This page describes the arrangements under which documents sent for translation are processed. A signed undertaking is not the protection itself but a promise as to how the protection will be set up.
The undertaking can be signed before the job starts
The confidentiality undertaking can be signed before the first job. Your organisation's own text can also be used.
Access is narrowed
Who will have access to the document is defined, and access is closed when the job ends. This step is the undertaking's counterpart in practice.
The channel is defined
The route by which the file will be sent is agreed at the outset. The undertaking protects the content, not the route; this is why the channel is written down separately.
The chain is passed on
There is a written undertaking with the specialists assigned to the job, and the obligations are passed on without being diluted. If one link in the chain has no undertaking, the first document is left without effect.
Individual undertakings
The person who actually reads the text also needs to be under an undertaking. A contract between organisations does not achieve this on its own.
Special category data
Medical reports, criminal records and similar documents require additional protection. These documents are notified separately and the level of access is determined accordingly.
Unnecessary fields can be removed
Identity and contact fields that do not need to be translated can be separated from the file. Data that are not shared cease to be data that need protecting.
Machine translation services are not used
Client documents are not uploaded to any free machine translation or language model service. There is no exception to this rule.
Retention and erasure
How long files will be retained and how they will be erased can be defined in the contract. Indefinite retention is a risk that grows over time.
Content in the memory
The translation memory stores client sentences. The erasure obligation covers the memory too and is carried out by running a search.
Segregation by client
The content of different clients is not kept in the same memory. The segregation is set up at the start of the job.
Breach notification
How quickly notice will be given when a problem arises can be defined in the contract. With an incident that is learned of late, there is no measure left that can be taken.
Right of audit
The right to see that the practice is really operating can be written into the contract. The existence of this clause produces discipline even if no audit is carried out.
Your organisation's own text can be used
Your organisation's standard text can be used for the confidentiality undertaking, and in most cases this is the preferred route. If an amendment to the text is needed, this is discussed in writing before the job starts.
The undertaking can be mutual
Methods, terminology infrastructure and price structure are also commercial information. A mutual undertaking stops the relationship from being a one-sided audit.
Clauses that can be applied are written
A clause that appears in the undertaking but cannot in fact be applied provides no protection at the moment of a breach and also damages good faith. For this reason care is taken that every condition written down can be applied.
Takeaway
Confidentiality is achieved not by a signed document but by arrangements that are applied. Once the access list, the defined channel, the retention period, the content in the memory, the subcontractor chain and breach notification are put in writing, the undertaking turns into a protection mechanism.