The ATA Chronicle - March/April 2021 - 15

Boilerplates CHANGES TO THE TRANSLATION
Client's Responsibilities CONFIDENTIALITY,
PRIVACY, AND NON-DISCLOSURE Copyright
EARLY CANCELATION BY THE CLIENT Incentives
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QUALITY GUARANTEE Boilerplates CHANGES TO
THE TRANSLATION Client's Responsibilities
CONFIDENTIALITY, PRIVACY, AND NON-DISCLOSURE Copyright EARLY CANCELATION BY THE
CLIENT Incentives LATE PAYMENT Method
for Handling Complaints OUTSOURCING
Payment TRANSLATION CREDITS Translator's Responsibilities QUALITY GUARANTEE
Boilerplates CHANGES TO THE TRANSLATION
Client's Responsibilities CONFIDENTIALITY,
PRIVACY, AND NON-DISCLOSURE Copyright
EARLY CANCELATION BY THE CLIENT Incentives
LATE PAYMENT Method for Handling Complaints OUTSOURCING Payment TRANSLATION CREDITS Translator's Responsibilities
QUALITY GUARANTEE Boilerplates CHANGES TO
THE TRANSLATION Client's Responsibilities
CONFIDENTIALITY, PRIVACY, AND NON-DISCLOSURE Copyright EARLY CANCELATION BY THE
CLIENT Incentives LATE PAYMENT Method
for Handling Complaints OUTSOURCING
Payment TRANSLATION CREDITS Translator's www.ata-chronicle.online
Responsibilities QUALITY GUARANTEE

Terms and
Conditions
of Service:
The Key to Future-Proofing
and Protecting Your
Translation Business
By Paula Arturo
The difficult part for most translators isn't
finding an affordable attorney to draft their
terms and conditions, it's actually working with
an attorney to get it right.

A

few years ago, I decided to conduct a little survey to
see how many translators had their own terms and
conditions of service. It wasn't a capricious question.

I was generally interested in measuring whether or not my
colleagues were aware of the importance of protecting their
businesses with ironclad contracts. And, if not, why.
I found that 51.3% of respondents didn't operate with their
own terms and conditions, even though 82.1% of the group
worked with direct clients. When asked why not, the number
one answer was fear of losing the client. Somehow in the social
imaginary of this small sample group, the feeling was that
clients would be put off by contracts.
As a lawyer, this logic is hard for me to understand. From the
buyer's side, I can't imagine working with a professional who
doesn't put their promise in writing. From the translator's side,
I can't imagine doing business without protecting my interests.
A well-drafted contract is such a win for both sides in any line
of business that the thought of doing business without one is,
to me, simply inconceivable.
American Translators Association

15
The ATA Chronicle - March/April 2021

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