Terms of sale

We can all be friends, but some ground rules help.

These terms of sale describe the services, the question of confidentiality for the client, the procedures of payment and cancellation of the linguistic services (including the translation, proofreading and copywriting services described on this website) offered by Mirrors Translations and its founder, Simon Lupcin, hereinafter generally named “the translator”.

1. APPLICABILITY OF TERMS OF SALE
All orders placed imply the client’s full acceptance of these terms of sale, without any reservation whatsoever and to the exclusion of any other document. No special terms will take precedence over these terms of sale unless expressly stated in writing on the final and binding purchase order. That the translator does not exercise one or more of the provisions in these terms of sale shall not be interpreted as a waiver of the translator’s right to exercise any of the provisions in these terms of sale at a later date.

2. QUOTE
Each order placed by the client shall be preceded by a free quote issued by the translator based on the documents to be translated or information or a briefing provided by the client. The quote the translator sends to the client shall include:
Translation:
– The number of words or pages to be translated;
– The way in which the translation was priced. A translation is billed either at a flat rate, at an hourly rate, or based on the translator’s rates at the time the quote is prepared. This will generally be based on the number of words in the source text (the text to be translated) according the Statistics function in Microsoft Word;
– The date of delivery of the translation;
– The format of the translated documents in case a specific layout has been requested;
– Any special rates applied because of urgency, specific research, or any other service that goes beyond the services usually provided by the translator.
Proofreading and copywriting:
– The number of words or pages to be proofread;
– The way in which the proofreading/copywriting service was priced. The service is billed either at a flat rate or at an hourly rate;
– The date of delivery of the proofread/written text;
– The format of the documents in case a specific layout has been requested;
– Any special rates applied because of urgency, specific research, or any other service that goes beyond the services usually provided by the translator.

3. ORDER
To give final confirmation for an order, the client must return to the translator via email the unaltered quote with the client’s written approval. If the translator does not receive the order confirmation, the translator reserves the right not to commence work on the project concerned. The client is to provide the translator with all necessary documents and information for the requested service within a reasonable delay, mentioned on the quote. If the client fails to provide the translator with the documents within the agreed period, the translator shall offer adjournment of the project according to his planning. This adjournment cannot lead to the cancellation of the contract by the client nor to the refund of any potential deposit the client would have already paid.
The translator reserves the right, after informing the client, to charge an additional fee and/or not to adhere to the delivery date on the client’s initial order in the following cases:
– Modification of documents or the addition of documents by the client after the initial quote was prepared by the translator, in which case the translator reserves the right to adjust the rate based on the additional volume of work estimated or requested;
– If the documents were not furnished during the quote preparation process;
– If the initial quote was based on the client’s estimation of the number of words and an excerpt of the text.
In the event of a complaint, the quote, these terms of sale and the copy of the carried out work shall be proof of the agreement between the client and the translator.

4. DEPOSIT
Any order exceeding Euro 1,000.00 (one thousand) excluding tax may be subject to a deposit, the amount of which shall be clearly stipulated in the quote. In this particular case, work shall begin only once the payment has cleared.

5. THE TRANSLATOR’S OBLIGATIONS
The translator agrees to provide a translation that is as faithful as possible to the original and that complies with professional standards. He shall do everything possible to take into account and include in the translation information provided by the client (glossaries, drawings, diagrams, abbreviations, etc.). The translator shall not be held liable for any inconsistencies or ambiguities in the source text, the verification of the final text’s technical coherence remaining the client’s sole responsibility.

6. THE CLIENT’S OBLIGATIONS
The client shall provide the translator with all of the texts to be translated and all of the technical information required to understand the text and, if necessary, the specific terminology required. If the client fails to do so, the translator shall not be held liable if the translation does not conform to the client’s standards or if delivery is late.

7. CONFIDENTIALITY
The translator agrees to preserve the confidentiality of all information the translator becomes aware of before, during, and after providing services. The translator shall always ask the client’s permission before he mentions the client’s name and/or the type of work asked by the client in the translator’s references.

8. RESPONSABILITY AND DELIVERY DEADLINE
The liability of the translator on any grounds whatsoever shall be limited to the invoiced value of the work. Under no circumstances shall the translator be held liable for claims related to nuances of style. It is expressly agreed that delivery deadlines are provided for information only and that missed deadlines shall not be considered grounds for penalties. The translator shall not be held liable for direct or indirect harm to the client or a third party resulting from late delivery due to, amongst other potential problems, force majeure.

9. POTENTIAL CORRECTION OF THE DELIVERED WORK
The translator shall limit his work to the services mentioned on the quote. If, during the execution of the service, the client wishes to modify or add new texts, a new quote shall be provided based on the nature of the newly requested services.
From the time the ordered texts are delivered, the client has 72 hours to ask the translator to make some adaptations to the delivered text. There shall be only one round of corrections. The requested adaptations must be slight. The corrections cannot be about new pieces of information unforeseen in the quote or not provided by the client before the beginning of the execution of the requested service. If the client requests more adaptations, all corrections or proofreading shall be subject to extra invoicing based on the translator’s hourly rates usually offered.
Once this 72-hour period has expired, no further modifications can be carried out without a new quote and, therefore, a new order.

10. PAYMENT
Unless otherwise mentioned on the quote, payment in full to the translator shall be made no later than 30 days from the date of invoice. In the event of late payments, orders in progress can be unilaterally interrupted until full payment is received. An extra fee of 5 to 50% of the initial fee mentioned on the invoice can be requested per day of late payment. Translations remain the property of the translator until payment has been received in full.

11. COPYRIGHT
Before undertaking to have a document translated, the client must ensure that this does not infringe on any third-party rights. Therefore, the client must be the author of the original document or have obtained written permission to have the document translated from the party holding the copyrights to the document.
If these conditions have not been ensured by the client, under no circumstances shall the translator be held liable if all or a portion of the documents to be translated were to infringe on the rights of a third party or violate any applicable regulations. If this were to occur, the client shall be held solely liable for any harm or financial consequences resulting from the client’s negligence.

12. CANCELLATION
If work that is commissioned is subsequently cancelled after work has commenced, for whatever reason and notified in writing by the client to the translator, the client shall pay the translator the full contract sum for the work completed and 50% (fifty percent) for the uncompleted work.

13. COMPLAINTS
If the client is not entirely satisfied with the translator’s work, the client shall contact the translator within 72 hours after he received the requested texts and both parties shall try to find an amiable solution, if possible following the procedure described in article 9 of these terms. In the event of a complaint or dispute of any nature whatsoever, the translator and the client agree to attempt to settle the complaint or dispute amicably. If need be and if the dispute between both parties remains unsettled, the dispute shall be redirected to the competent court, following the applicable Belgian laws.