WPML All Import Plugin Addons 2.3.2

In the sophisticated world of large-scale WordPress development, few challenges are as complex as managing a multilingual website with thousands of products or posts. At the heart of this challenge lie two titans of the plugin ecosystem: WPML (The WordPress Multilingual Plugin), the undisputed standard for creating a multilingual site, and WP All Import, the most powerful and flexible solution for importing data from CSV and XML files. While both are masters of their respective domains, a critical "missing link" exists between them. Out of the box, they simply don't speak the same language.

This is where the WPML All Import plugin add-ons come in. Developed by the WPML team, these are not standalone plugins but essential bridge modules designed to make the two titans communicate seamlessly. As of August 27, 2025, for any developer or store manager tasked with a bulk import or migration for a multilingual site, these add-ons are not just a convenience—they are a fundamental necessity. This review will explore what these tools do, why they are so crucial, and how they streamline one of the most daunting tasks in WordPress.

Why This Add-On is Not Optional, But Essential

To truly understand the value of the WPML All Import add-ons, one must first appreciate the nightmare of the alternative. Imagine you have a CSV file with 5,000 e-commerce products, each translated into three languages: English, Spanish, and French.

Without the add-on, your workflow would look like this:

You would use WP All Import to import all 5,000 English products. This part is easy.

Then, to add the Spanish translations, you would have to manually edit each of the 5,000 products. You would click "Add Translation for Spanish," create a new product, and then painstakingly copy and paste the Spanish title, description, SKU, and all other custom fields from your spreadsheet into the new product.

You would then repeat this entire process for all 5,000 French translations.

This manual process is not just inefficient; it is practically impossible. It would take hundreds of hours of mind-numbing work and be incredibly prone to human error. The WPML All Import add-ons solve this problem by providing the logic necessary to automate this entire process, saving an astronomical amount of time and ensuring data integrity.

How It Works: The Core Workflow Explained

The magic of the WPML All Import add-ons lies in establishing a connection between translated items during the import process. This is achieved through a clear, multi-step workflow that revolves around a single, critical concept: the Unique Identifier.

Step 1: Preparing Your Import File

This is the most important step. To connect a product and its translations, the add-on needs a way to know they are the same item. You must have a column in your CSV or a field in your XML that serves as a Unique Identifier. This ID must be identical for a product and all of its translations.

Here, TSHIRT01 is the Unique Identifier that links all three language versions together. The Language column specifies the two-letter language code (en, es, fr).

Step 2: The First Import (Default Language)

You begin by running a standard import process with WP All Import for your site's default language (e.g., English). You map all the fields as you normally would—title, price, stock, etc. In the settings, you do not need to configure anything related to WPML for this initial import.

Step 3: The Second and Subsequent Imports (Translations)

After the first import is complete, you start a new import for your next language (e.g., Spanish). You upload the same file but will now use the new options provided by the WPML All Import add-on.

Step 4: Using the WPML Add-On Interface

During the configuration of the Spanish import, a new section named "WPML All Import" will appear in the WP All Import interface. This is the heart of the add-on. Here, you will:

Specify that this import is for the Spanish language.

Crucially, you will check the option to "Create translations for existing posts."

You will then tell the plugin how to match the translations. You will drag the UniqueID column from your source file into the "Unique Identifier" field provided by the add-on.

When you run this import, the add-on will look at each Spanish row. It will read the Unique Identifier (TSHIRT01), find the existing English product with the same ID, and automatically create the new Spanish product as a linked translation of the English one. You repeat this process for every additional language.

Key Features and Benefits

The add-ons go beyond simple post connections, offering a suite of features for comprehensive multilingual imports.

Connects All Post Types: It works not just for Posts and Pages, but for any custom post type (like Products, Events, or Portfolios) that you have set as translatable in WPML.

Imports and Translates Taxonomies: It can automatically import, translate, and link your categories, tags, and custom taxonomies. If a "T-shirt" is in the "Apparel" category, the "Camiseta" will be correctly placed in the translated "Ropa" category.

WooCommerce Product Sync: For e-commerce, this is mission-critical. The WooCommerce WPML All Import Add-on ensures that key data is synced across all product translations. Most importantly, it can sync stock levels. When one English "T-shirt" is sold, the stock for the Spanish and French versions is also reduced, preventing overselling. It can also sync prices, shipping classes, and other vital data.

Supports All Custom Fields: The system seamlessly handles any custom fields you have, ensuring that all your data is correctly imported into each language version.

Update Functionality: The workflow is not just for initial imports. If you receive an updated CSV file with new prices or stock levels, you can re-run the imports. WP All Import will intelligently update the existing products and their translations with the new data.

Pricing and Availability (as of August 2025)

It's important to note that the WPML All Import add-ons are not sold separately. They are a premium component of the WPML ecosystem. To get access to these tools, you must have a WPML Multilingual CMS or WPML Agency subscription. They are not included in the basic "Multilingual Blog" plan. This positions the add-ons as a professional-grade tool for serious, large-scale projects.

The Final Verdict: An Indispensable Tool for a Niche But Critical Task

The WPML All Import add-ons are not plugins for the everyday WordPress user. They are highly specialized tools designed to solve a very specific, but incredibly difficult, problem.

This tool is essential for:

Developers and Agencies performing website migrations for large, multilingual clients.

WooCommerce Store Managers who need to bulk-import or update thousands of multilingual products from a supplier's data feed.

Content Managers of large media or directory sites who need to populate their multilingual database from an external source.

This tool is not for:

Anyone who is not using both WPML and WP All Import.

Owners of small websites where translations can be easily managed manually.

In conclusion, if your project profile involves the intersection of multilingual content and bulk data importation, the WPML All Import add-ons are not just a "good idea"—they are the fundamental, non-negotiable component that makes the entire process feasible. They are the official and only reliable key that unlocks the combined power of two of WordPress's most essential and powerful plugins, saving you from a task that is otherwise nearly impossible.