Translate a navigation menu

Use the existing WordPress menu as the canonical structure. POM Translate reads each ordinary menu item's non-empty navigation label and description when the item is saved; it does not require a separate menu for every language.

Prepare the source menu

1. Open Appearance → Menus.
2. Select the menu assigned to the location you want to translate.
3. Confirm its hierarchy and destinations in the base language.
4. Expand each relevant item and finish its Navigation Label and optional Description.
5. Under Display in languages, either leave every locale unchecked to show the item everywhere or select only the locales that should display it.
6. Select Save Menu.

Saving is significant: it refreshes the stored source strings and removes obsolete menu strings when a label or description no longer exists.

Translate its copy

1. Open Translations → Translate contents.
2. Choose the destination locale.
3. Set All objects to Nav menu.
4. Use the object or string filters to locate the saved menu item.
5. Translate its label and description independently.
6. Save and confirm Translations updated.

A missing target value falls back to the menu item's source wording. This lets you translate incrementally without duplicating the menu.

Complete its destinations

• For a post, page, post-type archive, category, tag, or other supported term, complete the relevant localized slugs under Translate URLs.
• For an external address, downloadable asset, iframe source, or other custom destination, use Translate URLs → Custom links when the target URL should change.
• Leave the URL mapping empty when every language should use the same external destination.

Verify the visitor result

Open the site in a private window and test every configured locale. For each item, confirm:

1. whether it should be present;
2. whether its label and description use the expected language;
3. whether its href points to the intended localized or shared destination;
4. whether the destination resolves without an extra language prefix or a 404;
5. whether parent and child items still form a usable hierarchy after filtering.

Add and configure a language switcher separately. POM Translate deliberately excludes switcher menu items from normal menu-string and custom-URL translation.