Privacy Policy

Who We Are

GlobalSpeak Language Ltd (“GlobalSpeak”, “we”, “us”, “our”) is a professional translation and localisation company registered in England & Wales, with its registered office at 123 Translation House, London, EC1A 1BB, United Kingdom.

We are the data controller for personal data you provide to us directly (for example, when requesting a quote or contacting us). When we translate documents that contain personal data about other people, we generally act as a data processor on your behalf.

This policy explains what personal data we collect, why we collect it, how we use and protect it, and the rights you have under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Data We Collect

Information you give us

• Contact details — your name, email address, phone number, company name, and job title when you request a quote, contact us, or subscribe to our newsletter.
• Project information — the documents and files you send us for translation, language pairs, deadlines, and any special instructions.
• Payment details — billing address and payment information processed securely by our payment providers. We never store full card numbers.
• Recruitment information — CVs, qualifications, and references if you apply to work with us.

Information collected automatically

• Usage data — pages visited, time on site, referral source, and interactions with our website.
• Technical data — IP address, browser type and version, device type, and operating system.
• Cookie data — see our Cookie Policy for full details.

How We Use Your Data

We only process your personal data where we have a lawful basis to do so:

Purpose	Lawful basis
Preparing quotes and delivering translation, localisation, and interpretation services	Performance of a contract
Invoicing, accounting, and tax compliance	Legal obligation
Responding to enquiries and providing customer support	Legitimate interests
Sending our newsletter and marketing communications	Consent (withdraw at any time)
Improving our website and services through analytics	Legitimate interests / consent
Processing job applications	Steps prior to entering a contract

We do not use your personal data for automated decision-making or profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects.

Your Documents

The documents you send us for translation often contain personal or commercially sensitive information. We treat every file with strict confidentiality:

• All files are transferred and stored using encryption (TLS in transit, AES-256 at rest).
• Access is restricted to the project managers and linguists assigned to your project, all of whom are bound by written confidentiality agreements.
• We never use your documents to train machine-translation or AI systems without your explicit written consent.
• Source and target files are deleted or returned in line with our retention schedule, or earlier on request.

If your documents contain personal data about third parties, you are responsible for ensuring you have a lawful basis to share them with us. A data processing agreement (DPA) is available on request.

Sharing Your Data

We never sell your personal data. We share it only with:

• Our linguists and interpreters — vetted professionals under contractual confidentiality obligations, given access only to the files needed for your project.
• Service providers — hosting, email, payment processing, and CRM providers who process data on our behalf under data processing agreements.
• Professional advisers — lawyers, accountants, auditors, and insurers where reasonably necessary.
• Authorities — where required by law, court order, or to protect our legal rights.

International Transfers

As a global language service provider, some of our linguists and service providers are located outside the UK. Where personal data is transferred internationally, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as UK adequacy regulations, the UK International Data Transfer Agreement (IDTA), or Standard Contractual Clauses with the UK Addendum.

Data Retention

Data type	Retention period
Project files (source and translated documents)	12 months after project completion, unless you request earlier deletion or longer retention
Contracts, invoices, and financial records	6 years (UK tax and accounting requirements)
Enquiries that do not lead to a project	12 months
Newsletter subscription data	Until you unsubscribe
Unsuccessful job applications	6 months after the recruitment decision

Security

We apply technical and organisational measures appropriate to the sensitivity of the data we handle, including encryption in transit and at rest, role-based access controls, multi-factor authentication, staff confidentiality and data protection training, and regular security reviews. Our processes are aligned with our ISO 17100 certification for translation services.

No system can be guaranteed 100% secure. If we become aware of a personal data breach likely to result in a risk to your rights, we will notify you and the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) as required by law.

Your Rights

Under the UK GDPR you have the right to:

• Access — request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Rectification — ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Erasure — ask us to delete your data in certain circumstances.
• Restriction — ask us to limit how we process your data.
• Portability — receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
• Objection — object to processing based on legitimate interests, and to direct marketing at any time.
• Withdraw consent — where processing is based on consent, withdraw it at any time.

To exercise any of these rights, email privacy@globalspeaklanguage.com. We respond within one month. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

Cookies

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to make the site work, understand how it is used, and improve your experience. For details of the cookies we use and how to manage them, please see our Cookie Policy.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. The “Last updated” date at the top of this page shows when it was last revised. Significant changes will be highlighted on our website or communicated to you directly where appropriate.

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