Terms of Service

Independent Contractor Status:

Interpreters and translators are independent contractors, not employees, partners, or agents of Talksie Inc. They are solely responsible for the manner and hours in which they perform their services.

Profile Eligibility:

Profiles must represent individual freelance interpreters or translators only. Agencies, companies, and third-party provider organizations are not permitted on the Platform. Talksie reserves the right to remove any profile that represents a non-individual entity without notice.

Profile Verification:

Talksie reserves the sole right to decide which profiles receive Verified status. Verification is granted at Talksie's discretion based on our internal review process. Having a profile on the Platform does not imply verification.

Pricing of Services:

Interpreters and translators set their own rates — hourly, half-day, daily, per word, or per page. They may require a minimum engagement — for example, a minimum number of hours for on-site interpretation or a minimum booking period for day-rate work. Clients agree to honor stated minimums when engaging a professional.

No Benefits:

Interpreters and translators are not eligible for any employee benefits.

Taxes and Licenses:

Interpreters and translators are solely responsible for obtaining all necessary licenses and permits and for paying all applicable taxes on payments received through the Platform.

Service Quality:

Interpreters and translators undertake to perform all work professionally, accurately, and in a timely manner.

Client Confidentiality:

Interpreters and translators must maintain strict confidentiality regarding all client information, project details, documents, and communications encountered through the Platform. This obligation survives termination of any project or account.

Prohibition on Using Client Data for AI Training:

Interpreters and translators are strictly prohibited from using any client data, documents, communications, or project materials obtained through the Platform to train, fine-tune, or improve any artificial intelligence or machine learning model, including large language models (LLMs). Violation of this prohibition is grounds for immediate removal from the Platform.

Conflict of Interest:

Interpreters and translators must disclose any conflict of interest to the client and to Talksie before accepting a project. This includes prior relationships with opposing parties, financial interests in the subject matter, or any circumstances that could affect impartiality.

Off-Platform Solicitation:

Interpreters and translators may not actively solicit clients found through the Platform to work outside the Platform in order to avoid Talksie's service fee. If a client independently offers an interpreter or translator a full-time employment position, this is welcomed — use Talksie for your ongoing freelance needs. However, any interpreter or translator found to be actively soliciting clients off-platform to circumvent fees will have their profile permanently removed.

Project Engagement:

Clients engage interpreters and translators for specific projects based on terms agreed between both parties, including scope, deadlines, and the professional's quoted rate.

Minimum Engagements:

Clients must respect any minimum engagement requirements stated by the interpreter or translator. If a professional charges a half-day or daily rate, the client cannot unilaterally reduce the engagement to an hourly rate after booking. Minimums must be agreed upon before the project begins.

Payment:

Clients agree to pay the total agreed amount — the professional's quoted rate plus Talksie's 20% service fee — through the Platform's payment system before work commences.

Materials:

Clients warrant that they have all necessary rights and permissions for any source materials provided to interpreters or translators. Clients agree to indemnify Talksie Inc. and the professional against any third-party claims arising from client-provided materials.

Conduct Toward Professionals:

Clients must communicate respectfully and professionally with all interpreters and translators on the Platform. Discriminatory, abusive, threatening, or harassing behavior is strictly prohibited and grounds for immediate account termination.

Inappropriate Messages:

Talksie owns all messages sent through the Platform. In the event a client sends an inappropriate, threatening, discriminatory, or harassing message to an interpreter or translator, Talksie reserves the right to make such messages public, share them with relevant authorities, and take any other action deemed appropriate to protect the professional.

Client Data Sharing:

Clients may not share interpreter or translator contact details, personal information, or platform communications with third parties without the explicit written consent of the professional.

Talksie Service Fee:

Talksie charges clients a 20% service fee on top of the interpreter's or translator's quoted rate. This fee covers platform maintenance, payment processing, and client support. The total amount — professional's rate plus 20% — is shown clearly before payment.

No Fee for Interpreters & Translators:

Building a profile and listing services on Talksie is completely free for interpreters and translators, and Talksie deducts nothing from your quoted rate — you receive 100% of what you quote. Standard payout costs charged by Stripe, Wise, or your own bank (such as transfer or currency conversion fees) are borne by the professional and vary by country.

Escrow:

Client payments are held in escrow by Talksie until the job is marked complete. Funds are released to the interpreter or translator within 48 hours of job completion unless a dispute is raised.

Cancellation and Refunds:

• If the interpreter or translator cancels: the client receives a full refund.
• If the client cancels before work has started: the client receives a full refund.
• If the client cancels after work has started: a partial refund will be issued based on the portion of work completed, as assessed by Talksie. The interpreter or translator will be compensated for work already performed.
• Minimum engagement fees are non-refundable once work has commenced if the professional has honored their availability commitment.

Chargebacks:

Initiating a chargeback through your bank or payment provider without first going through Talksie's dispute process is a violation of these Terms and may result in account suspension.

Payment Setup:

Interpreters and translators must complete Stripe Connect or Wise account setup within 30 days of their first booking. Payments will be held until setup is complete.

Disputes:

If either party is dissatisfied with a completed project, they may raise a dispute through the Platform within 48 hours of job completion. Talksie will review the dispute manually and make a final determination. Talksie's decision is final.

Platform IP:

All intellectual property rights in the Platform — including software, design, trademarks, and content — are owned by or licensed to Talksie Inc.

Professional Work Product:

Upon full payment for a project, the client acquires the agreed-upon rights of use for the translation or interpretation provided. The professional may retain moral rights as applicable by law.

Client Materials:

Clients retain all intellectual property rights to their original source materials.