Terms and Conditions

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1.     Definitions

1.1     Translator shall mean Andrew Smith trading as “Atranz” carrying out a Translation Job in the normal course of business.  The Translator shall normally be the creator of a Translation Job unless the Client has been explicitly informed that the Translation Job will be subcontracted. 

1.2     Translation Job shall mean the preparation of a translation or any other translation-related task such as revising, editing, proofreading etc., which calls upon the translation skills of the Translator, but not copywriting or adaptation.  

1.3     Client shall mean the party commissioning a Translation Job in the normal course of business. 

1.4     Job Order shall mean an “Atranz” job order form signed by the Client. 

1.5     Source Material shall be understood to mean any text or medium containing a communication which has to be translated or is to be the subject of a translation-related task, and may comprise text, sound or images. 

1.6     Target Material shall be understood to mean any text or medium provided by the Translator containing a translation of the Source Material or the output of the translation-related task.

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2.     Fees

2.1     The fees for a Translation Job shall be determined by a fixed rate per word, per one thousand words, per line of 55 keystrokes or per hour confirmed in writing on the Job Order. 

2.2     The Job Order shall confirm whether the word or line count shall refer to the Source Material or to the Target Material. 

2.3     In the absence of any specific agreement, the fee to be charged shall be determined by the Translator on the basis of the Client's description of the Source Material, the purpose of the Translation Job and any instructions given by the Client.  

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3.     Supplementary Charges

3.1     Work outside normal office hours in order to meet the Client's deadline or other requirements will attract the following supplementary charges:  weekdays after 18.00 hours, 25% of normal fees; Saturday, 50% of normal fees; Sunday, 100% of normal fees. 

3.2     Other supplementary charges, for example those arising from discontinuous text, complicated layout or other forms of layout or presentation requiring additional time or resources, and/or poorly legible copy or poorly audible sound media, and/or terminological research, and/or certification, and/or priority work may also be charged.  The nature of such charges shall be agreed separately in writing, by mail, fax or email, if details are not available for inclusion on the Job Order.

3.3     If any changes are made in the Source Material or the Client's requirements at any time while the Translation Job is in progress, the Translator's fee, any applicable supplementary charges and the terms of delivery shall be adjusted in respect of the additional work.

3.4     Delivery of Target Material will normally be by email or fax.  Where delivery requested by the Client involves expenditure greater than the cost normally incurred for delivery, the additional cost shall be chargeable to the Client.  If the additional cost is incurred as a result of action or inaction by the Translator, it shall not be borne by the Client, unless otherwise agreed.  

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4.     Estimates

4.1     An estimate shall be non-binding, being for guidance or information only, and may be oral or written. 

4.2     Unless in writing and clearly identified as a “Quotation” in accordance with Clause 6.1, all indications of the possible or probable cost of a Translation Job given by the Translator, orally or in writing, shall be deemed to be an estimate. 

4.3     Any fee or rate estimated or agreed by the Translator on the basis of the Client's description of the Translation Job may be subject to amendment by agreement between the parties if, in the Translator's opinion on having seen, heard or worked with the Source Material, that description is materially inadequate or inaccurate.  

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5.     Quotations

5.1     A quotation shall be binding providing a matching Job Order is signed by the Client within 30 days of the date of quotation, otherwise after 30 days from the date of quotation the quotation may be subject to revision.

5.2     Any quotation given by the Translator shall be in writing, by mail or fax only, shall be headed “Quotation” and shall be signed and dated by the Translator.  No fixed quotation shall be given by the Translator until he has seen or heard all the Source Material and has received firm written instructions from the Client.

5.3     Additions or alterations to the Source Material after the date of the quotation and/or information regarding the Source Material emerging after the date of quotation which materially affects the time and/or the skills or expertise required for the Translation Job and which could not have been reasonably foreseen by the Translator shall render the quotation invalid. 

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6.     VAT

6.1     The Translator is VAT registered in the United Kingdom and United Kingdom VAT will be charged at the rate shown on the Job Order in addition to fees on invoices to clients resident in the European Union.  

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7.     Delivery

7.1     A provisional delivery date may be agreed between the Translator and the Client on the Job Order.  Such a delivery date remains provisional until confirmed in writing by the Translator, by mail, fax or email.  Only after the Translator has received a signed Job Order from the Client and has seen or heard all of the Source Material to be translated will the Translator confirm a delivery date. 

7.2     The date of delivery shall not be of the essence unless specifically agreed in writing. 

7.3     Unless otherwise agreed, the Translator shall dispatch the translation in such a way that the Client can reasonably expect to receive it not later than the normal close of business at the Client's premises on the confirmed date of delivery.  

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8.     Payment

8.1     The terms of payment shall be stated on the Job Order and settlement of any invoice, part-invoice or other payment shall be made by the Client in accordance with the stated terms.  In the absence of any specific agreement payment in full to the Translator shall be effected not later than 30 days from the date of invoice by one of the methods of payment specified on the invoice. 

8.2     The Client shall be responsible for all bank charges arising in effecting payment.  The Translator reserves the right to recover from the Client any deductions from the invoice amount incurred during the payment transaction. 

8.3     The Translator may impose at his discretion a surcharge on invoice payments made by credit card. 

8.4     For long Translation Jobs, the Translator may request an initial payment and periodic partial payments on terms to be agreed. 

8.5     Interest shall automatically be applied at the rate of 8% annum over Bank of England base rate (or such rate as is determined by United Kingdom statute, the latter prevailing) to all overdue sums from the date on which they first become due until they are paid in full. 

8.6     Where delivery is in instalments and notice has been given that an interim payment is overdue, the Translator shall have the right to stop work on the Translation Job in hand until the outstanding payment is made or other terms agreed.  This action shall be without prejudice to any sums due and without any liability whatsoever to the Client or any third party.

8.7     Until payment has been received in full the Target Material remains the property of the Translator and the Client has no right of use.  Likewise, any transfer of copyright in the Target Material agreed on the Job Order shall only be effected upon receipt of full payment.  

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9.     Copyright in Source Material, Translation Rights

9.1     The Translator accepts an order from the Client on the understanding that performance of the Translation Job will not infringe any third party rights. 

9.2     The Client undertakes to keep the Translator harmless from any claim for infringement of copyright and/or other intellectual property rights in all cases. 

9.3     The Client likewise undertakes to keep the Translator harmless from any legal action including defamation which may arise as a result of the content of the original Source Material or its translation.  

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10.  Copyright in Target Material

10.1  The terms of copyright in the Target Material shall be stated on the Job Order.  In the absence of any such statement copyright in the Target Material remains the property of the Translator. 

10.2  The Translator may use and sell or resell any non-confidential Target Material or any part or record thereof not covered by copyright, the United Kingdom Official Secrets Act, legal professional privilege or public interest immunity. 

10.3  Where copyright is assigned or licensed (formally in writing as required by § 90 of the United Kingdom Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1998, to take valid effect in law, or informally without writing but taking valid effect in equity outside the 1988 Act) this shall be effective only on payment of an agreed fee in full at the discretion of the Translator.

10.4  Where the Translator retains the copyright on any Target Material, unless otherwise agreed in writing, publication of such Target Material shall not proceed without the signed approval of final proofs by the Translator.  Any such published Target Material shall also carry the following statement:
"
p (English) Andrew Smith (Year date)". 

10.5  Where the Translator does not retain the copyright on Target Material, unless otherwise agreed in writing, any publication of such Target Material shall not identify the Translator in any way.

10.6  Whether or not the Translator retains copyright, where Target Material is to be incorporated into a Client’s or third party’s translation memory system or any other corpus the Translator shall license use of the Target Material for this purpose and may levy a fee.  Such incorporation and use shall only take place after the licence for the purpose has been granted by the Translator in writing and any agreed fee has been paid in full.  It shall be the duty of the Client to notify the Translator that such use will be made of the Target Material.

10.7  Whether or not the Translator retains copyright and notwithstanding the terms of confidentiality, the Source Material and related Target Material may be incorporated into the Translator’s own translation memory system and/or terminology management system as part of the Translation Job process and for his own use in the normal course of business.  The necessary permission, licence or assignment of copyright between the Translator and the Client shall be agreed in writing on the Job Order.

10.8  The Translator shall have the right to retain hardcopy and electronic copies of the Source Material and Target Material regardless of the terms of copyright.  

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11.  Right of Integrity

11.1  All Target Material is subject to the Translator's right of integrity. 

11.2  If Target Material is in any way amended or altered without the written permission of the Translator, he shall not be in any way liable for amendments made or their consequences. 

11.3  If the Translator retains the copyright in Target Material, or if Target Material is to be used for legal purposes, no amendment or alteration may be made to the Target Material without the Translator's written permission. 

11.4  The right of integrity may be specifically waived in advance by the Translator in writing.  

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12.  Confidentiality, Safekeeping of Documents and Files

12.1  No documents for a Translation Job shall be deemed to be confidential unless this is expressly stated by the Client on the Job Order.  However the Translator shall at all times exercise due discretion in respect of disclosure to any third party of any information contained in the Client's original documents or related Target Material without the express authorisation of the Client.  Nevertheless a third party may be consulted over specific translation terminology queries, provided that there is no disclosure of confidential material.

12.2  The Translator shall be responsible for the safekeeping of the Client's documents, once received.  However, the Translator accepts no responsibility for the confidentiality of, or loss or damage to any documents or data whilst such documents or data are in transit, electronically or otherwise.  If requested to do so by the Client, the Translator shall insure documents in transit from the Translator, at the Client's expense.

12.3  The Translator shall protect electronic files with anti-virus software as far as is reasonably practicable and shall not be liable for damage to files or computer systems caused by viruses unwittingly forwarded to Clients or third parties.  It shall be the responsibility of the Client or third parties to protect their own systems and check all electronic files sent to them.  

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13.  Cancellation and Frustration

13.1  If a Translation Job is commissioned and subsequently cancelled, reduced in scope or frustrated by an act or omission on the part of the Client or any third party the Client shall except in the circumstances described in 13.3 pay the Translator the full contract sum unless otherwise agreed.  The work completed shall be made available to the Client. 

13.2  If a Client goes into liquidation or has a Receiver appointed or becomes insolvent, bankrupt or enters into any arrangement with creditors the Translator shall have the right to terminate a contract.

13.3  Neither the Translator nor the Client shall be liable to the other or any third party for consequences which are the result of circumstances wholly beyond the control of either party.  The Translator shall notify the Client as soon as is reasonably practical of any circumstances likely to prejudice the Translator's ability to comply with the terms of the Job Order, and assist the Client as far as reasonably practical to identify an alternative solution.  

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14.  Complaints and Disputes

14.1  Failure by the Translator to meet agreed Job Order requirements or to provide Target Material which is fit for its stated purpose shall entitle the Client to either reduce, with the Translator's consent, the fee payable for work done by a sum equal to the reasonable cost necessary to remedy the deficiencies, and/or cancel any further instalments of work being undertaken by the Translator.  Such entitlement shall only apply after the Translator has been given one opportunity to bring the work up to the required standard.  This entitlement shall not apply unless the Translator has been notified in writing of all alleged defects.  Any complaint in connection with a job shall be notified to the Translator by the Client (or vice-versa) within one month of the date of delivery of the Target Material. 

14.2  If the parties are unable to agree, the matter may be referred by the more diligent party to the Arbitration Committee of the Institute of Translation and Interpreting , 377 City Road, London, EC1V 1ND, UK.  Such referral shall be made no later than two months from the date on which the original complaint was made. 

14.3  If a dispute cannot be resolved amicably between the parties, or if either party refuses to accept arbitration, the parties shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the Courts of England and Wales.

14.4  In any event these terms shall be construed in accordance with English law.  

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15.  Responsibility and Liability

15.1  The Translation Job shall be carried out by the Translator using reasonable skill and care and in accordance with the provisions and spirit of the Code of Professional Conduct of the Institute of Translation and Interpreting.  Time and expense permitting, the Translator shall use his best endeavours to do the work to the best of his ability, knowledge and belief, and consulting such authorities as are reasonably available to him at the time.  Target Material shall be fit for its stated purpose and target readership, and the level of quality specified.  Unless specified in the Job Order, the quality of Target Material required shall be deemed to be at  “for information" level.

15.2  The liability of the Translator on any grounds whatsoever shall be limited to the invoiced value of the work, except where, in connection with any consequences which are reasonably foreseeable, the potential for such liability is expressly notified to the Translator in writing on the Job Order, and such liability is restricted to an agreed limit of cover under the Translator’s professional indemnity insurance cover.  

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16.  Unfair competition

16.1  Where in the course of business the Translator's Client is an intermediary and introduces the Translator to a third-party work provider, the Translator shall not knowingly, for a period of 6 months from return of the last Translation Job arising from the introduction, approach the said third party for the purpose of soliciting work, nor work for the third party in any capacity involving translation, without the Client's written consent. 

16.2  Clause 16.1 shall not apply where: the third-party work provider has had previous dealings with the Translator; or the Translator acts on the basis of information in the public domain; or the approach from the third party is independent of the relationship with the intermediary; or the approach to the third party arises as the result of broadband advertising; or the third party is seeking suppliers on the open market; or the intermediary only makes isolated use of the Translator's services.  

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17.  Applicability and Integrity

17.1  These Terms and Conditions shall be construed jointly with the Code of Professional Conduct of the Institute of Translation and Interpreting.  They shall also be subject to any detailed requirements or variants expressly specified in the Job Order relating to a particular Translation Job.  No waiver of any breach of any condition in this document shall be considered as a waiver of any subsequent breach of the same or any other provision.

JANUARY 2002

 

 

Copyright © 2005 Andrew Smith.  All rights reserved.  Alle Rechte vorbehalten.
Last updated / Letzte Änderung: 06 / 2005
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