Fix WPML 500 Error on SiteGround (Without Increasing Memory)

If your WordPress site on SiteGround shows a 500 Internal Server Error when translating pages with WPML, you’re facing a common issue for US and UK–based businesses running multilingual websites.

Most advice suggests increasing PHP or WordPress memory. That approach may work briefly — but it doesn’t solve the root cause and often fails again under real traffic.

This guide explains how to fix WPML 500 errors on SiteGround properly, without increasing memory, using production-safe optimizations trusted by WordPress developers in the United States and United Kingdom.

Who This Guide Is For

This article is written for:

• US / UK business websites using WPML
• WooCommerce stores selling internationally
• SaaS & startup sites hosted on SiteGround
• Agencies managing high-traffic WordPress installs
• Site owners seeing 500 errors during translation

If your site is live and revenue matters, this guide applies to you.

Why WPML Causes 500 Errors on SiteGround

A 500 error usually indicates server-level failure, not a plugin bug.

On SiteGround hosting, WPML can trigger errors due to:

• Heavy autoloaded database options
• Long-running translation jobs blocking PHP workers
• Object caching conflicts (Memcached)
• Synchronous AJAX translation requests
• Excessive string translation scanning

Increasing memory doesn’t fix these bottlenecks.

Step 1: Confirm the Error Source

Before applying fixes, identify the real cause.

Enable WordPress logging:

define('WP_DEBUG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false);

Reproduce the issue and check:

/wp-content/debug.log

Common WPML-related errors:

• PHP execution time exceeded
• Fatal errors in translation jobs
• Database query overload

Step 2: Disable Automatic WPML Translation Jobs

WPML runs translation jobs automatically, which can overwhelm PHP workers on SiteGround’s shared or cloud plans.

Recommended fix

Go to:

WPML → Settings → Translation Jobs

Disable automatic background translation jobs.

This reduces server load instantly.

Step 3: Clean WPML Autoloaded Options

WPML often stores large serialized data in wp_options with
autoload = yes, slowing every request.

Identify heavy options

SELECT option_name, LENGTH(option_value) AS size
FROM wp_options
WHERE autoload = 'yes'
ORDER BY size DESC
LIMIT 20;

Typical offenders:

• icl_sitepress_settings
• wpml_*
• icl_translations_cache

Convert large WPML options to autoload = no to dramatically reduce
memory usage.

This fix is safe, permanent, and recommended for US/UK production sites.

Step 4: Fix SiteGround Cache Conflicts (Memcached)

SiteGround enables Memcached by default, which frequently conflicts with WPML translation requests.

Fix

In SiteGround → Site Tools → Speed → Caching:

• Disable Memcached
• Keep Dynamic Cache enabled

Then clear:

• SiteGround cache
• WPML cache (WPML → Support → Troubleshooting)

This stabilizes translation actions immediately.

Step 5: Reduce WPML Translation Overhead

To prevent future 500 errors:

• Remove unused languages
• Disable unused translation editors
• Turn off automatic string scanning

WPML → String Translation → Settings

Uncheck: Automatically register strings for translation.

Step 6: Force Async Translation Processing

Prevent WPML from blocking PHP execution during translation.

add_filter('wpml_use_job_queue', '__return_true');

This allows translation jobs to process asynchronously, avoiding timeouts.

Step 7: Optimize PHP Workers Without Increasing Memory

On SiteGround, PHP workers are often the real bottleneck.

Instead of raising memory limits:

• Reduce background cron jobs
• Disable WP-Cron

define('DISABLE_WP_CRON', true);

Then schedule a real cron job via SiteGround.

Why Increasing Memory Isn’t the Right Solution

• Masks inefficient database queries
• Doesn’t fix execution time issues
• Fails under peak traffic
• Increases hosting costs

Optimizing WPML correctly:

• Reduces CPU usage
• Frees PHP workers
• Improves page speed and Core Web Vitals
• Scales better for US and UK audiences

Quick Fix Checklist

• Disable WPML auto translation jobs
• Clean autoloaded WPML options
• Disable Memcached on SiteGround
• Reduce string translation scanning
• Force async translation jobs
• Optimize cron execution

Need Help Fixing WPML on SiteGround?

If your site:

• Runs WooCommerce + WPML
• Uses ACF or custom blocks
• Serves US or UK customers
• Experiences repeated translation errors

I offer a free WPML + SiteGround audit focused on:

• Root-cause error analysis
• Database and cache optimization
• Production-safe fixes (no plugins, no downtime)