WPML Shortcodes
Adds the wpml__ and wpml_e functions to your theme and the wpml__ shortcode to your WordPress website. Make your WordPress full WPML ready
Consider an alternative
WPML Shortcodes shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 800+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 11 years ago, and scores 39/100 on our health check.
- Small user base (800+ active installs)
- No update in 10 years
- Only tested up to WordPress 4.4 (latest is 7.1)
How does it stack up?
Side-by-side on installs, updates, ratings & supportDaily downloads
Download spikes usually follow a new release — each site that auto-updates counts as a download.
Rankings
Where WPML Shortcodes stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| language | >100 |
| translate | >100 |
| translation | >100 |
| translator | >100 |
| wpml | >100 |
Version adoption
Share of active sites per release.
Rating breakdown
★★★★★★★★★★ 5 from 5 reviews
About WPML Shortcodes
From the official readme · v1.2.6Description
Adds the wpml__ and wpml_e functions to your theme and the wpml__ shortcode to your WordPress website. Make your WordPress full WPML ready
<?php wpml__( $text, $context ); ?> <?php wpml_e( $text, $context ); ?>
Similarly to the behaviour of the __, _e functions, you must provide a string to make translateable and a context.
That’s it; just provide translations from the WPML > String Translations admin panel.
Check how to use the shortcode below.
Usage (via code)
<h1><?php echo wpml__( 'Title', 'wpmlshortcodes' ); ?></h1> <h2><?php wpml_e( 'Subtitle', 'wpmlshortcodes' ); ?></h2>
Usage (via shortcode)
<h1>[wpml__ context=wpmlshortcodes]Title[/wpml__]</h1> <h2>[wpml__ context=wpmlshortcodes]Subtitle[/wpml__]</h2>
NEWS! WPML Translate (+ shortcode)
Adds the wpml_if (ex wpml_translate) shortcode to your WPML suite. You can also use the wpml_e__if_language( $content, $lang ) in your php code.
Usage (via code)
<p><?php wpml_e__if_language( 'Text', 'en' ); wpml_e__if_language( 'Testo', 'it' ); ?></p>
Usage (via shortcode)
[wpml_if lang='en']Text[/wpml_if][wpml_if lang='it']Testo[/wpml_if]
It also supports backward compatibility for wpml_translate and wpml_language from WPML Translate Shortcode (deprecated plugin);
WPML Translate Shortcode > WPML Shortcodes
Welcome to the new WPML Shortcodes. This plugin is the new WPML Translate Shortcode, became a full-translation suite.
Of course we still support WPML Translate Shortcode, with a new shortcode (1.2.4+): wpml_if (see usage above).
Also, we provide full backward compatibility (yes, you can still use wpml_translate or wpml_language shortcodes) on 1.2.6+.
Contribute
Pull requests on github.com.
Author: Mirco Babini, Web Developer and Mobile App Developer; WordPress Consultant.
Installation
Simply search for ‘WPML Shortcodes’ in the Plugins Admin page, then install and activate. That’s it!
Changelog
1.2.6
- Add backward compatibility to wpml_translate and wpml_language from WPML Translate Shortcode (deprecated plugin)
1.2.5
- Fix docs
- Support optional context in main api
- Fallback on global context, api: wpml__main_context( $context )
- Fix shortcodes
- Refactoring
1.2.4
- Integration: WPML Translate Shortcode (deprecated since now)
- usage: [wpml_if lang=it]ciao[/wpml_if][wpml_if lang=en]hello[/wpml_if]
1.2.3
- Support defined name for shortcodes
1.2.2
- Fallback (english) if WPML is missing
1.2.1
- Fix the J.D. Grimes issue (/pull/1)
- Needed to manually restore all the translated strings
For developers
Is this your plugin? Show off the numbers.
Add a live badge to your site, docs or GitHub README. It updates on its own — no account needed.
Best WPML Shortcodes alternatives
All language plugins →FAQ
WPML Shortcodes: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Sep 27, 2026
Is WPML Shortcodes free?
Yes. WPML Shortcodes is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is WPML Shortcodes safe to use in 2026?
WPML Shortcodes shows warning signs in 2026 — compare the alternatives below before installing. It runs on 800+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 11 years ago, and scores 39/100 on our health check.
How many websites use WPML Shortcodes?
WPML Shortcodes is active on 800+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 10,208 times since it launched in August 2014. It was downloaded 113 times in the last 30 days.
Does WPML Shortcodes work with WordPress 7.1?
WPML Shortcodes is officially tested up to WordPress 4.4.34, while the latest release is 7.1.2. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
When was WPML Shortcodes last updated?
The latest version, 1.2.6, was released on March 5, 2016 (11 years ago).
Who makes WPML Shortcodes?
WPML Shortcodes is developed and maintained by Mirco Babini.
What are the best alternatives to WPML Shortcodes?
The most popular alternatives to WPML Shortcodes are Loco Translate (1M+ installs), Translate WordPress with GT… (900K+ installs) and Polylang (800K+ installs).
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