Translate custom fields

POM Translate treats eligible post metadata as a separate string family. Enabling Meta does not translate every custom field: the exact meta key must also be registered as translatable.

This restriction prevents IDs, settings, prices, serialized structures, and other technical data from entering the translation editor.

Confirm both prerequisites

1. Open Settings → POM Translate → Content types.
2. find the relevant post type;
3. enable the post type;
4. enable its Meta part;
5. confirm the theme or plugin has registered the required key;
6. save the published or private source object.

The built-in defaults include Yoast SEO title and meta-description keys for posts and pages, plus attachment image alternative text. Themes and plugins can extend the supported key list.

Find the field row

Open Translations → Translate contents and filter by the object. A metadata row appears in the context as:

Field: meta_key

The source value is read as a text value. Use this workflow for stable, visitor-facing text such as:

• a subtitle;
• a short call to action;
• an accessible media description;
• a registered SEO field;
• a plain-text component setting.

Do not use it for arrays, serialized builder documents, IDs, prices, dates stored for computation, or relationship values.

Translate and verify

1. identify the field by its context;
2. confirm its source value matches the WordPress editor;
3. enter the target wording;
4. retain any protected token;
5. select Save translations;
6. open the localized page where that metadata is rendered.

A row can save correctly yet remain invisible if the theme reads the raw database value without going through the supported translated-meta path. Verify the real frontend consumer.

Understand fallback

An empty target metadata value falls back to the canonical source value. POM Translate does not create an empty localized override to suppress source text.

If the desired target behavior is “show nothing,” the integration needs an explicit supported way to distinguish intentional emptiness from missing translation.

Respond to field changes

When a registered source meta value changes and the object is saved, POM Translate refreshes that source row. A changed row loses its former locale translations unless an exact source match can be reused.

If a key is no longer registered or Meta is disabled, subsequent parsing cleans up unused meta strings for that subject.

Troubleshoot a missing field

Check in order:

1. the object is published or private;
2. its post type is enabled;
3. Meta is enabled;
4. the source field is non-empty;
5. the exact meta key is registered;
6. the object was saved after registration;
7. the object is not excluded from translation;
8. the translation table is filtered to the correct locale and object.

Do not enable arbitrary metadata indiscriminately. A developer should register only stable textual fields and document why each value is safe to translate.

Read Translate custom post types when the field belongs to a non-core object type.