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Translate in China without a VPN

Google Translate's servers are blocked behind the Great Firewall, so the app that works everywhere else goes dark the moment you land. Tova falls back to on-device translation when servers are unreachable, so it keeps working without a VPN and without signal.

Download on theApp Store

Free · No sign-up · Works offline in China — no VPN

How it works

Read it in three steps

Download Tova before you travel so the on-device translation models are ready.
Use the camera for menus and signs, or the voice tab to talk with locals — both fall back to on-device translation when the network is blocked.
No account, no sign-up, no VPN configuration — open the app and translate.

Common questions

About this guide

Why doesn't Google Translate work in China?

Google's translation servers are blocked by the Great Firewall, so the app can't reach them without a VPN. Tova avoids the problem because it can run translation on your phone when a server is unreachable, instead of going dark.

Do I need to download anything before I fly?

Download Tova before you go so the on-device models are in place. After that the camera, voice, and text translation keep working with no connection.

Is a VPN ever required for Tova?

No. Tova is built so the core translation never depends on a server you can't reach inside China. There is nothing to configure.

Download on theApp Store