USA
UKOur commitment to confidentiality
Translation AZ handles sensitive material every day – tribunal bundles, clinical trial protocols, regulatory filings, UKVI applications. This page sets out the safeguards that protect every document you share with us, whether through a quote request, an active project, or a long-standing engagement.
Confidentiality is not a feature of our service – it is a precondition of it. Regulated industry clients cannot work with a translation provider that treats their material casually, and we have never asked them to.
What this agreement covers
This Confidentiality Agreement applies to all Confidential Information disclosed to Translation AZ (“Translation AZ,” “we,” “us”) by any client, prospective client, or third party (“you”) in connection with translation, certified translation, interpreting, proofreading, or related linguistic services.
“Confidential Information” includes any document, file, communication, instruction, source material, reference glossary, terminology database, recording, or metadata you provide, in any format and through any channel – including the quote form at translationaz.com/gb/, email correspondence, secure file transfer, and project management portals.
How we protect your information
Translation AZ undertakes to treat all Confidential Information with the standard of care required of a certified specialist agency serving regulated industries. Specifically, we will:
- Restrict access to Confidential Information on a strict need-to-know basis, limited to the project manager, the assigned specialist linguist, and the reviewing editor.
- Bind every linguist in our network to a signed non-disclosure agreement before they are assigned to any project, with additional vetting applied where the subject matter requires it.
- Store and transmit files using encrypted channels and access-controlled systems, with retention governed by our records management policy and applicable UK GDPR obligations.
- Refrain from using your material to train, fine-tune, or otherwise feed any third-party machine translation or generative AI system. AI-assisted workflows, where used, run on tools and configurations that do not retain or republish client content.
- Decline to disclose the existence, content, or details of your project to any third party, including in marketing, case studies, or testimonials, without your prior written consent.
The framework behind these commitments
Our confidentiality practices are not informal. They are embedded in the management system that supports our ISO 17100 certification and the credentialing standards required by the bodies we work with.
For projects involving special category personal data under UK GDPR, official-sensitive material, or other sensitive categories, supplementary handling protocols and a Data Processing Addendum are agreed in writing before work begins.
The people who see your documents
Every specialist linguist, editor, interpreter, and project manager working with Translation AZ is bound by a written confidentiality agreement that survives the end of their engagement. These agreements include explicit prohibitions on copying, retaining, or repurposing client material outside the scope of the assigned project.
Linguists assigned to legal, medical, financial, and government work are selected not only for subject-matter expertise but for the security posture appropriate to the material. Where security clearance, DBS checks, or equivalent vetting is required, we draw exclusively from a verified pool.
What this agreement does not cover
The obligations above do not apply to information that:
- Is already in the public domain at the time of disclosure, through no act or omission of Translation AZ.
- Was lawfully in our possession before disclosure by you, without obligation of confidence.
- Is independently developed by Translation AZ without reference to your Confidential Information.
- Is required to be disclosed by a court of competent jurisdiction, a regulator, or by operation of law – in which case we will give you prompt written notice where legally permitted, so you may seek a protective order or equivalent relief.
What happens to your files after the project ends
Source files and translated deliverables are retained in secure storage for the period required to support post-delivery queries, revisions, and audit requirements under ISO 17100. On written request, we will permanently delete project files from our active systems and confirm deletion in writing, subject to any legal or regulatory obligation to retain specified records.
Translation memories and terminology databases derived from your projects remain segregated to your account and are not shared with or made available to other clients. Personal data is processed in accordance with our Privacy Policy and applicable UK GDPR provisions.
Jurisdiction
This Confidentiality Agreement, and any dispute arising from or in connection with it, is governed by the laws of England and Wales. The parties submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales, except where mandatory provisions of applicable law require otherwise.
This Confidentiality Agreement is a public statement of Translation AZ’s standing confidentiality practices. It supplements, and does not replace, project-specific non-disclosure agreements, master services agreements, or data processing addenda executed between Translation AZ and individual clients. Where a signed agreement and this page differ, the signed agreement prevails.