The following terms and conditions constitute a legally binding contract between you ("the customer") and Sphera Editing Services ("Sphera") in relation to any services provided by Sphera.
These general conditions shall be deemed to be accepted by the customer from the moment he/she accepts a quotation for any of the services provided by Sphera.
In the event of a conflict between any of the terms appearing herein, the documents constituting the agreement between the parties shall have priority in the following order:

1st - Service level agreement (if any) entered by the parties.
2nd - These Terms and conditions.

Sphera Editing Services reserves the right to revise and update these terms and conditions at any time. Any modified documents will be published immediately on our website.

1. GENERAL

1.1 Definitions. In these terms and conditions the following words and phrases shall have the following meanings:

• "Sphera" and "we" mean Sphera Editing Services.
• "Client" and "customer" mean the party instructing Sphera to provide the services.
• "Contract" means any written document signed by both parties containing conditions for the provision of services between the customer and Sphera.
• "Original document" refer to any document or file sent to Sphera by the customer through any means (fax, courier service, e-mail or web) in order for it to be translated, proofread or to be used for the provision of any other service offered by Sphera Editing Services.
• "Quotation", refers to each individual order or formal request for the provision of services. Quotations can be requested directly or through our website. Once a quotation is accepted and signed it becomes a contract, "the contract".
• "Services" means the provision of translation and editing services and of any other service provided to the customer by Sphera.

1.2 Clause headings are included for convenience only and shall not affect the interpretation of this agreement.

2. QUOTATIONS AND CONTRACTS

2.1 After being contacted by the customer we will elaborate a quotation with detailed information about the services requested. Quotations are not binding and they will only be deemed a contract ("the contract") once they have been accepted and signed (also stamped if the customer is a company).
2.2 Any quotation documents sent by Sphera Editing Services, when signed by both the customer and Sphera, constitute a legally binding contract.
2.3 Quotations are valid for a period of 15 days from their preparation date.
2.4 Verbal quotations are given for guidance only and they do not constitute a legally binding contract.

3. DELIVERY

3.1 The starting date of a project shall be the same as the date of acceptance of a quotation or, in case of conflict, the date in which we receive the signed quotation.
3.2 Estimated delivery dates, which shall be specified on the accepted quotation, will be set at "x" working days. Our working hours are from Monday to Friday between 9:00 and 18:00 (GMT 00:00), except national and local bank holidays (Sheffield, United Kingdom). Any projects requested which require us to work outside our normal working hours, at night, during weekends or on a bank holiday will be considered urgent and will thus be charged accordingly (i.e. a surcharge will be applied) (please refer to section 4. Prices, subsection 4.6).
3.3 Sphera Editing Services shall make every reasonable effort to meet agreed delivery dates specified on a contract. However, those completion dates are only at best estimates and Sphera shall not be liable for the consequences of any delay. Sphera Editing Services reserves the right to modify delivery dates if necessary, in which case the customer will be notified in advance. Late deliveries shall not entitle the customer to withhold payment for any work done.
3.4 Sphera Editing Services shall not be made responsible, under any circumstances, of the consequences of any delays or delivery problems resulting from a mistake made by suppliers or contractors or due to staff shortage, force majeure, fire, climatic conditions, strikes, government actions or any other unexpected cause of an exceptional nature or beyond our control.
3.5 Final documents can be sent by e-mail, fax, FTP site or courier service. Any courier service costs incurred will have to be met by the customer and the delivery time necessary for this service will be taken into account in the final delivery date of the project. Sphera Editing Services accepts no liability for the consequences of any delays in the delivery of documents sent by courier service.

4. PRICES

4.1 Translation prices are calculated according to the number of words in the source text. Additional costs may be added depending on the nature of the text and its degree of specialisation.
4.2 Interpretation services are charged per hour and there is a minimum charge of one hour.
4.3 Proofreading services are charged per 1,000 characters (original text). Alternatively, and upon customer’s request, costs can be calculated per page or per hour. Additional costs may be added depending on the nature of the text and its degree of specialisation.
4.4 The cost of writing services is based on the number of words of the resulting text. Alternatively, and upon customer’s request, costs can be calculated per page or per hour. Additional costs may be added depending on the nature of the project.
4.5 Sphera Editing Services reserves the right to apply a surcharge to the quoted price if the customer makes any changes to the original project once the work has been initiated.
4.6 A surcharge of 10% over the final price will be applied to urgent projects.
4.7 A discount will be applied to large projects, subject to the nature of the text and the type of service requested.

5. PAYMENT TERMS

5.1 Finished documents will be sent to the customer together with an invoice and any original materials (if applicable). Payment terms will be between 7 and 30 days net from invoice date unless agreed otherwise in writing.
5.2 Under certain circumstances, full or partial payment of fees will be requested prior to project commencement. Otherwise, an invoice will be issued upon delivery of final documents according to conditions stated in subsection 5.1.
5.3 Any bank charges incurred which are related to the payment of services will have to be met by the customer.
5.4 Bank transfer is our preferred method of payment. However, customers will have the option of paying by credit or debit card through our website by using PayPal. All the necessary details related to payment will appear on our invoice. Our SWIFT details are also available upon customer's request.
Payment through our website is safe and our customers' bank details will not be stored, under any circumstances, in any database owned by Sphera Editing Services. Likewise, Paypal will not disclose any information related to customers' bank details.
5.5 A weekly penalty fee will be applied to delayed payments. A 2% surcharge will be added to the total sum of the original invoice for the first week of delay in payment. For every subsequent week without payment another 2% will be added to the outstanding value of the previous week until payment has been received in full.
5.6 If Sphera Editing Services needs to hire the legal services of a lawyer or a debt collection agency in order to claim an outstanding payment from a customer, any related costs or commissions derived from such service will have to be paid by the customer.
5.7 If after a reasonable amount of time the customer still refuses to pay the outstanding quantity, Sphera Editing Services reserves the right to inform the Better Business Bureau about the case and the debtor details.

6. CANCELLATION

6.1 Any cancellations of projects already commissioned by the customer will require a written confirmation on the part of the customer as well as a notification by e-mail. Sphera Editing Services reserves the right to issue an invoice for all work done until the cancellation date and for any other additional costs that may have been incurred as a result of such cancellation.
6.2 Sphera Editing Services will notify the customer, as soon as possible, of any circumstances which could prevent Sphera from supplying the requested services. Sphera will then do everything possible, within reason, to help the client and to find an alternative solution.

7. CUSTOMER RESPONSIBILITY, LIABILITY AND GUARANTEES

7.1 The customer is responsible for making sure that the documents provided do not include content of an offensive nature which could constitute a breach of law, or that Sphera may deem inappropriate for any other reasons.
7.2 The client has seven days from receipt of the completed assignment to notify Sphera in writing of any mistakes or omissions in the delivered work or of any other issues related to the provision of the service. Sphera will then do all the necessary corrections without any additional cost and within a reasonable amount of time, provided those issues are justified.
7.3 Both Sphera Editing Services and the customer will have to take the necessary precautions, within reason, to make sure that document contents specifically marked as private or confidential are kept as such. For more information, please check our privacy policy.
7.4 Sphera Editing Services will not disclose any translation or proofreading job or any other type of service to potential customers without the explicit consent of the customer.
7.5 The customer is responsible for selecting the services he/she deems appropriate to his/her specific needs. Sphera Editing Services will not take responsibility if the service provided does not meet the customer’s specific requirements.
7.6 The customer assumes all responsibility for the use of the services provided by Sphera Editing Services.

8. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

8.1 It is the sole responsibility of the customer to abide copyright laws in any country of the world. The customer shall not make Sphera Editing Services responsible of the breach of copyright laws by the use of their services or of any materials subject to copyright laws.
8.2 Where copyright exists in texts to be translated, proofread or printed by Sphera Editing Services, the customer warrants that all the necessary consents have been obtained for such job to be carried out.

9. RIGHT OF REFUSAL

9.1 In general, Sphera Editing Services works with any type of text and format. However, we withhold the right to refuse certain texts or projects without having to give any due reason.
9.2 Sphera Editing Services shall not be required to work with any materials which in its opinion are or may be of an illegal or libellous nature or any materials which justify racism, terrorism or any other similar matter.

10. OUR RESPONSIBILITY AND LIABILITY

10.1 Sphera Editing Services endeavours to offer quality services and guarantees that all services provided will be carried out by professional translators, proofreaders, writers, etc., who fulfil our quality requirements. However, Sphera cannot guarantee completely error-free documents. Sphera will correct any errors free of charge according to what is stated under subsection 7.2 within section 7. Customer responsibility, liability and guarantees.
10.2 Sphera reserves the right to subcontract, if necessary, any or all of the work to be performed to other professionals who fulfil our quality requirements, under the supervision of at least one of its two codirectors.
10.3 Sphera Editing Services shall not be liable for any failure in the performance of any obligations under this contract caused by factors beyond its control.
10.4 If the customer needs Sphera to use any specific terminology in any of its services, the customer is responsible for providing Sphera with any relevant glossaries and/or reference materials. If none of these are provided, our translators, proofreaders or writers will use the terminology they deem appropriate to the assignment according to their professional judgement.
10.5 Sphera Editing Services does not have the obligation to correct errors, omissions or any other mistakes in the original texts provided by the customer which could affect the quality of the result. However, whenever possible, Sphera will inform the customer of any errors detected in the original materials so that they can be rectified if necessary.
10.6 Sphera Editing Services will not take, under any circumstances, responsibility for any third parties.

11. FREELANCE COLLABORATORS

11.1 Sphera Editing Services will only accept CVs which have been sent through the relevant form within our website or those which have been specifically requested through any other means or services.
11.2 Upon receipt of CV from freelancers interested in collaborating with Sphera, we will evaluate the suitability of their profile in relation to our needs. All information and documentation provided by candidates will be use for professional purposes only and will never be shared with third parties.
11.3 Sphera Editing Services withholds the right to request freelance candidates, if they have accepted so when filling in our online form, to do a test or to provide samples of previous jobs in order to verify their suitability.

12. WEBSITE CONDITIONS OF USE

12.1 The content of the pages of this website is for your general information and use only. It is subject to change without notice.
12.2 We do not guarantee as to the accuracy, timeliness, performance, completeness or suitability of the information and materials found or offered on this website for any particular purpose. You acknowledge that such information and materials may contain inaccuracies or errors and we expressly exclude liability for any such inaccuracies or errors to the fullest extent permitted by law.
12.3 Your use of any information or materials on this website is entirely at your own risk, for which Sphera shall not be liable. It shall be your own responsibility to ensure that any products, services or information available through this website meet your specific requirements.
12.4 Our website may include links to other websites. These links are provided for your convenience to provide further information. They do not signify that we endorse the website(s). We have no responsibility for the content of the linked website(s).
12.5 All downloads provided by Sphera are property of Maria A. Mosquera and Sphera Editing Services. They are subject to a copyleft license which allows its distribution and non commercial use provided that same original license is used and its authorship is marked or acknowledged through a link.

13. GOVERNING LAW

These terms and conditions will be interpreted according to the laws of England and Wales. Both Sphera Editing Services and the customer are irrevocably subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.