Citing low usage of the service, Google decided to discontinue its Google Translate services in mainland China, as per CNET. This move means that the tech company is removing one of it's few remaining services in the country.
Now that Google shut down Google Translate in mainland China, its website now redirects users to the Hong Kong version of the service. However, the said version is blocked on the mainland.
Google Cites Low Usage Why it Shut Down Google Translate in China
According to users, they were not able to access the Google Translate since Saturday. Users in China also said that the translation feature integrated into the Google Chrome browser no longer functions.
As cited earlier, Google said that it decided to discontinue Google Translate service in the country because of "low usage." As of writing, there is no data on the number of users utilizing Google Translate in China.
"We have discontinued Google Translate in mainland China due to low usage," said by the spokesperson for Google on Monday.
The relationship between Google and China is considered contentious. In 2010, the tech giant decided to pull out its search engine from the country due to the strict government censorship of China on online platform.s
Eventually, the Chinese government made a move to block the other services of Google such as Google Maps and Gmail.
The Chinese authorities keep a strict censorship rules. Services such as Google, Facebook, and Twitter are blocked in the country. China is known to block most Western social media platforms and services.
According to ABC, the Chinese platforms strictly follow the rules set by the government. Keywords and topics, which are considered as politically sensitive by the authorities, are censored by the said platforms.
Read Also: Google's Translation App Update: All You Need To Know
Tech Companies Continue to be Impacted by the Tension Between US, China
Previously, Google worked on a censored version of its search engine, according to CNET. This is part of the tech giant's attempt to re-enter China's search market.
However, after an employee backlash, the company abandoned the plan in 2018. Google was criticized for being complicit to China's oppressive policies.
With the shutdown of Google Translate in China, the tech giant now has a very limited presence in the country.
Because of this, local competitors such as search engine Baidu, and social media and gaming giant Tencent gained an advantageous position as the primary force in the Chinese internet landscape in terms of search and translation..
Google's presence in China can be seen in some of its smartphones' hardware being made in the country. But according to reports, the company decided to move some of the production of its Pixel smartphones to Vietnam.
The tension between the China and the US are continually impacting tech companies.
The tension is particularly high over "Chinese companies gaining access to technologies that enable high-performance computing, such as artificial intelligence and semiconductors."
The US government had ordered chip designer Nvidia to restrict sales of two AI acceleration chips to China.
Related Article: Google Translate Now Creates Better, More Natural Translations With A Neural System
