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Force Update Translations
Apply WordPress.org theme and plugin translations to a site even if translations are not yet approved or language packs have not been released.
The facts
- Rating
- 4.6★ from 10
- Active installs
- 1k+
- Price
- Free
- Last updated
- 22 Dec 2025
- Added
- Aug 2018
- Requires WP
- 4.7
- Tested up to
- WP 6.9.7
- Requires PHP
- 5.6
- Downloads
- 23,754
Our analysis
AI-assistedForce Update Translations is a WordPress plugin that allows you to apply theme and plugin translations to your site, even if those translations have not been approved or language packs are not yet available. It provides a method to download translation files directly from WordPress.org for both themes and plugins.
To use the plugin, you need to activate the desired theme and navigate to the 'Update translation' section in the WordPress menu. For plugins, a similar process is followed by selecting 'Update translation' under the plugin's name. This plugin is suitable for users who require immediate access to translations for testing or implementation purposes.
Best for: This plugin is best for WordPress users needing immediate translation access for themes and plugins.
What it does well
- ✓Allows application of unapproved translations
- ✓Supports both theme and plugin translations
- ✓Easy to use with a straightforward interface
Where it falls short
- •Currently only downloads strings from the Development project for plugins
- •Cannot generate JSON files for JavaScript translations
Verdict
Force Update Translations provides a practical solution for applying translations, though it has limitations with plugin sources and JSON file generation.
From the developer
Mayo Moriyama's own description of Force Update Translations, lightly tidied.
Apply WordPress.org theme and plugin translations to a site even if translations are not yet approved or language packs have not been released.
Note about Translation Playground:
The Translation Playground is now available for quick translation testing. However, if you need to test translations on your actual site, this plugin may remain the practical solution.
⚠️ Warning ⚠️ Currently this plugin downloads only strings from Development project instead of Stable for plugins. Please wait for an update or see the issue on GitHub.
⚠️ Warning ⚠️ Currently this plugin is not able to generate the JSON files that is needed for JavaScript to consume some translations. Please wait for update or see the issue on GitHub.
Theme translation
To download the translation files for a theme:
- Activate the theme you want to get the translation files.
- Visit ‘Appearance’ > ‘Update translation’ in WordPress menu, or click ‘Update translation’ on theme details of current theme on ‘Themes’ page.
- Click the ‘Update Translations’ button.
Plugin translation
To download the translation files for a plugin:
- Visit ‘Plugins’ in WordPress menu.
- Click ‘Update translation’ under the name of the plugin for which you want to get the translation files.
Tagged as
purpose
Multilingual & Translation
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