Glossary
What is .po / .mo Files?
Portable Object files holding gettext translations in human-readable (.po) and compiled binary (.mo) forms.
In more depth
Tools like Loco Translate edit these files for theme/plugin strings. Content translation lives in the database instead.
Why it matters for your website
Understanding .po / .mo Files helps you make better decisions when taking a WordPress site multilingual — from choosing URL structures and engines to controlling costs. Transxlate handles the mechanics (language URLs, lang attributes, caching, hreflang on Pro) so terms like this become settings, not engineering projects.
Related terms
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