Effective date: 01 August 2026
Last updated: 01 August 2026

1. Introduction

These Terms and Conditions govern the use of the Carlow Translations website and the translation, proofreading, editing, copywriting and related language services provided by Carlow Translations.

By requesting a quotation, accepting a quotation, making payment, uploading documents or instructing us to begin work, you confirm that you have read and accepted these Terms and Conditions.

In these Terms:

• “Carlow Translations”, “we”, “us” or “our” means [insert full registered business or owner’s name], trading as Carlow Translations.
• “Client”, “you” or “your” means the person or organisation requesting or purchasing our services.
• “Services” means translation, proofreading, editing, copywriting, formatting and any related language services agreed upon in writing.
• “Source material” means the documents, files, text, images or other information supplied by the client.
• “Deliverables” means the translated or otherwise completed material delivered to the client.

Nothing in these Terms limits any rights that cannot legally be excluded under South African law.

2. Our services

Carlow Translations provides professional language services, including:

• General and specialised document translation;
• Legal, medical, immigration, educational, financial and business translation;
• Proofreading and editing;
• Marketing translation and copywriting;
• Document formatting; and
• Other language-related services agreed upon in writing.

We work with suitably qualified associate translators, editors and other language professionals in South Africa and internationally.

The precise scope of each project will be set out in the applicable quotation, invoice, email or other written project confirmation.

3. Quotations

Quotations are prepared using the information available at the time and may take into account:

• The language combination;
• Word or page count;
• Subject matter and technical complexity;
• Document quality and legibility;
• Formatting requirements;
• Certification or sworn translation requirements;
• Proofreading or additional quality-review requirements; and
• The requested turnaround time.

Unless stated otherwise, quotations are valid for 30 calendar days.

A quotation may be revised if:

• The source material differs from what was initially described or supplied;
• Additional or replacement material is provided;
• The scope or deadline changes;
• The documents contain significantly more words or complex formatting than anticipated; or
• Additional services are requested.

We will obtain the client’s approval before performing additional work that will materially increase the agreed price.

4. Acceptance and formation of the agreement

A project is considered accepted when the client does one or more of the following:

• Accepts the quotation in writing;
• Confirms acceptance by email or electronic message;
• Makes full or partial payment;
• Uploads or submits documents with an instruction to proceed; or
• Otherwise instructs Carlow Translations to begin the work.

Electronic communications and approvals may be used to conclude and administer the agreement.

No work will begin until we have received all required source material, instructions and any deposit or advance payment specified in the quotation.

5. Client responsibilities

The client is responsible for:

• Providing complete, accurate and legible source material;
• Supplying clear instructions and all relevant reference material;
• Informing us of the intended use and destination of the translation;
• Identifying any required terminology, style, layout or formatting;
• Advising us before work begins if a certified, sworn, notarised or apostilled translation is required;
• Checking names, dates, identification numbers, addresses and other important personal details;
• Responding promptly to questions or requests for clarification;
• Ensuring that the client has the legal right and authority to provide the source material; and
• Ensuring that the source material does not infringe intellectual-property, privacy or other third-party rights.

Carlow Translations is not responsible for errors caused by incomplete, incorrect, unclear or illegible source material or instructions.

If the client delays in providing information, clarification or approval, the delivery date may be adjusted accordingly.

6. Sensitive and personal documents

The documents submitted for translation may contain personal, financial, medical, immigration or other sensitive information.

By submitting documents, the client confirms that:

• The client is authorised to provide the information;
• The information may be processed to provide the requested services; and
• Where documents contain another person’s information, the client has an appropriate lawful basis or authority to provide it.

Our handling of personal information is explained more fully in our Privacy Policy, which forms part of these Terms.

7. Associate translators and international processing

Carlow Translations may appoint suitably qualified associate translators, editors, proofreaders or other service providers to complete all or part of a project.

Depending on the language combination and specialist expertise required, these professionals may be located outside South Africa. Client documents and personal information may therefore be accessed or processed in another country where reasonably necessary to provide the service.

We take reasonable steps to ensure that associate professionals:

• Receive only the information necessary for the project;
• Are subject to appropriate confidentiality obligations;
• Use the information only to complete the assigned work; and
• Apply suitable safeguards to protect client information.

International transfers of personal information will be handled in accordance with section 72 of the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (“POPIA”) and as described in our Privacy Policy. Information Regulator – POPIA.

8. Confidentiality

Carlow Translations treats client information and documents as confidential.

Information will only be accessed or disclosed where reasonably necessary to:

• Prepare a quotation;
• Provide and quality-check the requested services;
• Process payment;
• Operate secure file-storage and communication systems;
• Comply with a legal obligation; or
• Protect the lawful rights of Carlow Translations or another person.

Confidentiality obligations do not apply to information that:

• Was already lawfully known to us without restriction;
• Is publicly available through no breach of these Terms;
• Is received lawfully from another source; or
• Must be disclosed by law, regulation or a valid court order.

Where legally permitted, we will take reasonable steps to notify the client before making a compulsory disclosure.

9. Quality and professional standards

Carlow Translations will perform the agreed services with reasonable care, skill and professional diligence.

Translations aim to communicate the meaning of the source material accurately and appropriately in the target language. However, language sometimes permits more than one reasonable interpretation. Stylistic preferences or alternative wording do not necessarily constitute translation errors.

Where included in the quotation, a project may undergo proofreading or an additional quality review. Additional review is not automatically included unless expressly stated.

The client remains responsible for reviewing the delivered work for names, numbers, dates and project-specific terminology before submitting, printing, publishing or relying on it.

10. Certified, sworn and official translations

The client must inform us before accepting the quotation if the translation will be submitted to a government department, court, educational institution, immigration authority or another official body.

Requirements for certified, sworn, notarised or apostilled translations differ between authorities and countries. Unless expressly confirmed in writing, Carlow Translations does not guarantee that a particular authority will accept a translation.

The client is responsible for confirming the receiving authority’s requirements before the project begins. If the authority later requests additional certification, reformatting or supporting documentation, this may be treated as additional work and quoted separately.

A translation does not provide legal, medical, immigration, financial or other professional advice.

11. Delivery and turnaround times

The estimated delivery date will be confirmed in the quotation or project correspondence.

A delivery period begins only after we have received:

• Written acceptance of the quotation;
• All source documents and instructions;
• Any required deposit or advance payment; and
• Any necessary answers or approvals from the client.

Unless otherwise agreed, delivery will be made electronically by email, secure download link, cloud-storage link or another agreed method.

We will make reasonable efforts to meet agreed deadlines. A deadline may be extended if:

• The client changes the source material or project scope;
• The client delays in answering questions or granting approval;
• The documents are incomplete, damaged or difficult to read; or
• Circumstances beyond our reasonable control affect performance.

12. Urgent services

Projects requiring work outside normal working hours or completion within an unusually short period may attract an urgency surcharge.

Urgent work is subject to translator availability. An urgent deadline is confirmed only when Carlow Translations has accepted it in writing and any required payment has been received.

Very short deadlines may limit the amount of additional review that can reasonably be performed. Any such limitation will be communicated where applicable.

13. Revisions and correction of errors

The client must report any suspected translation error within 14 calendar days after delivery.

The notice should identify:

• The relevant passage;
• The reason the client believes it is incorrect; and
• The correction requested or supporting reference material, where available.

If the delivered work contains a genuine error within the agreed project scope, we will correct it within a reasonable period at no additional charge.

The following may be quoted as additional work:

• Changes to the original source material after translation;
• New or omitted source text;
• A change in the client’s preferred terminology or style;
• Reformatting not included in the quotation;
• Revisions required because the initial instructions were incomplete or incorrect; or
• Changes requested by an authority that were not disclosed before work began.

The client should allow us a reasonable opportunity to investigate and correct a reported problem before arranging corrections through another provider.

14. Client approval and publication

Where the translation will be printed, published, submitted officially, used in marketing or reproduced in significant quantities, the client is responsible for completing a final review and granting approval before use.

Carlow Translations is not responsible for changes made to the deliverables by the client or another party after delivery.

If a client uses, publishes or submits a deliverable without reporting a readily identifiable concern, the deliverable may be considered accepted, subject to any non-excludable rights under applicable law.

15. Fees, taxes and payment

Fees and payment terms will be stated in the quotation or invoice.

Unless otherwise agreed:

• Payment must be made in South African rand or the currency stated on the invoice;
• A deposit or full advance payment may be required before work begins;
• Bank charges, currency-conversion costs and similar transaction fees are for the client’s account;
• Final files may be withheld until full payment has cleared; and
• No unauthorised deductions or set-offs may be made from an invoice.

Any applicable VAT or taxes will be disclosed as required by law.

Payments may be processed by third-party payment-service providers. Carlow Translations does not ordinarily receive or store complete payment-card details. The payment provider’s own terms and privacy practices may also apply.

Where permitted by law, overdue amounts may attract interest at the rate stated on the invoice or, if no rate is stated, at the applicable prescribed legal rate. The client may also be responsible for reasonable costs incurred in recovering an overdue amount, subject to applicable law.

16. Cancellations and refunds

A client may request cancellation in writing.

If cancellation occurs before work begins, amounts already paid will be refunded, less any non-refundable third-party charges that were clearly disclosed and already incurred.

If work has begun, the client will be charged for:

• Work completed up to the cancellation date;
• Time reasonably reserved or committed to the project;
• Work performed by associate professionals; and
• Non-refundable expenses already incurred.

Any remaining balance will be refunded to the client.

If the client purchased the services as a result of direct marketing, any statutory cooling-off rights under the Consumer Protection Act will apply.

No provision in this section limits a consumer’s right to a refund or other remedy where services were not provided with the quality required by applicable law.

17. Suspension or refusal of services

Carlow Translations may refuse or suspend a project where:

• Required payment has not been made;
• The source material appears unlawful, fraudulent, abusive or designed to facilitate wrongdoing;
• The work falls outside our expertise or capacity;
• A conflict of interest exists;
• The client behaves in a threatening or abusive manner;
• The client fails to provide necessary information; or
• Continuing the project may breach a legal or professional obligation.

Where reasonably possible, the client will be notified. Any refund will be calculated according to the work already completed and legitimate costs incurred.

18. Intellectual property

The client retains ownership of the client’s original source material.

Subject to full payment, the client receives the rights in the final deliverables necessary for their intended use, except for third-party material and Carlow Translations’ pre-existing resources.

Carlow Translations retains ownership of its:

• General translation methods and workflows;
• Templates and internal systems;
• Know-how;
• Quality-control processes;
• Non-client-specific glossaries; and
• Translation memories and terminology resources, where these can lawfully be retained and do not disclose confidential or personal information.

Client documents or translations will not be published in a portfolio or used for promotional purposes without the client’s permission.

19. File storage and retention

Documents may be stored temporarily on website systems and may be transferred to secure email, cloud-storage or project-management services to complete the work.

Files will be retained only for as long as reasonably required for:

• Providing the services;
• Completing revisions;
• Maintaining business and financial records;
• Resolving disputes; and
• Complying with legal obligations.

Documents may then be securely deleted or anonymised in accordance with our Privacy Policy and retention procedures.

Clients should keep their own copies of all source documents and deliverables. Carlow Translations is not a permanent document-storage or archival service and cannot guarantee that copies will remain available after the applicable retention period.

20. Website availability and file uploads

We take reasonable measures to maintain a functional and secure website. However, we do not guarantee that the website, upload facility or online communication systems will always be available or free from interruption.

Clients should not upload malicious software, unlawful content or files unrelated to a genuine service enquiry.

Although reasonable safeguards are used, no electronic transmission or storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. Clients should contact us before submitting exceptionally sensitive documents if they require an alternative delivery method.

21. Third-party services

We may use third-party services for payments, email, file transfer, cloud storage, website hosting and other operational functions.

Carlow Translations is not responsible for an interruption or failure caused solely by an independent third-party service provider where reasonable care was taken in selecting and using that provider.

Third-party websites and services may be governed by their own terms and privacy policies.

22. Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Carlow Translations will not be liable for indirect, incidental, special or consequential loss, including loss of profit, revenue, opportunity or reputation.

Our total liability arising from a particular project will ordinarily be limited to the amount paid by the client for that project.

This limitation does not apply where liability cannot legally be excluded or limited, including liability arising from gross negligence, intentional misconduct or any statutory consumer right.

Carlow Translations is not responsible for:

• Decisions made by immigration, legal, medical, educational or government authorities;
• Rejection caused by requirements that the client did not disclose;
• Consequences of incorrect or incomplete source material;
• Changes made by another person after delivery;
• The client’s use of a translation for a purpose not communicated to us; or
• Reliance on a translation as professional advice.

23. Force majeure

Neither party will be liable for delay or failure caused by circumstances beyond its reasonable control, including:

• Natural disasters;
• Fire, flood or severe weather;
• War, civil unrest or government restrictions;
• Widespread power, telecommunications or internet failures;
• Cyberattacks not caused by a failure to take reasonable precautions;
• Serious illness or incapacity;
• Labour disruption; or
• Failure of essential third-party infrastructure.

The affected party must notify the other party as soon as reasonably possible and take reasonable steps to reduce the effect of the disruption.

If the disruption continues for an unreasonable period, either party may cancel the affected services. The client will remain responsible for work properly completed before cancellation.

24. Complaints and dispute resolution

Clients are encouraged to raise concerns with us first so that we have a reasonable opportunity to investigate and resolve them.

A complaint should be sent to admin@carlowtranslations.com and should include:

• The client’s name and contact details;
• The relevant quotation or invoice number;
• A description of the complaint; and
• The preferred resolution.

We will acknowledge the complaint and aim to provide a substantive response within a reasonable period.

Nothing in these Terms prevents a consumer from referring a matter to the National Consumer Commission, a provincial consumer-protection authority, an applicable ombud or a court with jurisdiction.

25. Privacy and data protection

Personal information is processed in accordance with POPIA and our Privacy Policy.

The Privacy Policy explains, among other things:

• What information we collect;
• Why we collect and use it;
• How documents are uploaded, stored and transferred;
• When information may be shared with associate translators;
• When information may be processed outside South Africa;
• How long information may be retained; and
• How a person may exercise their data-protection rights.

If there is a conflict between this section and the Privacy Policy concerning the handling of personal information, the provision providing the greater lawful protection will apply.

26. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time to reflect changes to our services, operating practices or legal obligations.

The updated version will be published on our website with a revised effective date. Changes will apply to future quotations and projects and will not retrospectively alter an already accepted project unless both parties agree or the change is legally required.

27. Governing law and jurisdiction

These Terms and the services provided by Carlow Translations are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa.

Subject to any consumer right to approach another competent forum, the courts of South Africa will have jurisdiction over disputes arising from these Terms or our services.

If services are supplied to a client in another country, any mandatory consumer-protection rights applicable to that client may also apply.

28. General provisions

If any part of these Terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue to apply.

A failure or delay in enforcing a right does not constitute a waiver of that right.

These Terms, together with the accepted quotation, invoice, project confirmation and Privacy Policy, constitute the agreement between the client and Carlow Translations for the relevant services.

If there is an inconsistency, the documents will apply in the following order unless otherwise agreed:

1. A specific written project agreement;
2. The accepted quotation;
3. These Terms and Conditions; and
4. The Privacy Policy, except where the matter concerns the protection of personal information.

29. Contact details

For questions, complaints or notices relating to these Terms, please contact:

Carlow Translations
Legal or registered name: Carlow Translations
Physical address: Port Edward, Kwa-Zulu Natal, 4184
Email: admin@carlowtranslations.com
Telephone: +27 84 756 5504
Website: carlowtranslations.com
Information Officer: Marjorie Constance Carlow