Terms & Conditions

1. About Metargem & Partners

METARGEM & PARTNERS LTD (“Metargem & Partners”, “Metargem”, “we”, “us” or “our”) is a language services company providing translation, interpreting and related language services to private individuals, businesses, professional organizations and public-sector clients.

Services may be provided directly under the Metargem & Partners name or through commercial brands operated by Metargem & Partners.

These Terms and Conditions apply to services contracted directly with METARGEM & PARTNERS LTD unless separate written terms have been expressly agreed.

2. Services

Metargem & Partners provides language and related services including, where applicable:

• translation;
• certified and official translation;
• proofreading and revision;
• interpreting;
• transcription;
• localization;
• notarization arrangements;
• apostille and legalization services;
• document handling and delivery;
• other related language services agreed with the client.

The precise scope of each assignment is defined by the relevant quotation, order confirmation, purchase order or other written commissioning document.

3. Quotations and Orders

Quotations are prepared on the basis of the information, documents and instructions supplied by the client.

A quotation may take into account factors including language combination, document type, word or page count, subject matter, formatting requirements, required delivery time, certification requirements and any additional services requested.

Once a quotation has been accepted, it applies only to the scope of work on which it was based.

If the documents or instructions supplied differ materially from those originally submitted, Metargem & Partners may revise the price, scope or delivery timeframe.

Any material change will be communicated to the client before additional work is carried out.

An order is considered confirmed when the client accepts the quotation, issues an accepted purchase order, makes payment where advance payment is required, or otherwise provides written authorization to begin the work.

4. Client Responsibilities

The client is responsible for providing complete and accurate documents, information and instructions.

The client should inform Metargem & Partners of:

• the intended purpose of the translation or interpreting service;
• the target language and any required regional variant;
• the intended audience;
• any relevant terminology or reference material;
• any certification or official requirements;
• any required formatting;
• any deadline or scheduling requirements;
• any other information that may materially affect the service.

The client is responsible for checking that the documents submitted are the correct documents and that all relevant pages or files have been included.

Metargem & Partners will not be responsible for errors or delays resulting directly from incomplete, incorrect, misleading or illegible source material supplied by the client.

5. Linguists and Professional Resources

Metargem & Partners selects translators, interpreters, revisers and other language professionals according to the requirements of the assignment.

We take reasonable steps to use linguists whose qualifications, experience, language competence and subject-matter knowledge are appropriate for the work entrusted to them.

Assignments may be carried out by employees, freelance linguists or specialist subcontractors selected and managed by Metargem & Partners.

Where appropriate to the agreed service, translation work may be subject to revision, proofreading or other quality-control procedures before delivery.

Metargem & Partners remains responsible for managing the client relationship and the commissioned service even where part of the work is entrusted to an approved subcontractor.

6. Quality and Fitness for Purpose

Metargem & Partners undertakes to perform language services with reasonable professional care and skill.

Quality procedures are applied according to the nature, purpose and agreed requirements of each assignment.

The client should inform us before the work begins of any specific requirements imposed by an authority, institution, court, government body, regulator or other receiving organization.

Where an error attributable to Metargem & Partners is identified, we will correct it without additional charge.

For translation services, justified corrections will be made as often as reasonably necessary to bring the translation into conformity with the service originally commissioned.

Changes resulting from new client instructions, amendments to the source document, stylistic preferences or requirements not communicated before the work began may be treated as additional work.

7. Certified and Official Translations

Where certified, official, notarized, legalized or apostilled translation services are requested, the exact form of certification or authentication will be determined by the service ordered and the requirements communicated by the client.

Metargem & Partners will take reasonable steps to provide a translation and certification appropriate to the stated purpose.

Where a certification service depends on a notary, authority, embassy, consulate, government department or other third party, that third party remains responsible for its own decision and processing time.

The final acceptance of any translation by a receiving authority or organization remains outside the direct control of Metargem & Partners.

The client is therefore encouraged to confirm any specific requirements of the receiving body before placing the order.

8. Interpreting Services

Interpreting assignments may be provided in person, by telephone, by video conference or through another agreed format.

The client must provide accurate information regarding the date, time, duration, venue or connection details, language combination, subject matter and type of interpreting required.

Where reasonably necessary for quality or working conditions, Metargem & Partners may assign more than one interpreter to an assignment.

Additional time beyond the confirmed booking may be charged subject to interpreter availability.

Cancellation and rescheduling terms may be specified in the quotation or order confirmation.

9. Delivery Timeframes

The delivery timeframe normally begins once:

• the order has been confirmed;
• all required documents and instructions have been received; and
• payment has been received where advance payment is required.

Where documents or instructions are provided late, the delivery timeframe may be adjusted accordingly.

Metargem & Partners will make reasonable efforts to meet agreed delivery deadlines.

Where a deadline depends on a third party, including a notary, public authority, postal operator or courier, the relevant third-party processing time cannot be guaranteed by Metargem & Partners.

10. Fees and Payment

Unless otherwise agreed in writing, services are payable in advance.

Approved business clients may be granted deferred payment terms.

Where payment terms are specified in an accepted purchase order or separate written agreement, those terms will apply.

Where no alternative payment terms have been agreed with an approved business client, invoices are payable within thirty (30) days of the invoice date.

Any additional work requested outside the agreed scope may be subject to an additional charge.

Metargem & Partners may suspend further work or delivery where invoices are overdue.

11. Changes to an Assignment

The client may request changes to an assignment after confirmation.

Where such changes affect the volume, language, subject matter, service type, certification requirements, formatting or delivery timetable, Metargem & Partners may revise the price or deadline.

Replacement or amended source documents supplied after work has begun may require additional translation, revision or formatting work and may therefore be charged separately.

12. Confidentiality

Metargem & Partners treats client information and documents as confidential.

Confidential information will not be disclosed to third parties except where reasonably necessary to provide the commissioned service, where the client has authorized disclosure, or where disclosure is required by law.

Translators, interpreters and other professional suppliers engaged for client assignments are expected to respect the confidentiality requirements relevant to the work they undertake.

We take reasonable steps to ensure that confidential information is handled securely throughout the service process.

13. Data Protection and Security

Metargem & Partners processes personal information only where reasonably necessary for the management and delivery of its services, administration of the client relationship, compliance obligations and legitimate business operations.

Reasonable organizational and technical measures are used to protect client information from unauthorized access, loss, misuse or disclosure.

Where external technology or service providers are used, only the information reasonably necessary for the relevant function will be shared.

Further information regarding personal data processing may be provided in the applicable Privacy Policy.

14. Subcontractors and Third-Party Services

Metargem & Partners may use suitably selected subcontractors and external service providers where reasonably necessary to perform an assignment.

These may include translators, interpreters, revisers, proofreaders, notaries, localization specialists, technical service providers, couriers and other professional suppliers.

Metargem & Partners takes reasonable steps to select providers appropriate to the service being performed.

Where an element of the service depends entirely on an independent authority or external provider, Metargem & Partners cannot control that third party’s processing times, decisions or operational failures.

15. Complaints and Corrections

Any complaint concerning a service should be submitted in writing by email within thirty (30) days of delivery.

The client should clearly identify:

• the assignment concerned;
• the specific passages or issues disputed;
• the nature of the alleged error;
• any relevant reference material or requirements.

Metargem & Partners will review the complaint and, where an error attributable to us is confirmed, will make appropriate corrections without additional charge.

Our preferred approach is to resolve quality concerns through review and correction wherever reasonably possible.

Where correction does not provide an appropriate resolution, a full or partial refund may be considered according to the circumstances, the work already performed, the costs incurred and the respective responsibilities of the parties.

16. Cancellation

Cancellation requests must be submitted in writing.

Where an assignment is cancelled before work has begun and before any non-refundable costs have been incurred, a full refund may be provided.

Where work has already begun, a full or partial refund may be provided according to the stage reached, the work already carried out and any costs already incurred.

Third-party costs already committed or paid may be non-refundable.

For interpreting assignments, cancellation charges may also reflect interpreter reservation, preparation, travel or accommodation commitments.

17. Postal and Courier Services

Where physical delivery is requested, the client is responsible for providing an accurate and complete delivery address.

Additional charges may apply where a shipment must be resent because the address supplied by the client was incorrect or incomplete.

Where an item is lost or returned due to circumstances attributable to the postal or courier service despite a correct address having been supplied, Metargem & Partners may arrange one replacement shipment without additional charge after verification.

Postal and courier delivery times are outside the direct control of Metargem & Partners.

18. Intellectual Property

The client retains all rights held in the source documents and materials supplied for the assignment.

Once all amounts due have been paid, the client may use the completed translation for its intended purpose and for any other lawful purpose, unless otherwise agreed.

Metargem & Partners retains ownership of its internal systems, procedures, templates, workflows, terminology resources, translation memories, know-how and other proprietary business materials.

The client confirms that it has the necessary rights to provide source materials to Metargem & Partners for processing.

19. Liability

Metargem & Partners will provide its services with reasonable professional care and skill.

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Metargem & Partners will not be responsible for loss caused by inaccurate or incomplete client instructions, defective or ambiguous source material, or decisions and delays attributable solely to independent third parties.

Metargem & Partners will not be liable for indirect or consequential losses, including loss of profit, business opportunity or anticipated savings, except where such limitation is prohibited by law.

Except where liability cannot lawfully be limited, Metargem & Partners’ aggregate liability arising from an assignment will not exceed the amount paid or payable for the service giving rise to the claim.

Nothing in these Terms excludes any liability that cannot lawfully be excluded.

20. Force Majeure

Metargem & Partners will not be liable for failure or delay caused by circumstances outside its reasonable control.

Such circumstances may include natural disasters, severe weather, fire, war, civil disturbance, government action, strikes, utility or telecommunications failures, cyber incidents, widespread technology failures, transport disruption or sudden unavailability of essential personnel.

Where such an event materially affects an assignment, Metargem & Partners will take reasonable steps to minimize disruption and inform the client where appropriate.

21. Professional Conduct

Metargem & Partners aims to conduct its business with integrity, professionalism, fairness and respect.

We expect our employees, linguists, subcontractors, suppliers and clients to communicate and work together in a professional manner.

Metargem & Partners may refuse or discontinue an assignment involving unlawful or fraudulent activity, conflicts with professional obligations, abusive conduct, or circumstances creating an unreasonable legal, security or professional risk.

22. Conflicts of Interest

Metargem & Partners takes reasonable steps to identify and avoid conflicts of interest that may materially affect an assignment.

Where a relevant conflict is identified, we may disclose it to the affected parties where appropriate and may decline or discontinue the assignment if the conflict cannot reasonably be managed.

23. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

These Terms and Conditions and services contracted directly with METARGEM & PARTNERS LTD are governed by the laws of Seychelles, except where mandatory provisions of another jurisdiction apply.

In the event of a complaint or dispute, the parties should first attempt to resolve the matter in good faith through written communication.

Where a dispute cannot be resolved amicably, it will be subject to the jurisdiction of the competent courts of Seychelles, subject to any mandatory jurisdictional rights applicable to the client.

24. Separate Brand Terms

Metargem & Partners operates or supports commercial brands through which language services may be offered in particular markets.

Where a client contracts through a specific brand and that brand has its own applicable Terms and Conditions, those brand-specific terms will govern the relevant order to the extent stated in them.

25. Changes to These Terms

Metargem & Partners may update these Terms and Conditions from time to time.

The version applicable to an assignment will normally be the version in force when the assignment is confirmed, unless otherwise agreed in writing.