Basic Configuration

Overview

This guide covers essential configuration options to get ShahiTranslate Pro working optimally for your site.

Accessing Settings

Navigate to ShahiTranslate Pro → Settings in your WordPress admin panel. You’ll see multiple tabs for different configuration areas.

General Settings

Translation Engine

Location: General tab → Translation Engine

Choose how content will be translated:

1. Automatic Translation

– Uses Google Translate API for instant translations
– Requires valid API key
– Best for: Sites with lots of content, blogs, news sites

2. Manual Translation Only

– All translations created by you or your team
– Maximum accuracy and control
– Best for: Legal sites, medical content, e-commerce product descriptions

3. Hybrid Mode (Recommended)

– Automatic translation as baseline
– Manual override capability
– Best for: Most sites that want both speed and accuracy

Translation Cache


Location: General tab → Cache Settings

4. Enable Translation Cache: ✅ Recommended (checked)

– Stores translated content for faster loading
– Reduces API calls
– Improves performance significantly

5. Cache Duration: 30 days (default)

– How long translations are stored
– Increase for static content
– Decrease for frequently updated content

6. Clear Cache: Button to manually purge all cached translations

Default Behavior


Location: General tab → Default Behavior

7. Auto-detect Visitor Language: Enable to automatically show content in visitor’s browser language
8. Redirect to Browser Language: Automatically redirect first-time visitors to their language version
9. Remember Language Choice: Save visitor’s language preference in cookies

Language Settings


Source Language


Location: Languages tab → Source Language

10. Select your site’s primary/default language
11. This is the language your content is originally written in
12. Common choices: English (US), Spanish, French, German

Active Languages


Location: Languages tab → Active Languages

Select languages you want to offer:

Popular Language Combinations:

13. North America: English, Spanish, French
14. Europe: English, German, French, Spanish, Italian
15. Asia-Pacific: English, Chinese (Simplified), Japanese, Korean
16. Middle East: English, Arabic, Hebrew
17. Global: English, Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Arabic

Tips:

18. Start with 3-5 languages
19. Add more based on analytics data showing visitor locations
20. Consider your target markets and customer base

Language Display Names


Location: Languages tab → Language Names

Customize how language names appear in the switcher:

21. Use native names (recommended): Español, Français, Deutsch
22. Use English names: Spanish, French, German
23. Use custom labels for specific audiences

RTL Language Support


Location: Languages tab → RTL Settings

24. Enable RTL: Automatically enable right-to-left layout for Arabic, Hebrew, Urdu, etc.
25. RTL CSS: Plugin applies necessary styles automatically
26. Custom RTL Styles: Add custom CSS in the Advanced tab if needed

API Configuration


Google Translate API


Location: API Settings tab

27. API Key: Enter your Google Cloud Translation API key
28. API Version: V2 (default) or V3 (advanced features)
29. Request Quota: Monitor usage and set limits
30. Error Handling: Configure fallback behavior if API fails

Getting an API Key:

31. Go to Google Cloud Console
32. Create a new project or select existing
33. Enable Cloud Translation API
34. Create credentials → API Key
35. Copy and paste into ShahiTranslate Pro

Cost Management:

36. Monitor usage in Google Cloud Console
37. Set budget alerts
38. Use caching to minimize API calls
39. Average cost: $20 per 1 million characters

Switcher Configuration


Switcher Type


Location: Switcher tab → Switcher Type

Choose from multiple styles:

40. Dropdown

– Classic dropdown menu
– Compact and professional
– Works everywhere

41. Flags Dropdown

– Dropdown with flag icons
– Visual and intuitive
– Popular choice

42. Floating Button

– Sticky button that stays visible while scrolling
– Great for mobile
– Doesn’t take permanent space

43. Popup/Modal

– Full-screen language selector
– Beautiful presentation
– Best for many languages

44. Inline List

– Horizontal list of languages
– Good for footer or sidebar
– Simple and clean

Switcher Position


Location: Switcher tab → Position Settings

45. Header: Top right, top left, or center
46. Footer: Bottom of page
47. Floating: Fixed position (top-right, bottom-right, etc.)
48. Custom: Use shortcode [shahitranslate_switcher] anywhere
49. Widget: Add to any widget area via Appearance → Widgets

Switcher Appearance


Location: Switcher tab → Appearance

50. Show Flags: Display country/language flags
51. Show Language Names: Display language text
52. Show Both: Flags + Names (recommended)
53. Flag Size: 16px, 24px, 32px, or custom
54. Text Color: Match your theme
55. Background Color: Customize dropdown background
56. Hover Effects: Enable/disable animations

Mobile Optimization


Location: Switcher tab → Mobile Settings

57. Responsive Behavior: Auto-adjust on small screens
58. Touch-Friendly Size: Larger buttons for mobile
59. Mobile Position: Override desktop position on mobile
60. Hamburger Menu Integration: Add to mobile menu

URL Structure


URL Format


Location: Advanced tab → URL Settings

Choose how languages appear in URLs:

61. Subdirectory (Recommended)

– example.com/es/page
– example.com/fr/page
– SEO-friendly, easy to manage

62. Query Parameter

– example.com/page?lang=es
– Simple, no server config needed
– Less SEO-optimal

63. Subdomain

– es.example.com
– Requires DNS configuration
– Good for completely separate sites

Slug Translation


Location: Advanced tab → Slug Settings

64. Translate Page Slugs: Convert URLs to target language

– English: /about-us → Spanish: /sobre-nosotros

65. Keep Original Slugs: Maintain English slugs across all languages

– All languages: /about-us

Content Translation Settings


What Gets Translated


Location: Advanced tab → Content Settings

Choose which elements to translate:

66. ✅ Post Content: Main content area
67. ✅ Post Titles: Post and page titles
68. ✅ Post Excerpts: Summary text
69. ✅ Categories: Category names
70. ✅ Tags: Tag names
71. ✅ Menus: Navigation menu items
72. ✅ Widgets: Widget content
73. ✅ Custom Fields: Meta fields (specify which ones)
74. ⬜ Comments: User comments (optional)
75. ⬜ URLs: Link URLs (be careful)

Excluded Content


Location: Advanced tab → Exclusions

Specify content that should NOT be translated:

76. CSS Classes: Add classes like .notranslate
77. HTML Elements: Exclude specific tags
78. Custom Post Types: Exclude certain post types
79. Specific Pages: Exclude by page ID
80. Text Patterns: Use regex to exclude specific text

Common Exclusions:

81. Brand names
82. Product SKUs
83. Email addresses
84. Phone numbers
85. Code snippets

Performance Settings


Optimization Options


Location: Advanced tab → Performance

86. Lazy Loading: Translate content only when visible on screen
87. Ajax Translation: Translate dynamically without page reload
88. Minify JavaScript: Reduce file sizes
89. Async Loading: Load translation scripts asynchronously
90. Database Optimization: Auto-clean old cached translations

Caching Integration


Location: Advanced tab → Cache Integration

Compatible with popular caching plugins:

91. WP Rocket
92. W3 Total Cache
93. WP Super Cache
94. LiteSpeed Cache
95. Autoptimize

Configuration:

96. Plugin auto-detects caching plugins
97. Clears relevant caches when translations update
98. Language-specific cache variations

Security Settings


Access Control


Location: Advanced tab → Security

99. Who Can Translate: Restrict manual translation access to specific user roles
100. API Key Protection: Hide API key from non-administrators
101. Rate Limiting: Prevent abuse of translation features
102. CAPTCHA Integration: Add verification for public translation suggestions

Saving Your Configuration


After making changes:

103. Click Save Changes button at the bottom of each tab
104. You’ll see a success message confirming settings saved
105. Clear your site cache if using caching plugins
106. Test changes on the front end

Configuration Checklist


Before going live, verify:

✅ Source language set correctly
✅ Target languages selected
✅ Translation method configured
✅ API key added (if using automatic translation)
✅ Switcher type chosen
✅ Switcher position set
✅ URL structure selected
✅ Content types to translate specified
✅ Exclusions configured
✅ Performance options optimized
✅ Tested on front end

Next Steps


107. Understanding Translation Methods
108. Customizing Language Switcher
109. SEO Configuration
110. Performance Optimization