1. Who is responsible?
The controller responsible for processing your data is:
iQ Services GmbH, Im Lindenacker 28, 8707 Uetikon am See, Switzerland Email: desk@iqservices.ch — Phone: +41 44 790 26 80
If you have any questions about data protection, please write to us at this address.
This policy applies to this website and to the data you entrust to us in connection with an enquiry or an assignment. It complies with the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP) and, where it applies to your situation, the GDPR.
2. What data do we process?
Visiting the website. When you visit this website, our hosting provider automatically records technical data (IP address, date and time, page visited, browser and operating system). This data is used to keep the website running properly and securely.
Contact. If you write to us (by email or via the contact form) or call us, we process the information you provide: name, company, contact details, the content of your message, and the languages and deadlines you require.
Translation and copywriting assignments. To carry out an assignment, we process the documents and content you entrust to us. These may contain personal data, sometimes sensitive (contracts, medical records, HR files, etc.). Please let us know in advance if a document is particularly sensitive.
Invoicing. Billing details, assignment history and payments.
Cookies and analytics. This website only uses technical cookies needed for it to work (for example, to remember the language you have chosen). It does not use any tracking cookies or analytics tools.
3. Why, and on what basis?
We process your data in order to:
- respond to your enquiries and prepare quotes;
- carry out and manage assignments, and invoice them;
- keep the website secure and running properly;
- meet our legal obligations, in particular for accounting.
This processing is based on the performance or preparation of a contract, on our legitimate interests (sound business management, security), on our legal obligations or, where the law requires it, on your consent, which you may withdraw at any time.
4. Confidentiality of your content and AI tools
Your content is handled with discretion. Everyone who has access to it is bound by confidentiality. Your content is only passed on to third parties to the extent necessary to carry out the assignment.
Depending on the nature, sensitivity and deadline of your project, we choose the appropriate approach: human translation or post-editing assisted by artificial intelligence tools. When we use such tools, we use professional versions whose terms exclude the use of your content to train their models [to be verified]. Every text is then reviewed, corrected and approved by a linguist before delivery.
If your content is particularly sensitive, you can ask us not to use any AI tools: simply let us know before the assignment begins.
5. Who do we share your data with?
We do not sell your data. Where necessary, we may share it with:
- our hosting provider and IT service providers;
- freelance translators, revisers or layout specialists whom we engage for your project and who are bound by confidentiality;
- the providers of the language tools we use;
- our fiduciary or accountant, and the authorities where the law requires it.
6. Transfers abroad
Our website is hosted in Switzerland. Some of the language tools we use may process data in the European Union [and/or the United States – to be adapted]. These countries offer an adequate level of protection recognised by the Swiss Federal Council or, where this is not the case, we rely on appropriate safeguards, in particular standard contractual clauses.
7. Retention period
We keep your data for as long as necessary for the purposes described above:
- correspondence and quotes: 10 years;
- documents and content relating to an assignment: deleted once the assignment has been completed and paid for, unless otherwise agreed or required by law. We only return original documents on express request;
- accounting records: 10 years, in accordance with the Swiss Code of Obligations;
- technical website data: kept by our hosting provider for a limited period, then deleted automatically [or the exact period stated by Infomaniak].
These periods may be extended in the event of a disputed invoice, litigation or non-payment, for as long as necessary to defend our rights.
8. Security
We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your data against loss, unauthorised access and disclosure: access limited to the people working on your assignment, encryption of communications and devices, backups, etc.
Unless otherwise agreed, ordinary email is not encrypted and, like any electronic correspondence, may be intercepted. For sensitive documents, please contact us to agree on a secure way of exchanging them.
9. Your rights
You may at any time request access to your data, its correction or deletion, the restriction of or objection to its processing, or its transfer in a common format, and you may withdraw any consent you have given. Write to us at desk@iqservices.ch; we may ask you to confirm your identity. Some rights may be restricted by law, for example for data we are required to keep.
You may also lodge a complaint with the Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC) or, if you are located in the EU, with the supervisory authority in your country.
10. External links
This website may link to third-party websites. They have their own privacy policies, for which we are not responsible.
11. Changes
We may amend this policy at any time. The version published on this website is authoritative.
Last updated: 08.10.2026
General Terms and Conditions
Version dated 8 October 2026
1. Scope
These General Terms and Conditions (GTC) apply to all translation, post-editing, transcreation, revision, proofreading, terminology, writing and layout services provided by iQ Services GmbH (hereinafter “iQ Services”), Im Lindenacker 28, 8707 Uetikon am See, to its clients (hereinafter “the client”).
Individual agreements concluded in writing with the client take precedence over these GTC. Any conflicting terms of the client apply only if iQ Services has accepted them in writing. By placing an order or accepting a quotation, the client accepts these GTC.
2. Services
iQ Services provides language services in the agreed language combinations, particularly between French, German and English.
Unless otherwise agreed in writing, iQ Services does not provide certified or sworn translations.
The nature and scope of the services are defined in the accepted quotation or order confirmation.
3. Quotations and formation of the contract
Quotations are based on the documents and information supplied by the client and remain valid for 30 days unless otherwise stated. The contract is concluded when the client accepts the quotation or when iQ Services confirms the order in writing, including by email.
If the volume, complexity or format of the documents differs from the information initially supplied, iQ Services may revise its quotation. The client is informed before any additional work is carried out.
4. Client’s obligations
The client supplies iQ Services with the following in good time and in a usable format:
- the complete and final source text;
- relevant context: intended audience, intended use and desired tone;
- any glossaries, style guides, reference translations or reference documents.
Changes to the source text after work has begun may result in additional charges and an extension of the delivery deadline. The client is responsible for ensuring that they hold the necessary rights to the content entrusted to iQ Services.
5. Deadlines
Agreed delivery deadlines are met provided that the client supplies the necessary documents and information on time. Any delay caused by late or incomplete submissions, changes requested by the client or an event of force majeure extends the deadline accordingly.
If iQ Services anticipates that it will be unable to meet a deadline, it informs the client promptly and proposes a solution.
A surcharge may apply to urgent assignments involving very short deadlines, weekends or public holidays. Any such surcharge is specified in the quotation.
6. Prices and payment
The applicable prices are those stated in the quotation or order confirmation. Unless otherwise stated, prices are expressed in Swiss francs, including VAT [or: excluding VAT – to be confirmed].
Invoices are payable in full, without discount, within 10 days of the invoice date. Once this period has expired, the client is in default without a prior reminder, and default interest of 5% per year is due. For substantial assignments, iQ Services may request an advance payment or invoice in stages.
7. Delivery, review and complaints
Completed work is delivered electronically in the agreed format.
The client reviews the work upon delivery. Any complaint must be submitted to iQ Services in writing within 10 days of delivery, with a precise description of the disputed points. After this period, the services are deemed accepted.
If a defect is established, the client is entitled, in the first instance, to a correction free of charge within a reasonable period agreed with iQ Services. Differences in taste or stylistic preference do not constitute a defect. No free correction is due if the client’s instructions were incomplete or unclear, or if the client changed the source text or instructions after placing the order.
For documents intended for printing or publication, including layout and desktop publishing (DTP), the client reviews and approves the final proof before printing. Following approval, iQ Services is not liable for any remaining errors.
8. Confidentiality, personal data and AI tools
iQ Services treats all content entrusted to it as confidential and uses it solely to perform the assignment. Anyone with access to this content is bound by confidentiality obligations. These obligations continue after the contract has ended.
Unless otherwise agreed, documents sent by ordinary email are not encrypted. A client requiring a secure method of exchange must inform iQ Services before work begins. Absolute confidentiality cannot be guaranteed for electronic communications.
Depending on the nature, sensitivity and deadline of the project, iQ Services selects the appropriate approach: human translation or post-editing assisted by artificial intelligence tools. All content is reviewed, corrected and approved by a language professional before delivery. Before work begins, the client may request in writing that no AI tools be used for their content.
The client identifies in advance any documents containing particularly sensitive information. The processing of personal data is described in the privacy policy available on the website.
Upon request, iQ Services may sign a separate confidentiality agreement before work begins.
Once the assignment has been delivered and paid for, iQ Services is no longer required to retain the documents and deliverables, subject to its statutory obligations. Retention periods are specified in the privacy policy.
9. Subcontracting
iQ Services may entrust all or part of an assignment to independent professionals, under its own responsibility and subject to clause 8. iQ Services remains the client’s sole point of contact.
10. Copyright and references
Subject to full payment of the invoice, the rights to the translation or text delivered are transferred to the client for the use envisaged in the assignment. Tools, translation memories, glossaries and methods developed by iQ Services remain its property unless otherwise agreed.
Unless the client objects in writing, iQ Services may name the client as a reference without disclosing the content of any assignments.
11. Changes and cancellation
If the client cancels or suspends an assignment, they must pay for work already completed and costs incurred. If cancellation occurs less than 10 days before the agreed delivery date, an additional charge of 50% of the agreed price may apply.
12. Liability
iQ Services is responsible for the care and quality of its work. To the extent permitted by law, liability for indirect losses, including loss of profit, reputational damage and loss of data, is excluded. Liability for other losses is limited to the invoiced amount of the assignment concerned.
This limitation does not apply in cases of intent or gross negligence, to personal injury, or where prohibited by law.
iQ Services is not responsible for the accuracy of the source content or for the consequences of using the delivered text, for example in a legal, medical or technical context, if the text has not been validated by a subject-matter specialist as agreed within the assignment. Nor is it responsible for changes made to the delivered text by the client or third parties.
iQ Services is not responsible for failures of communication networks or services, including the internet, email, telephone and postal services, or for documents lost in transit.
13. Force majeure
Neither party is liable for a delay or failure to perform caused by an event beyond its reasonable control, such as serious illness, a major infrastructure failure, a natural disaster or a decision by a public authority. Deadlines are extended accordingly. If the impediment persists, either party may terminate the assignment; payment remains due for services already provided and costs incurred.
14. Final provisions
If any provision of these GTC is or becomes invalid, the remaining provisions remain in force. Changes to the contract must be made in writing, including by email.
iQ Services may amend these GTC. The version in force when the contract is concluded applies.
The contract is governed by Swiss law, excluding the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods. Subject to any mandatory provisions to the contrary, the exclusive place of jurisdiction is Uetikon am See.