Google Translate is surely the most efficient automatic translator on the Internet because it provides almost perfect translations in numerous languages from all over the world. The product is currently very powerful because it is based on users' help, allowing us to suggest the translation using a simple balloon notification placed on the translated page and near a certain word. Today, something went wrong and Google returned a weak and long error for every query entered by the user. Although it might look like a test because Google Translate shows a captcha on the main page, the following error is displayed right after you press the Translate link button.

"We're sorry... but your query looks similar to automated requests from a computer virus or spyware application. To protect our users, we can't process your request right now. We'll restore your access as quickly as possible, so try again soon. In the meantime, if you suspect that your computer or network has been infected, you might want to run a virus checker or spyware remover to make sure that your systems are free of viruses and other spurious software. We apologize for the inconvenience, and hope we'll see you again on Google."

OK, I said, it is probably a problem with my computer or even with my browser. I tried the page in Safari and I encountered the same error. Maybe the operating system, I asked myself. Because I am currently using Mac OSX 10.4.9, I tried the service on a Linux workstation equipped with Kubuntu 6.10 Edgy. The same error at the same time. Maybe Windows is the lucky one? Of course not, a Windows computer gives the same error. So, it's obvious the service is currently down, just after I wrote an article saying that Google is one of the most stable companies on the Internet with only 7 minutes of downtime this year. Go figure…