The Multilingual Text widget comes with the WPML String Translation plugin. It works like the WordPress Text widget, but you can choose the language it shows in.

If you use the Multilingual Text widget in the footer of our themes, it will most probably break the footer layout that you set in the Customizer. Our themes set the width of each footer column as they place the widgets, and they can’t tell that this widget is hidden in some languages. So the columns end up with the wrong widths.

Solution

Don’t use the Multilingual Text widget in the footer. Use the regular WordPress Text widget instead, and translate its text with WPML String Translation. That way each footer column has the same widget in every language, and the layout stays correct. WPML explains the steps in its guide to translating widgets.

If you need a different widget in each language, WPML can also show a widget in one language only:

1. Go to Appearance › Widgets.
2. Open the widget and its Display on language panel.
3. Choose the language the widget should show in, and save.

After you change the footer widgets, check the footer in each language.