Switching From Another Translation Plugin: A Safe Migration Plan
Switching translation tools is mostly a data and URL problem: get your existing translations out, keep your language addresses stable, make sure only one tool owns the switcher and the language links, and check the result before you switch the old tool off for good. Do these steps in order and you can undo any of them.
Before you start: decide what must not change
Make three lists:
- Language URLs. For each language, is it a folder (
/fr/), a subdomain, a different domain or a parameter? Google's multi-regional guidance describes these structures and does not recommend URL parameters. If you change structures you lose the existing addresses, so keep the same pattern if you can. - Translated content. Pages, posts, menus, product text, forms, titles and descriptions. Note which ones a person edited by hand, because those are the translations worth keeping.
- What the old tool does for search. Does it output hreflang, canonical tags and a sitemap of translated pages? You must replace each of these or the new setup will quietly lose them.
Step 1: export everything you can
Look for exports in the old tool. Common exchange formats are XLIFF, PO and CSV for strings, and TMX for translation memory. Check the files rather than trusting the export button: open one, look at a page with a link and a bold word, and confirm the markup survived. If the tool cannot export, take a record another way: a crawl of the translated URLs, or a copy of its database tables.
Keep the originals untouched. You are building an escape route, not just a source.
Step 2: do the cut-over on a copy
If you can, use a staging copy of the site. Install the new tool there. Do not run two translation tools on the same page, because they will both change the same text and each will add its own switcher and language links. Our own install check looks for markup that common plugins leave behind and reports the clash, but the clean fix is yours: decide which tool owns the translation of each page.
Step 3: import what you exported
Import the files into the new tool using a dry run first, which reads the file and reports what would change without changing anything. Things worth checking in the report:
- Language codes mapped to the right target languages (
fr_FRandfr-FRare the same thing written two ways). - Tags and placeholders that survived: a sentence with a link or a variable like
{name}must keep each of them. - Strings that did not match anything, which means the source text changed since the export.
In LgTranslate the importer reads JSON, XLIFF 1.2 and 2.x, PO, POT, CSV and TMX, plus a few read-only formats for app-style files. It matches by key or by the source text itself, refuses a file if any error-level issue is found (all or nothing), and saves what it imports as human-made text unless the file says otherwise, so a later machine run does not overwrite it. Known gaps are written down in the help centre: for instance plural forms and some variable styles are not converted. An export from another tool imports through the matching reader when it is XLIFF, PO, CSV or TMX.
Step 4: keep one owner for each signal
After import and before you go live, decide which tool owns each of these:
| Signal | Rule |
|---|---|
| Language switcher | Exactly one visible switcher; turn the old one off. |
| Language URLs | Keep the existing structure; the new tool should write the same addresses. |
| hreflang | One source only. Google says every version must list itself and all others; if the pages do not point to each other, the annotations are ignored. |
| Canonical tags | One per page, pointing to the page itself. |
| Sitemap | One list of translated URLs, no duplicates. |
Google documents hreflang in the HTML head, in HTTP headers or in the sitemap, and says the three are equivalent from its perspective. Pick one place; do not run two of the old and new tool's methods together. Our guide on hreflang mistakes lists what to look out for.
Step 5: test, then switch
- Compare ten to twenty key pages in each language against the old site: text, links, forms, prices, images.
- Check that the language switcher shows once and keeps the visitor on the equivalent page.
- View the source of a page and confirm the canonical and hreflang links match what you intend.
- Clear your page cache and CDN cache, then test again as a visitor who is not logged in.
- Submit the updated sitemap in your search tool and watch coverage for the next weeks.
If you are still choosing the new tool, see which way to translate your website.
Step 6: keep a way back
Do not delete the old plugin's data immediately. Deactivate it, keep its tables and exports for a few weeks, and note the steps to reactivate it. If the new setup shows problems, reversing is a quick change rather than a rebuild. Delete only when you have looked at search reports and visitor behaviour and are satisfied.
What not to do
- Do not change language URL patterns and translation tool on the same day.
- Do not leave both tools active "for a while".
- Do not assume an export is complete without opening it.
- Do not republish machine text over translations that humans wrote; check that your new tool keeps human edits.
Next step
Start with the export: open your current tool today and download whatever it offers, then look inside the file. When you are ready, create an LgTranslate account, import a copy of that file with the dry run, and read the report before you change anything on the live site. The WordPress platform page shows how the plugin side works.
Key takeaways
- Export first, and inspect the export.
- Keep language URLs stable and let exactly one tool own the switcher, hreflang, canonical tags and sitemap.
- Import with a dry run; fix tag and language-code issues before going live.
- Keep the old data for a few weeks as a way back.
Sources
- Localized versions of your pages – Google Search Central – hreflang methods, return links and equivalence of HTML, header and sitemap (checked 2026-11-06)
- Managing multi-regional and multilingual sites – Google Search Central – URL structures, URL parameters not recommended (checked 2026-11-06)
- Build and submit a sitemap – Google Search Central – sitemap limits and index files (checked 2026-11-06)
Frequently asked questions
Can I run two translation plugins at the same time while I switch?
Avoid it on the same pages. Two tools change the same text, add two language switchers and often two sets of language links, which can leave visitors and search engines with mixed or conflicting pages. Plan a clean cut-over, page by page or site-wide.
Will I lose my search rankings if I change tools?
There is no guarantee either way. The biggest risk is changing language URLs. Keeping the same addresses for each language, keeping hreflang reciprocal and watching your search reports after the switch reduces the risk.
What if my old plugin does not let me export?
Then export what you can (some tools give XLIFF, PO, CSV or the database tables), screenshot or crawl the translated pages as a reference, and treat the first run in the new tool as a fresh translation that you review against the old pages.