Carlow Translations – Privacy Policy

Last Updated 01 August 2026

1. Introduction

Carlow Translation Services (“Carlow Translations”, “we”, “us” or “our”) respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share and protect personal information when you:

• Visit or use our website;
• Request a quotation;
• Upload documents for assessment or translation;
• Purchase or use our translation, transcription, proofreading, editing or related services;
• Communicate with us by email, telephone, WhatsApp or an online form; or
• Otherwise provide information to us.

We process personal information in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (“POPIA”) and other applicable South African laws.

2. Responsible Party and Contact Details

The responsible party for personal information processed under this Privacy Policy is:

Business: Carlow Translation Services
Responsible person/Information Officer: Lance Gert Carlow
Physical or registered address: Port Edward, Kwa-Zulu Natal, 4184
Email: admin@carlowtranslations.com
Telephone: +27 84 756 5504

Questions or requests concerning personal information may be directed to the Information Officer using these contact details.

3. Personal Information We Collect

Depending on the service requested, we may collect and process:

• Names, surnames and contact details;
• Residential, postal or business addresses;
• Identity numbers, passport numbers, visa information and nationality;
• Copies of identity documents, passports and photographs;
• Birth, marriage, divorce, adoption and death certificates;
• Police clearances, affidavits, court records, contracts and other legal documents;
• Immigration forms and supporting evidence;
• Academic records, certificates, diplomas, transcripts, theses and professional qualifications;
• Employment, financial or business records;
• Medical certificates, reports and other health-related documents;
• Audio recordings, handwritten material and manuscripts;
• Information concerning family members, dependants or other people named in submitted documents;
• Quotation, invoice, order and payment information;
• Correspondence and service instructions; and
• Technical information such as IP address, browser type, device information, cookies and website usage data.

We only request information reasonably necessary to assess, quote for, perform and deliver the requested service.

4. Special Personal Information

Documents submitted for translation may contain sensitive information classified under POPIA as special personal information. This may include information concerning:

• Health or medical history;
• Race or ethnic origin;
• Religious or philosophical beliefs;
• Political views;
• Trade-union membership;
• Sex life;
• Biometric information; or
• Alleged or proven criminal conduct.

We process special personal information only where legally permitted, where it is necessary to provide the requested service and, where required, with the data subject’s express consent.

Clients should not submit sensitive information that is unrelated to the requested service. Where possible, irrelevant information should be removed or redacted before documents are uploaded.

5. Information About Children and Other People

A submitted document may contain personal information belonging to a child, family member, employee, customer or another person.

By submitting information about another person, you confirm that you are authorised to provide it and to instruct us to process it for the requested service. Where a document contains a child’s personal information, you confirm that you are the child’s competent guardian or have lawful authority or consent to submit that information.

6. How We Collect Information

We may collect information:

• Directly from you through forms, uploads, email, WhatsApp or other communications;
• From a person acting on your behalf;
• From documents and recordings submitted for our services;
• Through our website, cookies and related technologies;
• Through payment, ecommerce and communication providers; or
• From publicly available or legally authorised sources where necessary.

7. Why We Process Personal Information

We may process personal information to:

• Assess documents and prepare quotations;
• Confirm instructions and communicate with clients;
• Translate, transcribe, proofread, edit, certify, format or review documents;
• Allocate work to a suitably qualified translator, editor or service provider;
• Verify names, dates, terminology and document consistency;
• Create and manage client accounts and orders;
• Process payments, issue invoices and maintain transaction records;
• Deliver completed work;
• Respond to enquiries, complaints or correction requests;
• Maintain financial, tax and business records;
• Prevent fraud, misuse and security threats;
• Protect or enforce our legal rights;
• Comply with legal and regulatory obligations; and
• Improve the security and operation of our website and services.

We will not use documents submitted for translation for unrelated marketing, advertising, automated profiling or artificial-intelligence model training without separate, informed permission.

8. Grounds for Processing

Depending on the circumstances, we process personal information because:

• You have consented to the processing;
• Processing is necessary to conclude or perform a contract with you;
• Processing is required by law;
• Processing protects a legitimate interest of the client, data subject or Carlow Translation Services; or
• You have deliberately made the information public.

Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw that consent. Withdrawal will not invalidate processing already undertaken lawfully, and it may prevent us from continuing or completing the service.

9. Document Uploads and Temporary Website Storage

Documents uploaded through our website may initially be stored temporarily on the website server or within the form, ecommerce or order-management system.

Authorised personnel will retrieve the documents and, where required, transfer them to our designated secure working or cloud-storage environment. Website-hosted copies will be deleted within 30 days after successful transfer, unless they must be retained temporarily to resolve an upload failure, quotation query, dispute or legal requirement.

Uploading files through the website does not make them publicly accessible. Access is limited to authorised persons and service providers who require the information for the requested service.

Clients should not send document uploads through ordinary website contact forms unless the form is specifically identified as a secure document-upload facility.

10. Cloud Storage and Working Copies

Client documents may be stored or processed using Google Drive.

During the service, authorised translators or editors may create controlled working copies. These may include downloaded source documents, translation files, terminology notes and completed documents.

Working copies must be protected against unauthorised access and deleted from personal devices and temporary working locations within 3 days after the assignment is completed, subject to legal, contractual or dispute-related retention requirements.

Cloud providers may store or process information on servers located outside South Africa. Cross-border processing is addressed in section 13 below.

11. Payments

Payments made through the website are processed by Payfast.

The payment provider may collect information required to authorise and record the transaction, including the payer’s name, billing information, payment method and transaction details. Payment-card information is submitted directly to the payment provider where the checkout system is configured in this manner.

Carlow Translation Services does not intentionally store complete payment-card numbers or card security codes on its own systems.

Payment providers process information according to their own privacy notices and security procedures. We may receive limited transaction information such as the payer’s name, amount, payment status, transaction reference and date.

12. Associate Translators and Service Providers

Carlow Translation Services works with selected associate translators, editors, proofreaders and other service providers in South Africa and internationally.

Only the information reasonably required to perform the assignment will be shared. Where practicable, identifying details that are unnecessary for the work will be removed or redacted.

Persons receiving client information are required to:

• Use it only for the assigned service;
• Preserve its confidentiality;
• Implement appropriate security safeguards;
• Prevent unauthorised copying or disclosure;
• Notify us of any suspected security incident; and
• Return or securely delete the information when it is no longer required.

We may also use website hosts, cloud-storage providers, payment processors, email providers, form providers, IT support services, accountants and professional advisers. These providers may process information only for legitimate service or legal purposes.

We do not sell or rent client information.

13. International Transfers

Because we work with associate translators and technology providers located in different countries, personal information may be transferred to, stored in or accessed from outside South Africa.

We will make international transfers only where permitted by section 72 of POPIA. Depending on the circumstances, this may include:

• Transferring information to a recipient subject to a law, binding agreement or corporate rules providing an adequate level of protection;
• Obtaining the data subject’s consent;
• Transferring information where necessary to perform or conclude a contract in the data subject’s interests; or
• Relying on another lawful exception recognised by POPIA.

Where appropriate, overseas associates will be subject to written confidentiality, data-protection and security obligations.

By requesting a service requiring an overseas language specialist, you acknowledge that controlled international access may be necessary. Where consent is the appropriate legal basis, we will obtain it before making the transfer.

14. Information Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against loss, damage, unauthorised destruction, unlawful access or disclosure.

These measures may include:

• Restricted access based on work responsibilities;
• Password-protected accounts and systems;
• Encryption where supported by the relevant service;
• Secure website connections using HTTPS;
• Controlled document-transfer procedures;
• Confidentiality requirements for staff and associates;
• Security screening of relevant service providers;
• Software updates, backups and malware protection;
• Secure deletion procedures; and
• Incident-response and notification procedures.

No internet transmission or storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. Clients should use the designated upload facility and avoid sending highly sensitive documents through unsecured channels.

15. Retention and Deletion

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, or as required by law, contract, tax, accounting, professional standards or a legitimate dispute.

Our intended retention periods are:

• Unaccepted quotation documents: 7 days after quotation expiry;
• Website-upload copies: 30 days after secure transfer;
• Translator working copies: 30 days after completion;
• Final translations and source documents: 30 days after delivery;
• Invoices and financial records: for the legally required accounting or tax period;
• Enquiry correspondence: 30 days after the enquiry is closed; and
• Website security logs: 30 days, unless required for investigating an incident.

When information is no longer required, it will be deleted, destroyed or de-identified in a manner that prevents reconstruction, subject to the limitations of routine encrypted backups and legal recordkeeping.

Clients may request earlier deletion, but we may retain information where continued retention is legally required or reasonably necessary to establish, exercise or defend a legal claim.

16. Accuracy of Information

Clients are responsible for supplying clear, complete and accurate source documents and instructions.

We take reasonable steps to preserve names, dates, terminology and meaning during the service, but clients should promptly inform us if submitted personal information is incorrect or has changed.

17. Cookies and Website Analytics

Our website may use cookies and similar technologies necessary for:

• Website security and operation;
• Form submissions and document uploads;
• Shopping-cart and checkout functions;
• Remembering consent choices;
• Website analytics; and
• Improving website performance.

Non-essential cookies will be used in accordance with applicable consent requirements. You may manage cookies through the website’s cookie-consent tool or your browser settings. Disabling necessary cookies may prevent forms, uploads, accounts or payments from working correctly.

Further details may be provided in our separate Cookie Policy.

18. Marketing Communications

We will send electronic marketing only where permitted by POPIA and applicable law.

You may unsubscribe at any time by using the unsubscribe option in the communication or contacting us. Service messages concerning quotations, payments, document queries, delivery and account security are not marketing communications.

Choosing not to receive marketing will not affect communications necessary to provide an existing service.

19. Your Rights

Subject to POPIA and applicable legal limitations, you may:

• Ask whether we hold personal information about you;
• Request access to your personal information;
• Request correction or updating of inaccurate information;
• Request deletion or destruction of information we are no longer authorised to retain;
• Object to certain processing;
• Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent;
• Object to direct marketing;
• Ask about the identity of third parties who have had access to your information, where applicable; and
• Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator.

We may need to verify your identity and authority before acting on a request. This is necessary to prevent information from being disclosed or deleted at the request of an unauthorised person.

Requests should be sent to admin@carlowtranslations.com.

20. Security Compromises

If there are reasonable grounds to believe that personal information has been accessed or acquired by an unauthorised person, we will investigate and take appropriate containment and recovery measures.

Where required by POPIA, we will notify the Information Regulator and affected data subjects as soon as reasonably possible, subject to any lawful delay directed by an authorised body.

The notification may describe the nature of the incident, the possible consequences, the steps taken and measures the affected person can take to reduce potential harm.

21. Links and Third-Party Services

Our website may contain links to external websites or use services provided by third parties. We do not control the independent privacy practices of third parties.

Clients should review the privacy notice of any external payment provider, communication service or linked website before providing information directly to it.

22. Complaints

Please direct privacy concerns to our Information Officer first so that we have an opportunity to investigate and respond.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with:

Information Regulator South Africa
Website: https://inforegulator.org.za/
Complaints: https://inforegulator.org.za/complaints/
Email: POPIAComplaints@inforegulator.org.za

23. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy when our services, technology providers, document-handling procedures or legal obligations change.

The latest version will be published on this website with the effective date shown at the top. Material changes may also be communicated through an appropriate additional notice.

24. Consent and Acknowledgement

By submitting a service request or uploading documents, you acknowledge that you have read this Privacy Policy and understand how the information will be processed.

Where express consent is legally required—for example, for particular special personal information or an international transfer—we will request that consent separately. Acceptance of a general Privacy Policy will not be treated as a substitute for specific consent where POPIA requires it.