site is connected to LATW Cloud, the Engine setting is locked to it. To use another engine, click Disconnect under AI Translator → Settings → General (or disconnect the site in LATW Cloud). The engine you used before connecting comes back, with its key and settings unchanged.
Do Google Translate, DeepL and MyMemory use the prompt?
No. They ignore the translation prompt, the website description and the reasoning effort setting. They are translation engines rather than language models, so there is nothing to prompt.
Can I customise the translation prompt?
In the free version the prompt is fixed and shown read-only on the Settings page, but you can add a website description that is passed to the model with every translation. A fully editable prompt, along with a glossary for locking specific terms, is a Pro feature.
With LATW Cloud, the prompt, the glossary and the website description are set for the site in LATW Cloud instead, and their fields here link there.
What are the processing modes?
Synchronous waits for the provider and fills in the translation in the same run. Fastest feedback, full price.
Background is OpenAI-only. It finishes in minutes without holding a long request open, and is the default where available.
Batch sends the job to the provider’s Batch API for roughly half the price and collects it when ready, usually within the hour, though providers only guarantee a 24-hour window.
All three modes are available in the free version. Google Translate, DeepL and MyMemory run synchronously only, because they have no Batch API. That is safe even for long posts, since their content is split into many small requests.
With LATW Cloud there is no processing mode to choose: LATW’s servers run the translation, so the setting is hidden.
What is bulk translation, and how is it different from Batch mode?
They solve different problems and the names are easy to confuse.
Batch mode is about price : a single job is sent to the provider’s Batch API instead of being translated immediately, and comes back at roughly half the cost. Available to everyone.
Bulk translation (Pro) is about volume : you select dozens of posts and queue them all for translation in one action, rather than assigning them one at a time. It works with any processing mode.
Can I translate from a chat with Claude or ChatGPT?
Yes, with Pro. Pro includes an MCP server: connect your site once to Claude or ChatGPT, then ask the assistant to translate a post, page or product. It reads the content through WPML, translates it inside the subscription you already have, so there is no API key and no per-token charge, and publishes the result as a WPML-linked translation with blocks and internal links intact. The free version does not include MCP.
While the site is connected to LATW Cloud, the MCP server and Pro’s automatic translation are switched off. Their settings are kept, and they work again after you disconnect.
Does it work with WooCommerce?
WooCommerce support is a Pro feature. Products are ordinary posts as far as WPML is concerned, so the free version translates whatever WPML hands over, but it has no shop-specific handling: no product attribute taxonomies ( pa_* ), no variations, no other WooCommerce data. Pro adds that handling and supports it.
Does it work with page builders?
Elementor and Bricks Builder are fully supported. Other builders compatible with WPML should work, but have not been officially tested.
Can I translate WPML strings?
Yes. The plugin integrates with WPML String Translation, so interface strings, theme strings and plugin strings can be batch-translated through your chosen engine directly from the plugin.
Can I see what was translated?
Yes. The Translation History page shows every past translation, what was sent, what came back, the status of each job and what it cost.
For translations done by LATW Cloud, the Cost column says “LATW Cloud”, because LATW Cloud bills them. You can see what they cost in your LATW account.
How are translations queued?
Through WordPress Cron, in the background, so long jobs do not time out. You can check cron status from the admin UI.
With LATW Cloud, WordPress Cron is not used. Translations show as “In LATW Cloud” in the queue, and LATW’s servers write each one back to your site as soon as it is ready. You can cancel a translation from the queue until LATW Cloud starts translating it.
What happens when my Pro license expires?
The version you have keeps working, but you stop receiving updates until you renew. The free version continues working regardless, with no license at all.
