Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy describes how Lingara ("the studio", "we", "our") collects, uses, and protects personal data in connection with our document translation work and our website at lingarain.pro. Lingara operates from Hong Kong and handles personal data in line with the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (Cap. 486) of the Laws of Hong Kong.

1. Scope of this policy

This policy applies to personal data collected through our website, our quote-request and contact forms, our email correspondence, and the source documents you send for translation or review. It does not apply to third-party websites or services we may link to.

2. Personal data we collect

2.1 Data you give us directly

• Identification data: name and, where given, the name of your organization;
• Contact data: email address, phone number, postal address;
• Brief data: the language pair, subject area, and intended use of the document you are sending for translation;
• Source-document content: the file or files you send to be translated or reviewed, which may incidentally contain personal data of third parties.

2.2 Data collected by the website

• Technical data: IP address, browser type, device type, referring page, pages visited;
• Cookie data: as set out in our Cookie Policy.

3. How we use personal data

We use the personal data we collect for the following purposes:

• To respond to your enquiry and prepare a written quote;
• To carry out a translation, review, or retainer engagement once instructed;
• To issue invoices and process payment;
• To maintain a record of work completed for our own quality and accounting purposes;
• To send service-related communications (delivery memos, status notes, queries on a file in progress);
• To improve the website and our services through aggregated, non-identifying analytics, where you consent.

We do not use personal data from source documents for any purpose other than completing the engagement you have asked us to carry out.

4. Legal basis for processing

We process personal data on one or more of the following bases under the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance and recognised principles of fair processing:

• Performance of, or steps taken to enter into, a contract with you;
• Legitimate business interests in operating, securing, and improving the studio's services;
• Compliance with our legal and accounting obligations;
• Your consent, where given (for example, for non-essential cookies or marketing communications).

5. Sharing personal data

We do not sell personal data. We share personal data only with:

• Resident linguists and reviewers assigned to your file, each of whom has signed a written non-disclosure undertaking with the studio;
• Subject-specialist linguists from our network when a file requires them, again under a written non-disclosure undertaking;
• Our payment processor and accounting provider, for invoicing and bookkeeping;
• Our IT service providers for email and encrypted file storage;
• Public authorities where we are legally required to do so.

6. Storage and security

Source documents and the personal data they contain are held on encrypted storage hosted in Hong Kong. Access is limited to staff and assigned linguists who need it to carry out the engagement, and access events are logged.

We remove source files from active storage thirty days after delivery of the translated or reviewed document, unless you have asked us to retain them for a longer period (for example, to support future work in the same subject under a retainer). Tax and accounting records are retained for the period required by Hong Kong law.

7. International transfers

The studio operates from Hong Kong and our primary storage is in Hong Kong. Where a subject-specialist linguist outside Hong Kong needs to read a file to carry out an engagement, we share only what is necessary, under the same written non-disclosure terms, and we make a record of the transfer.

8. Your rights

Under the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance and recognised data protection principles, you have the right to:

• Ask whether we hold personal data about you, and ask for a copy;
• Ask us to correct personal data that is inaccurate;
• Ask us to delete personal data that is no longer necessary for the purpose for which it was collected;
• Withdraw consent where we are processing on the basis of consent;
• Object to direct marketing — we will stop without further question;
• Lodge a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, Hong Kong.

To exercise any of these rights, write to [email protected]. We will respond within forty calendar days.

9. Cookies

The website uses cookies. The categories of cookie used and how to manage your preferences are described in our Cookie Policy.

10. Third-party links

The website may link to third-party websites — for example, mapping or social media services. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those third parties, and we recommend reading their own policies.

11. Children

The studio does not direct its services at people under the age of 18 and does not knowingly collect personal data from minors. If you believe a minor has sent us personal data, please write to us and we will remove it.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The effective date at the top of the page reflects the most recent version. Material changes will be communicated through a notice on the website.

13. Contact

For questions about this policy or about the personal data we hold:

• Email: [email protected]
• Address: Lingara, 11/F, 21 Mody Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong

The supervisory authority for personal data in Hong Kong is the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, Hong Kong.