Google announced that it’s shutting down the Contribute feature for Google Translate, which allowed users to suggest translations to improve the tool’s quality.
The decision comes as Google Translate has seen significant advancements in recent years, mainly due to the evolution and learning of its underlying systems.
The Launch Of The Contribute Feature
Launched in 2014, the Contribute feature was designed to leverage the knowledge of language enthusiasts and native speakers to enhance translations for the 80 languages supported by Google Translate.
Users could participate in the Translate Community by generating new translations, rating existing ones, and providing feedback on improving the service.
In a statement, Google acknowledged the value of user contributions, saying, “When Contribute first launched, real speakers often provided helpful translation suggestions when Translate missed the mark.”
However, Google believes that the improvements made to the service have removed the need for this feature.
Now. when navigating to translate.google.com and clicking on Contribute, you’ll see a message about its discontinuation:
New System For User Feedback
Moving forward, Google Translate users can provide feedback directly through the Android and iOS apps and on the desktop version when they feel a translation could be improved.