Real world but maybe slightly noobish question here...

When Google shuts down an API, how much of it is actually shut down?

For example: I know they said they shut down the free Translation API back in 2011. If you go to their website they go on and on about how you have to pay for every use now...except...with a very simple query I can still throw requests through a Google server for free translations without any API key. So it's obviously not actually shut down.

So when an API shuts down, is it actually shut down or does it keep on living just in secret hoping nobody notices? Is Translate a secret but maybe not so secret exception?