Terms & Conditions

These Terms & Conditions ("Terms") govern the engagement between Lingara ("the studio", "we", "us") and the person or organization commissioning a translation, review, or retainer engagement ("you", "the client"). By sending us a document for quote and confirming the quote in writing, you accept these Terms.

1. Definitions

• Engagement: a Standard Document Translation, Subject-Specialist Programme, Bilingual Document Review, or any other service we agree to provide in writing.
• Source document: the file or files you send to be translated or reviewed.
• Deliverable: the translated file, reviewed file, glossary, or memo we return to you.
• Quote: a written price and turnaround issued by us in response to your enquiry.

2. Acceptance of these Terms

An Engagement is formed when you confirm a written Quote — by email, signed letter, or signed quote document — and we acknowledge the confirmation. You confirm that you are at least 18 years old and that you have authority to enter into the Engagement on behalf of the named client.

3. Description of the service

The studio provides document translation, bilingual review, and related linguistic services as set out on the website at lingarain.pro. The exact scope of any one Engagement is the scope set out in the written Quote we issue.

We do not provide legal advice, financial advice, regulatory advice, or any form of professional opinion on the substance of a translated document. We translate the words and structure of the source faithfully into the target language.

4. Your responsibilities

• You confirm that you have the right to send us the source document and to ask us to translate or review it;
• You will provide reference materials, glossaries, or context where you have them, and will respond to clarifying questions in good time;
• You will pay invoices in accordance with section 7;
• You will not use our deliverables in a way that breaches the law, infringes a third party's rights, or misrepresents the studio's role.

5. Acceptable use

You will not commission us to translate material that promotes hatred, encourages violence, facilitates fraud, or is otherwise prohibited under Hong Kong law. The studio reserves the right to decline any source document on these grounds and to refund any fee already paid for that Engagement.

6. Intellectual property

• You retain ownership of the source document and of the deliverable, on payment in full of the fees due;
• The studio retains the moral right to be identified, on request, as the translator of the deliverable;
• Where we develop a glossary in the course of an Engagement, that glossary is jointly held — you may use it freely; we may retain it to maintain consistency on later work for you, and we will not share it with third parties;
• Translation memory generated through retainer Engagements is held by the studio for the purpose of supporting consistency on your work, and is not used for other clients.

7. Fees and payment

• Fees are as stated in the written Quote, in Hong Kong Dollars, exclusive of bank transfer charges;
• Standard Document Translation: HKD 880 per file up to ~3,000 words, payable on delivery;
• Bilingual Document Review: HKD 2,400 per file, payable on delivery;
• Subject-Specialist Programme: HKD 7,500 per 12-month retainer, payable in advance or in two instalments by agreement;
• Invoices are due within 14 calendar days of issue;
• Late payment may be subject to interest at a rate of 1% per month or part-month.

8. Turnaround and changes

The turnaround stated in the Quote is the period within which we will deliver the deliverable, counted from the date you confirm the Quote. If the source document is materially altered after Engagement begins, we may issue a revised Quote with an adjusted price and turnaround for your written confirmation.

9. Service-specific terms

9.1 Standard Document Translation

One file up to roughly 3,000 words. Files materially over 3,000 words are quoted as a separate Engagement. Source files in image-only or scanned format may carry an additional text-extraction charge, which we will set out in the Quote.

9.2 Subject-Specialist Programme

A 12-month retainer with a defined volume of work in a defined subject area. The defined volume and subject are set out in the Engagement letter at the start of the retainer. Volumes materially in excess of the defined volume are quoted as additional Engagements.

9.3 Bilingual Document Review

A review of an existing parallel-language document. The deliverable is an annotated mark-up of both versions and a short summary memo. The studio does not redraft either version as part of the review.

10. Confidentiality

The studio treats source documents and any personal data they contain as confidential. Every linguist on our roster has signed a written non-disclosure undertaking. We are happy to sign a client-form NDA in addition, on request.

11. Disclaimers

The studio applies professional skill and care to every Engagement. The deliverable is provided on an "as delivered" basis. We do not warrant that a translated document will be accepted by a particular regulator, court, or authority — we deliver work that meets professional translation standards; admissibility decisions rest with the recipient body.

12. Limitation of liability

Our aggregate liability for any one Engagement is capped at the fee paid by you for that Engagement. We are not liable for indirect, incidental, or consequential losses, including lost profits or business opportunity. Nothing in these Terms limits liability for fraud, gross negligence, or any other liability that may not be limited under Hong Kong law.

13. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify the studio against any third-party claim arising from a source document you sent us — for example, a claim that the source document infringed a third party's intellectual property rights — to the extent the claim is not caused by our own negligence.

14. Termination

Either party may terminate an Engagement on written notice if the other materially breaches these Terms and does not cure the breach within fourteen days of being given written notice of it. On termination, you are liable for fees in respect of work already completed.

15. Dispute resolution

We aim to resolve any dispute by good-faith discussion. If discussion does not resolve a dispute within thirty days, the dispute will be referred to mediation under the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC) administered Mediation Rules in force at the time. If mediation does not resolve the dispute, the dispute will be finally resolved by arbitration administered by HKIAC under its Administered Arbitration Rules in force at the time, seated in Hong Kong, in English.

16. General provisions

• Entire agreement: these Terms and the written Quote together form the entire agreement for the Engagement;
• Severability: if any clause is held unenforceable, the remaining clauses continue in force;
• Waiver: a delay in enforcing a right is not a waiver of that right;
• Assignment: neither party may assign rights or obligations without the other's written consent, save that the studio may assign on a sale of substantially all its business;
• Notices: formal notices may be sent by email to [email protected] or by registered post to the studio address.

17. Governing law and jurisdiction

These Terms and any Engagement are governed by the laws of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Subject to section 15, the courts of the Hong Kong SAR have exclusive jurisdiction.

18. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. The effective date at the top reflects the most recent version. Engagements confirmed before the effective date are governed by the version in force at the date of confirmation.

19. Contact

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