How to Create a Multilingual WordPress Site Using Polylang

What is Polylang?

Polylang allows you to create bilingual or multilingual WordPress sites. Create posts and pages as usual, set up categories and post tags, and then define a language for each. Translating posts is optional, regardless of whether they are in the default language.

Installing Polylang

Polylang is available here or you can search for and install it from the WordPress dashboard. It installs just like any other plugin. Be sure to activate Polylang after installation.

Configuring Polylang with Shifter

Important Limitations

Currently, Shifter only supports the default settings for Polylang’s URL configuration. Check the Polylang URL settings under “Language” > “Settings” > “Change URL” and ensure the following settings are selected during setup.

Note: Changing these settings is known to break Shifter’s staticization process. If site artifacts are failing to generate, please check these settings and ensure they are set to the defaults.

Supported URL Settings

  • Use Default URL Structure
  • Standard URL Rewrite Settings

Setup Instructions

1. Install and Activate the Plugin

  1. From the WordPress dashboard, go to “Plugins” > “Add New”
  2. Search for “Polylang”
  3. Install and activate the plugin

2. Configure Languages

  1. The setup wizard will launch automatically
  2. Add the languages you want to use on your site
  3. Set the default language

3. Verify URL Settings

  1. Go to “Languages” > “Settings” > “URL Redirects”
  2. Verify that the default setting is selected
  3. Do not change these settings (doing so may corrupt Shifter’s static generation process)

4. Translating Content

  1. Select a language in the post or page edit screen
  2. Create content for each language version
  3. Configure translation relationships

Configuring the Language Switcher

Add as a widget

  1. Go to “Appearance” > “Widgets”
  2. Add a “Legacy Widgets” block
  3. Select “Polylang Language Switcher”

Add to Menu

  1. Go to “Appearance” > “Menus”
  2. Check “Language Switcher” under “Display Options” in the top-right corner of the screen
  3. Add it to the menu via the Language Switcher metabox

Limitations and Precautions

Shifter-Specific Limitations

  • URL Settings: Only default URL settings are supported
  • Static Generation Process: Changing URL settings may cause the staticization process to fail
  • Artifact Generation: Artifacts must be regenerated after changing settings

General Limitations

  • For untranslated pages, the language switcher links to the front page of the corresponding language
  • To avoid 404 errors, pages without translations will not appear in the language switcher

Troubleshooting

Artifact Generation Failure

  1. Check Polylang’s URL settings
  2. Revert to default settings
  3. Regenerate site artifacts

Language Switcher Not Displaying

  1. Check widget or menu settings
  2. Verify that your theme supports the language switcher
  3. Verify that the language switcher is enabled in the display options

Summary

For sites that need to support multiple languages, the Polylang plugin is the optimal solution with Shifter. Polylang is easy to use, and when combined with Shifter’s WordPress staticization service, you can build a high-performance multilingual static site.

However, when using Polylang with Shifter, it is important to leave the URL settings at their defaults. This ensures that the staticization process works correctly and that your multilingual site is generated properly.