General Terms and Conditions for the Provision of Translation and Interpreting Services by SPARK Interpreting & Translation s.r.o.

1. Fundamental Provisions

These General Terms and Conditions (hereinafter the "GTC") shall govern mutual relations between SPARK Interpreting & Translation s.r.o. as the provider of translation and interpreting services (hereinafter "SPARK") and persons or entities to whom SPARK provides such translation and interpreting services upon their order (hereinafter the "Client").

2. Contract for Translation and Interpreting Services

2.1. The contractual relation between SPARK and the Client shall be established upon a written or verbal order issued by the Client (hereinafter the "Order"), its explicit (either verbal or written) or implied acceptance by SPARK and subsequent confirmation by the Client. The GTC shall apply to each and any contractual relation between SPARK and the Client. By issuing the Order the Client expresses its consent to the GTC and acknowledges that if the Order is accepted, the contractual relation shall be governed by the GTC.

2.2. In the case of an existing written contract for translation and interpreting services between SPARK and the Client containing explicit provisions differing from the GTC, such contractual provisions shall prevail.

2.3. The GTC are freely available on the SPARK web site (www.spark-prague.cz). The Client is entitled at any time to request a hardcopy of the GTC from SPARK.

3. Ordering Services

3.1. A Client's Order shall contain at least the following data:

3.1.1. for translation:
- Client's identification
- Order identification (e.g. Order number)
- date and time of the required delivery of the translation
- required target language
- contact person for the particular Order
- delivery method (e-mail, messenger, in person) and the addressee, if different from the contact person

3.1.2. for interpreting:
- Client's identification
- Order identification (e.g. Order number)
- date, time, venue, estimated duration, and topic of the ordered job
- required language combination
- required type of interpreting (consecutive / simultaneous)
- contact person for the particular Order

3.2. No Order shall be processed without the agreed confirmation of the Order.

3.3. SPARK is entitled to reject an Order, e.g. for capacity or moral reasons, of which the Client shall be immediately notified.

4. Provision of Services

4.1. In order to provide the best quality of translation and interpreting services, SPARK is entitled to consult the Client for terminological and factual aspects of the translated or interpreted text; if need be, SPARK is entitled to request further terminology and information. The Client shall provide such requested information to SPARK, unless prohibited by provisions of generally binding legislation. Provision by the Client of the said information does not establish an entitlement to special commission or discount on translation and interpreting services from SPARK.

4.2. When ordering interpreting services, the Client is obliged to deliver to SPARK or the respective interpreter all available materials related to the interpreting job, particularly prepared speeches, sufficiently in advance. The Client acknowledges that a failure to deliver such materials in time or at all shall hinder the respective interpreter's preparation for the best quality performance.

4.3. In the case of interpreting jobs held outside Prague, the Client shall cover cost of transportation to the venue, meals, and accommodation costs, if applicable, for the SPARK interpreter.

4.4. Should the Client cancel the ordered interpreting job one day before its planned date, a cancellation fee of 50 per cent of the quoted Order price shall be charged. Should the ordered interpreting job be cancelled on the planned date, the cancellation fee charged shall amount to 100 per cent of the quoted Order price. Should a translation job be cancelled after the translation work has been initiated, the Client shall be charged a cancellation fee equal to the price of the already translated text. Such translated text shall be delivered to the Client.

5. Price of Services

5.1. Unless agreed otherwise between the Client and SPARK, prices for services are governed by the current SPARK price list which shall be provided (delivered) to the Client upon request at any time.

5.2. Price for translation is charged by the number of standard pages of the source text. One standard page equals 1,800 characters including spaces in a standard word processor (MS Word). In MS PowerPoint one standard page equals 250 words of the source text. Should the source text be delivered in a non-standard format, a standard page shall be defined by an agreement between SPARK and the Client; otherwise the first sentence shall reasonably apply. Should the source text be delivered solely in a printed or scanned form, the number of standard pages of the translation shall be decisive for calculating the price. The minimum charged unit of translation is one standard page.

5.3. Extras are charged for express translation, large volumes required within a short period, work overnight, on weekends and holidays, translation from audio or video recordings, certified translation and also for translation of poor quality print original (small print, poor or blurred print, hand-written texts, etc.).

5.4. Should SPARK find out prior to commencing work that the ordered text has already been translated for a particular client or that translation into the required language is freely available (i.e. on the Internet), SPARK shall inform the client of such fact and shall only charge an administrative fee amounting to an hour of editing.

5.5. The minimum charged unit of interpreting is half a day, i.e. no more than four hours of interpreter's work. One full day of interpreting means more than four but no more than eight hours of interpreter's work, including breaks. Should the interpreter's work exceed eight hours, overtime shall be charged according to the price list.

5.6. Recording of the interpreter's performance is subject to the interpreter's copyright under the Copyright Act. When making the audio recording, the Client shall be charged a one-off extra to the total price of the interpreting services according to the price list.

6. Payment Terms

6.1. Ordered services shall be invoiced no later than at the end of the calendar month to which the job falls. The decisive date shall be the delivery date for translation and performance date for interpreting.

6.2. Invoices shall be payable within 14 days from their issuance date, unless agreed otherwise between SPARK and the Client.

6.3. If an invoice remains unpaid after its due date, SPARK is entitled to demand a delay charge of 0.5 per cent of the total invoiced sum per each day of such delay.

7. Confidentiality

All information obtained by SPARK from the Client in relation to the provision of translation and interpreting services shall be used solely for the purpose of the provision of the said services to the Client, and for compilation of internal glossaries of terms. SPARK undertakes not to disclose information obtained from the Client to third parties without the Client's prior consent.

8. Claims

Any defects in provided translation services must be claimed in writing within reasonable time. Any defects in provided interpreting services must be claimed immediately after the respective event.

9. Effective Date

The GTC shall come into effect on 1 February, 2010.