---
title: How to Create Multilingual Product Tabs with WPML or Polylang
description: "Show WooCommerce product tab text in each visitor's language with the [alg_wc_pt_translate] shortcode for WPML or Polylang."
url: "https://wpfactory.com/docs/multilingual-product-tabs-wpml-polylang/"
updated: "2026-09-25"
category: How to
---

# How to Create Multilingual Product Tabs with WPML or Polylang

## Show different tab text per language

If your store runs WPML or Polylang, the `[alg_wc_pt_translate]` shortcode in [Additional Custom Product Tabs for WooCommerce](https://wpfactory.com/item/product-tabs-for-woocommerce-plugin/) lets one tab display the right text for each visitor's language. This is useful for global tabs, where a single tab shows on every product across all languages. The shortcode is free.

### Before you start

- WPML or Polylang active, so a current language code is available.
- A tab to edit, in **WPFactory > Product Tabs** (also reachable at **WooCommerce > Settings > Product Tabs**) or in a product's Custom Product Tabs meta box.

### Syntax 1: attributes

Provide the target languages and both text versions as attributes:

```
[alg_wc_pt_translate lang="EN,DE" lang_text="Text for English and German" not_lang_text="Text for other languages"]
```

When the active language is one of those in `lang`, the `lang_text` is shown. Otherwise the `not_lang_text` is shown.

### Syntax 2: enclosing tags

Wrap each language block in its own shortcode pair. Use `lang` to show a block only for listed languages, or `not_lang` to show it for all except the listed languages:

```
[alg_wc_pt_translate lang="EN,DE"]Text for English and German[/alg_wc_pt_translate]
[alg_wc_pt_translate not_lang="EN,DE"]Text for other languages[/alg_wc_pt_translate]
```

Shortcodes inside the enclosed text are processed too, so you can nest the product data shortcodes within a language block.

### How the language is matched

The shortcode compares your `lang` list against the active WPML or Polylang language code (for example `en`, `de`). Matching is case-insensitive and the list is comma separated. If no multilingual plugin is active, the "other languages" text is used.

### Note on the deprecated alias

Older content may use `[alg_wc_cpt_translate]`. It still works as an alias, but use `[alg_wc_pt_translate]` going forward.

### Troubleshooting

- **Always shows the "other languages" text:** confirm WPML or Polylang is active and that your language codes in `lang` match the site's codes.
- **Both versions show:** check that your opening and closing tags are paired correctly in Syntax 2.

### Get more control

Multilingual tabs are free. When one global tab is not enough, [Additional Custom Product Tabs for WooCommerce](https://wpfactory.com/item/product-tabs-for-woocommerce-plugin/) Pro adds unlimited tabs. [See what Pro unlocks](https://wpfactory.com/item/product-tabs-for-woocommerce-plugin/).

Related articles

- [How to Show or Hide a Product Tab by Product or Category](https://wpfactory.com/docs/show-hide-product-tabs-by-product-category/)
- [How to Reset a Product Tabs Settings Section](https://wpfactory.com/docs/reset-product-tabs-settings/)
- [How to Display Dynamic Product Data in a Tab](https://wpfactory.com/docs/display-dynamic-product-data-in-tabs/)
- [How to Add a Tab for Each Variation on Variable Products](https://wpfactory.com/docs/product-tab-variations/)
- [How to Add a Custom Tab to a Single Product](https://wpfactory.com/docs/custom-tab-per-product/)