Tutor LMS Translation Not Working with WPML? Here Is the Fix

Tutor LMS is a popular LMS plugin that supports multilingual websites through WPML (WordPress Multilingual Plugin). When configured correctly, courses, lessons, quizzes, and dashboard pages should be translatable into multiple languages. However, many users report that the Tutor LMS dashboard page shows a white screen or an error message when accessed in a translated language, even though the page works perfectly in the default language [citation:3].

This problem can be particularly damaging for course websites that serve students in multiple countries. When the dashboard page fails to load in certain languages, students cannot access their courses, view their progress, or manage their accounts. The issue typically appears when translating the dashboard page that contains dynamic subpages like “create-course,” “my-courses,” and “settings” [citation:3].

The most common cause of this problem is that the Arabic (or other language) version of the dashboard page has a different slug than the English version. Tutor LMS expects the dashboard page to have a specific slug (usually “dashboard”) to properly route dynamic subpages. When the translated slug is different (e.g., “لوحة-التحكم” for Arabic), the routing fails, and the page shows a white screen or a “page not found” error [citation:3].

Why Tutor LMS translation fails with WPML

Tutor LMS uses custom rewrite rules to handle dashboard subpages like /dashboard/create-course, /dashboard/my-courses, and /dashboard/settings. These rewrite rules are based on the slug of the dashboard page. When WPML translates the dashboard page slug into another language, the rewrite rules no longer match because they still expect the original slug. As a result, when a user visits /لوحة-التحكم/create-course (the Arabic version), the rewrite rules do not recognize the URL, and the page fails to load [citation:3].

This issue has been reported multiple times on the WPML support forums, and a solution has been identified. The problem is not that Tutor LMS is incompatible with WPML, but that the translated dashboard page slug needs to be manually changed to match the original slug. Once the slug is corrected, the rewrite rules work properly, and the dashboard pages load correctly in all languages [citation:3].

Another common cause is that the permalink settings need to be refreshed after making changes to translated pages. WordPress caches rewrite rules, and if these caches are not cleared, the new slug may not be recognized immediately. Re-saving the permalink settings forces WordPress to regenerate the rewrite rules, which often resolves routing issues.

How to identify the slug of the translated dashboard page

Go to Pages in the WordPress admin and switch to the translated language view (using the WPML language switcher at the top of the page). Find the dashboard page (the page that contains the Tutor LMS dashboard shortcode). Look at the URL or the slug field in the page editor. If the slug is translated (e.g., “لوحة-التحكم” instead of “dashboard”), this is likely the cause of the problem [citation:3].

Step by step guide to fixing Tutor LMS translation problems

Follow these steps in order to restore proper translation functionality for Tutor LMS dashboard pages. This solution has been confirmed to work by WPML support and Tutor LMS users [citation:3].

• Open the translated dashboard page for editing in the WordPress admin area
• Change the slug of the translated page to match the original language slug (e.g., change from “لوحة-التحكم” to “dashboard”)
• Save the page after changing the slug
• Navigate to Settings → Permalinks in the WordPress dashboard
• Click the “Save Changes” button without changing any settings to flush rewrite rules
• Clear all caches including plugin cache, CDN cache, and browser cache completely
• Test the translated dashboard page by visiting the translated URL
• If the issue persists, copy the content from the English dashboard page to the translated page
• Update Tutor LMS and WPML to the latest versions available
• Contact WPML support if the problem continues after trying all the above steps

How to copy English dashboard content to translated dashboard page

Edit the English dashboard page and copy its entire content (including the Tutor LMS shortcode). Then, edit the translated dashboard page, paste the content, and save the page. This ensures that the translated page has exactly the same content and structure as the English page, which can resolve issues caused by content mismatches. After copying the content, update the slug as described above and save the permalink settings [citation:3].

Tutor LMS translation troubleshooting reference table

Here is a reference table for diagnosing translation problems in Tutor LMS based on specific symptoms you might encounter.

For more information about Tutor LMS multilingual configuration, visit the Tutor LMS page on wpwizzy.com.

Preventing Tutor LMS translation problems in the future

When setting up WPML for Tutor LMS, ensure that the dashboard page slug remains the same across all languages. This is the most important configuration step for preventing translation issues. After creating translations, always resave the permalink settings to regenerate rewrite rules, and clear all caches before testing the translated pages.

Test the translated dashboard thoroughly, including all subpages (create-course, my-courses, settings, etc.), after completing translation setup. Keep Tutor LMS and WPML updated to their latest versions on a regular schedule, and use a staging website to test translation configurations before applying them to the live production site. Document the slug configuration for all translated pages for future reference, and regularly check the dashboard pages in all languages to catch issues before students encounter them.