RATES – TERMS – CONDITIONS

We welcome your questions about our quality of work, experience, and commitment to fair and honest pricing. Without satisfied clients, we could not have remained in business since 1997.

RATES:

During our many years of working on a variety of projects, we have learned that each one is unique. Therefore, to give you the most accurate estimate of the cost and time required to complete your project, we strongly encourage you to contact us via phone or email to discuss your needs. Our final price quote will depend on the size and complexity of your project, the source and target languages, and the turnaround time you require.

TERMS:

Washington Translation Bureau (WTB) is a Translation Agency and is in the business of providing direct Translation or Interpretation services to clients, using employee Translators and Interpreters, and/or independent contractors.

Work shall constitute the body of work ordered by, and delivered to the client by WTB. The finished product remains the property of WTB, and does not become the property of the client until all charges have been paid in full (See also Copyright Ownership below).

Client shall mean the party who contracts with WTB to perform a body of work, which could include source material of any medium, containing communication to be translated or interpreted, and may comprise text, sound, or images. The Client may be a natural or legal person, including, for example: private individuals, associations, partnerships, political, social, or economic interest groups; or corporate entities.

Translator shall mean the party performing the task of translating a written work from the Source Language to the Target Language. Translators used by WTB are either employees of WTB or are independent contractors, all of whom are qualified to translate in their specific language pairs. The target language is usually the Translator’s native language.

Interpreter shall mean the party performing the task of “translating” a spoken work from the Source Language to the Target Language. In the case of a verbal interchange, the Interpreter may translate from each language into the other. Interpreters used by WTB are either employees of WTB or are independent contractors, all of whom are qualified to interpret in their specific language pairs. In the case of consecutive interpreting, the target language is usually the Interpreter’s native language.

CONDITIONS:

PAYMENT

Payment for the body of work agreed upon between WTB and the client is due and payable on the date of the original invoice. Payment is past due after 15 days from the date of that Invoice. If the invoice is still unpaid after 30 days from the due date, any discount or promotional offer may be cancelled, and the full amount becomes due and payable.

Interest will accrue on all past due balances at the rate of 10% per annum. Dishonored checks will be subject to a $25 fee, in addition to all other charges owed.

If charges remain unpaid after 60 days from the invoice date, WTB reserves the right to immediately commence legal proceedings in order to recover the charges, administrative fees, interest accrued, and all other costs of collection allowed by the laws of the State of Washington, or the jurisdiction in which the legal proceedings commence.

For larger works, and/or works that require expedited delivery times, a pre-payment of 50% of the total quote may be required.

We accept cash, check, money order, Visa, or MasterCard. For credit/debit card payments totaling $1,000.00 or more, we may add a 4% surcharge. Make checks payable to Washington Translation Bureau.

CANCELLATION OF A TRANSLATION ORDER

The client understands that a unique body of work completed by WTB cannot be sold to another client in order to recoup the cost of production. Therefore, if the client has directed WTB to commence a body of work, and then client subsequently cancels the order, the client will be held responsible for payment as follows:

1. If notice of cancellation is delivered to WTB before work has begun, the client may be responsible for the payment of a 10% cancellation fee.
2. If notice of cancellation is received by WTB after work has commenced, the client will pay for all work completed as of the date WTB was able to stop that work.
3. If notice of cancellation is received after the work has been completed, the client is responsible for full payment as agreed to prior to the start of that work.

CANCELLATION OF AN INTERPRETER APPOINTMENT

If the client cancels a scheduled appointment for Interpreter services, the client will be held responsible for payment as follows (Weekends and Holidays not included):

1. If notice of cancellation is received 24 hours or more before the scheduled appointment, no payment is required.
2. If notice of cancellation is received less than 24 hours before the scheduled appointment, and before the Interpreter arrives for the appointment, the client may be responsible for the payment of a two-hour minimum, based on the previously agreed-upon hourly rate.
3. If notice of cancellation is received after the Interpreter has arrived for the appointment, the client will be responsible for full payment of the previously agreed upon appointment duration, up to eight hours.

DELIVERY OF WORK

Any date or time offered by WTB for the delivery of a completed work is intended to be a “best effort” estimate only, and time shall not be of the essence in relation to such delivery. WTB will make all reasonable efforts to meet the estimated date and time, but shall not be liable for any damage or loss arising directly or indirectly from failure to meet such date or time.

WTB shall immediately notify the client indicating the circumstances of any delivery delay, and will work with the client to complete the work as quickly as circumstances allow.

ACCEPTANCE OF WORK

The client shall promptly review the finished work received from WTB, and shall notify WTB of any errors or omissions within 30 days. WTB shall then correct, at no cost to the client, any errors or omissions made by WTB and/or its independent contractors within ten days of written notification. Substantial changes from the original source text may be billed as a new work.

LIABILITY

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, except in the case of willful misconduct or gross negligence, WTB’s entire liability to the client for damages or other amounts arising from or in connection with the services provided by WTB hereunder, shall not exceed the total amount of payments made by the client to WTB under each respective work agreement.

The Client is solely responsible for ensuring that translations prepared by WTB will be accepted by the intended recipient, prior to ordering such work. Any work refused by said recipient must still be paid for by the client.

CONFIDENTIALITY

The body of the work performed, along with any information transmitted to WTB by the client, shall be confidential. WTB shall not, without the prior consent of the client, divulge or otherwise disclose such information to any person other than authorized employees or independent contractors whose work assignment requires such disclosure. This provision shall not apply to information already in, or which will later become, public knowledge.

COPYRIGHT OWNERSHIP

If translation is done as a “work made for hire” as that term is defined under U.S. copyright law, the client retains copyright ownership of the work product. The work product itself remains the property of WTB until paid for, and may not be published, distributed, or otherwise disseminated until that time.

ETHICS

WTB adheres to translation industry ethics and standards, and reserves the right to refuse any work it deems unethical, or to make corrections or changes to any work if said changes are deemed by WTB to materially change the true meaning of the source text.