In the absence of any differing agreement, the translation agency (hereinafter: the Contractor) undertakes translation services for the Client only under the following conditions.

1. SCOPE AND NATURE OF THE SERVICE

1.1 The service is either oral or written translation. Written translation includes all services in which the result is the translation of the source-language text recorded on any electronic (e.g. CD, magnetic disk, magnetic tape, etc.) or paper medium into the target language, also delivered on electronic or paper medium. Oral translation (interpreting) includes all services in which the result is the oral translation of the spoken source-language text directly or via electronic means into the target language. During this activity, the interpretation may be recorded electronically (e.g. tape recorder) or mechanically (e.g. shorthand), and the provisions of Section 7.3 apply.

1.2 Unless otherwise agreed, the following terms apply to the service.

1.3 The Contractor may require the Client to indicate the purpose of the translation in the order. Such purposes may include:

• 1.3.1 for information only,
• 1.3.2 for publication, other forms of release, or advertising purposes,
• 1.3.3 for legal use, e.g. patent and/or other proceedings,
• 1.3.4 any other purpose the translator should take into account, and
• 1.3.5 in the case of oral translation, the nature of the service. Consecutive interpreting means any service where the target-language text is delivered after a block of the source-language text (which may be one or more sentences), and direct contact exists between the speaker, audience, and interpreter. Simultaneous or synchronous interpreting means any service where the target-language text is delivered practically at the same time as the source-language text, and no direct contact exists between the speaker, audience, and interpreter.

1.4 If the Client uses the translation for a purpose different from the purpose stated in the order, the Client shall bear all damages or consequences arising from such misuse.

1.5 If the purpose of the translation is not disclosed to the Contractor against its request, the Contractor shall produce the translation to the best of its knowledge as if the Client had ordered a translation for information purposes under Section 1.3.1.

1.6 The Contractor accepts no responsibility for the translation of any specific terminology in the source document not yet public domain, unless the Client provides such terminology with the order.

1.7 The Client may, based on prior agreement, request that the translation be processed with a specific word-processing system, delivered both in printed form and on electronic media, or archived by the Contractor for potential future revisions.

2. FEES

2.1 The prices of translation services are determined by the Contractor’s valid price list or its quotation for the specific job. For written translations, pricing is based on the number of characters (including spaces) in the target-language version. One billing page equals 1500 characters, which includes printed characters and one space between words. Partial lines and pages are rounded up. The Contractor may establish a minimum charge. For oral translations, pricing is based on time spent on performance, including travel time to domestic or foreign locations, breaks, and meals.

2.2 Price quotations are valid only in written form and for a period of one month from issuance.

2.3 If the Client does not specify the nature of the oral translation and does not provide supporting materials, or in the case of written translation, does not provide the source document at the time of the request, the Contractor may issue only an indicative quotation. Upon receiving the order and materials, the Contractor may confirm or revise the quotation; work begins only after acceptance of the binding quotation.

2.4 For proofreading of translations performed by others and for assessment of oral translations, the Contractor may charge the fee applicable to the corresponding type of translation.

2.5 For written translations, the Client may request modifications to completed and delivered work. If modifications are not clearly indicated, the Contractor may charge for proofreading the entire text and for any archiving costs incurred. If only marked modifications are requested, the Contractor translates only the marked segments and charges solely for those parts and related costs.

3. PERFORMANCE OF THE ORDER

3.1 If the delivery date (or time) is an essential element of the order, the Client must indicate this in the order.

3.2 Meeting the deadline requires that all documents necessary for translation arrive in time. If these are delayed, the deadline is extended accordingly.

3.3 Delay entitles the Client to withdraw only if explicitly stipulated in the contract. Delay by the Client excludes delay by the Contractor. In case of lawful withdrawal, the Contractor is entitled only to reimbursement of justified costs.

3.4 If the Contractor has not yet begun work and the Client withdraws an order, the Client must pay 10% of the net order value as a cancellation fee.

3.5 Unless otherwise agreed, the place of performance is the Contractor’s office. Delivery by post is at the Contractor’s expense and via registered mail; however, the Client bears the risk of loss or damage. For fax delivery, the Contractor is not responsible for distortions. The Contractor is likewise not responsible for electronic delivery (e.g. email) issues, including damage or late arrival.

3.6 The Client may collect the translation at the Contractor’s office. If the Client fails to collect it despite written notice, the Contractor may withdraw and claim costs and damages. The Contractor stores original documents and uncollected translations only for 30 days after the deadline; beyond this, no responsibility is accepted.

4. FORCE MAJEURE

Force majeure terminates the contract between the Contractor and the Client. The Contractor may claim its costs and compensation for partial performance.

5. WARRANTY

5.1 The Contractor shall produce the translation in good quality and suitable for its intended purpose. Any complaint about written translation must be submitted within two weeks of receipt; for oral translation, within one week after performance. Claims must be justified. Warranty claims are not accepted after six months from completion.

5.2 For written translation, the Contractor must be given the opportunity and adequate time to correct deficiencies. If correction is refused or a third party is engaged, the Contractor’s obligation ends. If correction is completed in time, the Client must pay the full invoice unless a proven loss arises from delay. For oral translation, complaints must be supported by three consistent and impartial signed statements.

5.3 If deficiencies are not corrected within the extended deadline, the Client may withdraw or request a price reduction. Withdrawal is not allowed for insignificant deficiencies (i.e., those not affecting comprehension).

5.4 Warranty claims do not entitle the Client to withhold payment.

5.5 For translations intended for print or publication, the Contractor’s increased liability applies only if the Client notified the Contractor under 1.3.2 and allowed review of proofs or other author corrections. A separate fee applies for proofreading.

5.6 No warranty applies to illegible (handwritten or blurred), unreadable, or nonsensical documents. For oral translation, no warranty applies to difficult dialects, speech faster than normal, or audio of poor technical quality (e.g. reduced frequency range), or texts incomprehensible even in the source language.

5.7 Stylistic modifications, unique terminology (especially industry-specific or internal company terms), and undefined abbreviations not supplied with the order are not considered translation defects.

5.8 The Contractor assumes no responsibility for transcription of names and addresses written in or converted from non-Latin scripts. The Client is advised to provide correct spelling separately.

5.9 The Contractor assumes no responsibility for incompatibility with the Client’s software systems for translations delivered on digital media. Despite careful archiving, the Contractor rejects any claims arising from data loss.

5.10 Urgent orders necessarily limit thorough quality control; the Contractor accepts no responsibility for inaccuracies, though it still works with due diligence.

5.11 Numbers are reproduced from the manuscript. The Contractor accepts no liability for conversion of numbers, dimensions, currencies, or similar.

5.12 The Contractor must act with due care but is not obliged to meet the Client’s subjective expectations.

5.13 The Contractor accepts no liability for translation errors arising from mistakes, omissions, ambiguities, or incomprehensible text in the source document.

5.14 Original documents provided by the Client (paper or electronic) must be returned upon delivery of the translation unless the Client authorizes archiving.

5.15 The Contractor ensures that all persons gaining access to the source document or translation are bound to confidentiality.

6. LIABILITY FOR DAMAGES

The Contractor is liable for damages caused to the Client under the general rules of civil law. The Contractor is not obliged to compensate for damages arising from the Client’s conduct. Liability for loss of profit exists only if a direct causal link with the translation is proven.

7. PAYMENT

7.1 Unless otherwise agreed, payment is by bank transfer. The Contractor may request partial payments. The payment deadline is 8 days from invoice date, irrespective of the date of receipt.

7.2 In case of delay, the Contractor may suspend fulfillment of further orders.

7.3 The Contractor’s service qualifies as an intellectual work. Rights of use are retained until full payment of the invoice. Permission for use is granted only after full settlement.

7.4 In case of late payment, the Client must pay statutory late interest.

7.5 The Contractor may suspend delivery of other translations in progress if the Client is in arrears. This applies even to orders with agreed delivery deadlines (see 3.1).

8. DISPUTE RESOLUTION, JURISDICTION

8.1 The parties shall make every effort to settle disputes amicably. If this fails, they may request the Association of Hungarian Translation Agencies to provide assessment or quality evaluation.

8.2 For any dispute arising from the contractual relationship, the Contractor designates the court competent at its registered seat.

9. CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS

If any part of this contract becomes invalid, the remaining provisions remain unaffected.