These Terms and Conditions apply to all linguists (including interpreters, translators, reviewers, editors, proofreaders, transcribers, and localization specialists) who accept assignments from Prism Linguistics LLC (“Prism”). By accepting any assignment (by email, portal, message, or otherwise), you agree to be bound by these Terms.
“Company / Prism / We / Us / Our” means Prism Linguistics LLC, a U.S. limited liability company.
“Linguist / You / Your” means the independent contractor providing language services to Prism.
“Client” means Prism’s end client (individual, business, government body, court, school, nonprofit, or agency).
“Services” means interpreting, translation, localization, editing, proofreading, transcription, subtitling, voice-over, or related services assigned to you by Prism.
“Assignment / Engagement” means any project or booking offered by Prism and accepted by you.
“Booking Confirmation / Work Order” means Prism’s written confirmation containing assignment details (date/time, location, language, rates, minimums, reference number, deliverables, deadlines).
“Source Materials” means any documents, audio, video, images, or information provided for the Services.
“Deliverables” means the completed work product (translation files, revised files, transcripts, captions, interpreting attendance/time records, etc.).
“Confidential Information” means any non-public information relating to Prism, the Client, Source Materials, Deliverables, pricing, contacts, and processes, except information that is public or required to be disclosed by law.
“Business Day” means any day other than Saturday, Sunday, or U.S. federal public holidays.
2.1 You provide Services as an independent contractor and not as an employee, partner, or agent of Prism. You are responsible for your own taxes, insurance, permits, and compliance obligations.
2.2 These Terms apply to all future assignments unless Prism issues updated terms in writing.
2.3 Prism may offer, and you may accept or decline, assignments at your discretion (unless otherwise agreed in writing for ongoing coverage).
3.1 You confirm that all professional and personal information you provide to Prism is true and accurate (including certifications, experience, education, background checks, and legal work authorization where applicable).
3.2 Prism may request documentation at any time to verify qualifications and may retain records as required for compliance and business operations.
3.3 You must promptly notify Prism of any change affecting eligibility (e.g., certification lapse, sanctions, convictions, conflicts, inability to perform).
4.1 A binding agreement for an Assignment is formed when you accept Prism’s offer and Prism issues a Booking Confirmation / Work Order.
4.2 You must not begin work or attend an assignment unless you have received Prism’s official Booking Confirmation (or written authorization).
4.3 Each Assignment will have a unique reference number. You must include it on all correspondence, timesheets, and invoices.
5.1 You must perform Services according to professional standards, ethical codes, and any Client-specific requirements notified by Prism.
5.2 You must deliver complete work (no partial translation deliveries unless Prism requests staged delivery).
5.3 You must be punctual, prepared, and appropriately dressed for the setting (court, medical, school, corporate, etc.).
5.4 No direct Client contact: If you have questions or concerns, you must contact Prism immediately. You must not contact Prism’s Client directly unless Prism provides written permission.
5.5 You must disclose any potential conflict of interest immediately (e.g., related parties, prior involvement, bias risks).
6.1 You must perform Services personally. You may not subcontract, assign, or delegate any part of an Assignment to another person or agency without Prism’s prior written approval.
7.1 You must follow the mode requested (consecutive/simultaneous/OPI/VRI/in-person) and any platform instructions.
7.2 You must accurately record start/end times, breaks, and any waiting time in accordance with Prism’s instructions.
7.3 If the appointment runs longer than scheduled, you must notify Prism as soon as practicable (unless doing so would disrupt proceedings).
8.1 You must follow Prism’s quality expectations, including (where applicable): spell check, second proofread, accurate numbers/dates, consistent terminology, and maintaining layout/formatting reasonably close to the source.
8.2 You must inform Prism promptly if Source Materials are incomplete, unclear, illegible, corrupted, or missing content.
8.3 You must not use machine translation or AI tools for Client content unless Prism explicitly authorizes it in writing for that job (and the Client permits it). Where permitted, you remain responsible for the final quality and confidentiality.
9.1 Deadlines stated in the Booking Confirmation are essential. If you anticipate a delay, you must inform Prism immediately.
9.2 If you fail to meet a deadline or fail to deliver acceptable work, Prism may (at its discretion) assign the work to another linguist, require revisions, reduce fees, or terminate the Assignment.
9.3 Where rework is required due to your error or quality issues, Prism may deduct reasonable costs of correction from fees payable to you.
10.1 Client cancellation: If the Client cancels, Prism will notify you as soon as possible.
Translation:
Interpreting:
10.2 Linguist cancellation / no-show:
11.1 Fees are as agreed in the Booking Confirmation and may be per hour, per assignment minimum, per word/page, per day, or a fixed rate.
11.2 You must submit an invoice for each completed job (unless Prism provides a consolidated invoicing method). Prism cannot initiate payment until a valid invoice is received.
11.3 Unless otherwise agreed in writing, payment is made within 45 days from the date Prism receives your correct invoice. Prism does not pay late-payment interest where invoice submission is delayed or incorrect.
11.4 You are responsible for reporting taxes and providing required tax forms (e.g., W-9 for U.S. persons, W-8BEN/W-8BEN-E for non-U.S. persons where applicable).
12.1 Expenses are reimbursable only if pre-approved in writing (or clearly stated in the Booking Confirmation).
12.2 Where approved, Prism reimburses reasonable travel expenses (e.g., standard public transport fares). Receipts may be required.
12.3 Taxis/ride-hailing and rental vehicles should be avoided unless necessary (e.g., no public transport available, emergency). Prior approval is required unless urgent.
13.1 During your relationship with Prism and for 18 months after your last Assignment, you agree not to directly or indirectly solicit, accept work from, or contract with Prism’s Clients that you were introduced to through Prism, unless Prism provides written permission.
13.2 This restriction is intended to protect Prism’s Client relationships and does not prevent you from working generally in the industry.
14.1 You must keep all Confidential Information strictly confidential and use it only for performing Assignments. You must not disclose or exploit it, and must not share it with any third party.
14.2 You must securely store and transmit files and delete/return Source Materials and Deliverables when requested by Prism or when no longer required for the Assignment, subject to legal retention obligations.
15.1 Prism may maintain backups of data held in its systems. However, you remain responsible for maintaining appropriate backups of your own working files until the Assignment is fully completed and accepted.
16.1 Upon submitting Deliverables and receiving payment (unless otherwise required by the Client/Contract), you grant Prism and its Client the right to use, reproduce, edit, publish, distribute, and otherwise utilize the Deliverables for the Client’s intended purpose, worldwide, without restriction.
16.2 Prism may transfer or grant usage rights to the Client and other authorized parties as needed for the assignment.
16.3 To the extent permitted by law, you waive any claim to be credited as the author where anonymity is required (e.g., court/government settings) or where the Client requires it.
16.4 Prism may retain copies of Source Materials and Deliverables for record-keeping, compliance, quality assurance, and dispute resolution.
17.1 Prism may request revisions where work does not meet agreed requirements or professional standards.
17.2 If Deliverables are rejected due to your error or failure to follow instructions, you must cooperate promptly to correct them within a reasonable grace period set by Prism.
17.3 If you fail to correct within the grace period, Prism may withdraw the Assignment, engage a replacement, and recover reasonable costs from amounts otherwise payable to you.
18.1 Prism is liable only for losses caused by Prism’s gross negligence or willful misconduct, to the extent permitted by law.
18.2 Prism is not liable for losses caused by Client actions, defective Source Materials, third-party platform failures, force majeure events, or circumstances beyond Prism’s control.
19.1 You agree to indemnify and hold Prism harmless from third-party claims arising from your breach of these Terms, negligence, misconduct, unlawful acts, or infringement caused by your work (to the extent legally permitted).
19.2 You release Prism from claims arising from content of Source Materials supplied by the Client, except where Prism is at fault by law.
Prism may update these Terms from time to time. Updated terms will apply to future Assignments after notice is provided.
These Terms and any dispute arising out of or relating to them shall be governed by the laws of the State of Wyoming, United States of America, unless Prism specifies a different governing law in a Work Order for a particular Client engagement.
Contact: For queries relating to assignments, capability concerns, or unclear Source Materials, contact Prism immediately at info@prismlinguistics.com.