Remove a language safely

Removing an additional language makes it unavailable to POM Translate, but it does not erase all data or repair links that already point to that locale. Treat the change as a controlled retirement.

The main language cannot be removed from POM Translate. Change the WordPress site language only as part of a separately planned source-locale migration.

What removal changes

After an additional locale is removed from Base setup, it is no longer part of the available-language list. As a result, it disappears from normal language selectors and translation targets, and its old prefix no longer selects that locale.

Removal does not automatically:

• delete stored translations or translated slugs;
• remove links added manually to menus, posts, templates, campaigns, or external sites;
• create redirects from retired localized URLs;
• purge every cache layer;
• turn another locale into a replacement translation;
• remove the canonical WordPress posts, terms, products, or orders.

If the same locale is added again later, retained translations may become visible again where they still match the current source records.

Prepare the retirement

Before changing settings:

1. inventory the locale’s important public URLs;
2. export or otherwise preserve translations that may be needed later;
3. choose the best destination for each retired URL;
4. prepare permanent redirects to a relevant surviving page rather than redirecting everything blindly to the homepage;
5. replace the locale in Fallback language for redirects if selected there;
6. find hard-coded language links in menus, content, templates, email, campaigns, and third-party systems;
7. review canonical, hreflang, sitemap, analytics, and search-console implications;
8. decide how long old URLs and reports must remain accessible.

Do not use Reset translation storage to retire one locale. That maintenance action has a much broader purpose and scope.

Remove the configured language

Open:

Settings → POM Translate → Languages setup → Base setup

Then:

1. locate the locale under Additional languages;
2. remove that repeater row;
3. confirm Fallback language for redirects points to a surviving locale;
4. save Base setup;
5. reload the page and verify the locale is absent.

Saving refreshes WordPress rewrite rules because the recognized prefix map has changed.

Redirect retired URLs

Once removed, the old first path segment is no longer a recognized POM Translate language prefix. Do not assume /fr/example/ will continue to resolve as French or automatically find the source page.

Create explicit permanent redirects before search engines and visitors encounter the retired paths. Map each high-value URL to:

• the equivalent page in the main language;
• an equivalent page in another supported locale; or
• a deliberate gone response when no replacement exists and that policy is appropriate.

Avoid chains through an intermediate retired URL. Update internal links to their final destination even when a redirect exists.

Clear derived output

After saving:

• purge affected page, object, server, and CDN caches;
• refresh SEO metadata and sitemaps;
• remove the locale from manually authored selectors and navigation;
• update feeds or integrations that published localized links;
• check that browser detection cannot choose the retired locale;
• confirm orders or other historical records still display safely where their stored locale context remains relevant.

Historical content can retain locale-related metadata even though the language is no longer selectable for new frontend requests. Removal is a configuration change, not a destructive historical rewrite.

Verify the final state

Confirm that:

• the locale no longer appears in Additional languages;
• generated selectors omit it;
• translation screens no longer offer it as an active target;
• Fallback language for redirects names a surviving locale;
• old localized URLs reach intentional destinations;
• no sitemap or hreflang entry advertises retired routes;
• source and remaining target languages still resolve correctly;
• regional sibling prefixes have not changed unexpectedly;
• caches no longer serve retired selector or SEO output.

If another configured locale shares the same two-letter language, removing one regional variant can change the surviving variant’s generated prefix. Review Understand URL language prefixes and include that change in the redirect plan.