Google Translate discontinued in mainland China. Find out why

Internet giant Google has announced it will end its translation services in mainland China. Some Reddit users first noticed that the services were down on September 30. Reportedly, when users tried to access the old mainland China address of Google Translate, they were redirected to the Hong Kong site. According to Bloomberg, the Hong Kong version of Google Translate is not accessible in mainland China without a VPN, indicating that the internet giant has effectively shut down the service.

Google introduced its translation services in mainland China in 2017. The company has also launched a separate app that people in China can install on their smartphones. Although Google did not officially issue any press release in this regard, it confirmed via several outlets that it had discontinued its translation services in China. Google cited the "low usage" of the service as the reason behind its decision.




As per Investopedia, Google China has only 2 per cent of the country's market share in online searches. US-based Google has faced several challenges in the Chinese internet sector. Notably, Alibaba and Baidu have dominated the Chinese internet sector. Besides, Google has also found it hard to navigate the Chinese government's censorship policies. Reportedly, the internet giant has also suffered state-backed cyber-attacks.

FAQs:

1. Which Google service has been discontinued in mainland China and why?
   Google has discontinued its translation service in mainland China. Google stated that its translation service had "low usage" in China.
2. Which are the leading internet companies in China?
   Baidu and Alibaba are the leading internet companies in China.