Terms of Use and Membership Terms

These Terms of Use and Membership Terms (the "Terms") govern access to and use of the website available at natranslationalliance.org, together with the professional directory, member accounts, editorial publications and related services made available through that website (collectively, the "Platform").

The Platform is operated by ELLIPSE WORLD, whose corporate identity and contact details are set out in the Legal Notice available on the Platform. The names "North American Translation Alliance" and "NATA" are used by ELLIPSE WORLD in connection with the operation of the Platform.

By accessing the Platform, creating an account, purchasing a membership or publication service, or submitting content for publication, you acknowledge that you have read and accepted these Terms. If you act on behalf of a company or another legal entity, you represent and warrant that you have authority to bind that entity to these Terms.

Article 1. Purpose of the Platform

The Platform provides a professional directory through which translation companies, translation agencies and language service providers may present their businesses, services, locations, language combinations, areas of specialization and professional credentials. It also provides editorial and promotional publication services, including press releases, interviews, company presentations and featured articles.

NATA is an independent commercial directory and publishing platform. It is not a governmental body, regulatory authority, professional order, certification body or accreditation organization. Unless expressly stated otherwise, NATA does not audit its members, certify the quality of their work or guarantee their professional, legal or financial standing.

Membership in NATA constitutes a contractual subscription to the services described in these Terms. It does not confer any ownership interest, voting right, governance right or legal participation in ELLIPSE WORLD. It does not create a partnership, agency, joint venture, fiduciary relationship or employment relationship between ELLIPSE WORLD and any member.

Article 2. Eligibility and Professional Use

Paid membership and publication services are intended exclusively for professional and business use. Any person creating an account or placing an order must be at least eighteen years old and must have the legal capacity and authority required to act for the company identified in the account.

Membership is principally intended for established translation companies, translation agencies and language service providers operating in, established in or serving the United States or Canada. ELLIPSE WORLD reserves the right to determine whether an applicant's activities are sufficiently connected with the language-services industry and consistent with the purpose and editorial positioning of the Platform.

The applicant must provide complete, accurate and current information. ELLIPSE WORLD may request reasonable evidence of the applicant's legal existence, business address, website ownership, professional memberships, certifications or authority to act for the company concerned.

Article 3. Member Accounts

Access to certain functions of the Platform may require the creation of a member account. The account holder is responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of its login credentials and for all activity conducted through the account.

An account may not be transferred, shared with an unrelated organization or used to impersonate another person or company. The account holder must notify ELLIPSE WORLD promptly if it becomes aware of unauthorized access, loss of credentials or any other suspected security incident.

ELLIPSE WORLD may require additional verification before changing the company associated with an account, transferring administrative control, processing a cancellation or disclosing account information.

Article 4. Membership Application and Approval

Payment of the membership fee allows the applicant to submit a company profile for review. Publication is not automatic. Each profile is subject to an administrative and editorial review intended to confirm its relevance, completeness, internal consistency and apparent authenticity.

ELLIPSE WORLD may request corrections, clarifications or supporting documentation before approving a profile. It may refuse or postpone publication where the information submitted is incomplete, misleading, manifestly inaccurate, unrelated to the purpose of the directory or inconsistent with these Terms or the Platform's editorial standards.

Where a company is described as "Verified," that designation means that NATA has completed its standard administrative review of the information or supporting material supplied by the company. It does not mean that NATA has conducted a legal, financial or professional audit, tested the company's services, verified every representation appearing in the profile or guaranteed the validity of every credential disclosed.

Members remain solely responsible for the accuracy of their profiles and for the services they offer. Users of the directory remain responsible for conducting their own due diligence before engaging a listed provider.

Article 5. Annual Membership

The standard annual membership includes the publication of an approved company profile for a period of twelve months. The profile may contain the member's business description, office locations, contact details, website, services, specializations, language combinations, professional memberships, certifications and other information accepted by NATA.

An active member may request updates to its profile during the membership period. Such updates remain subject to review and may be reformatted, corrected or adapted to preserve the editorial consistency and technical operation of the directory. The reference to "unlimited edits" on the Platform means that NATA does not impose a predetermined numerical limit on reasonable profile updates. It does not require NATA to process abusive, repetitive, technically disproportionate or irrelevant requests.

The membership period normally begins on the date on which the profile is first approved and published. The applicant must nevertheless provide all requested profile information within sixty days after payment. If the applicant fails to do so, or fails to respond to reasonable review requests within that period, the membership period will be deemed to have begun on the sixtieth day following payment, irrespective of whether publication has occurred.

Membership provides only the services expressly described on the Platform or in the applicable order confirmation. It does not guarantee any minimum number of views, enquiries, leads, contracts, conversions or website visits. Nor does it guarantee inclusion in any particular search-engine result, ranking position or external database.

Article 6. Prices, Payment and Taxes

The standard annual membership fee is currently USD 500, unless a different price is displayed at checkout or agreed in writing. Press releases, featured articles, interviews and other editorial services are charged separately at the price displayed at the time of purchase.

All prices are expressed in U.S. dollars. Unless expressly stated otherwise, they exclude any applicable sales tax, value-added tax, goods and services tax, withholding tax or similar governmental charge. The purchaser is responsible for taxes applicable to the transaction, other than taxes assessed on ELLIPSE WORLD's net income.

Payment is due at the time the order is placed. Payments may be processed by an independent payment service provider, whose own contractual terms and privacy practices may apply. The purchaser authorizes ELLIPSE WORLD and its payment provider to process the charges associated with the initial order and, in the case of an automatically renewing membership, each subsequent renewal.

Article 7. Automatic Renewal

Each annual membership renews automatically for successive periods of twelve months unless the member cancels the renewal before the applicable renewal date.

By purchasing a membership, the purchaser expressly authorizes ELLIPSE WORLD and its payment provider to charge the payment method on file for the initial membership fee and for each annual renewal at the price then in effect, together with any applicable taxes.

ELLIPSE WORLD will provide advance notice of the forthcoming renewal using the email address associated with the account. It will also provide reasonable advance notice of any material increase in the annual membership price.

Automatic renewal may be cancelled through the cancellation function made available in the member account or by sending a cancellation request to membership@natranslationalliance.org. Cancellation prevents the next renewal charge but does not terminate or shorten the current paid membership period. The profile may remain published until that period expires.

The member is responsible for maintaining a valid payment method and an accurate email address. Failure to receive a reminder because of inaccurate contact information, filtering, mailbox limitations or another circumstance outside ELLIPSE WORLD's reasonable control does not invalidate a renewal that was otherwise properly disclosed and authorized.

Article 8. Final and Non-Refundable Payments

Except where a refund is required by applicable law, all membership, renewal, publication and editorial fees are final and non-refundable once the corresponding order has been accepted and performance has begun.

No refund or prorated credit will be due because the member changes its mind, cancels during a paid membership period, ceases trading, changes its commercial strategy, fails to submit the required information or receives fewer views, enquiries, leads or other commercial results than anticipated.

Likewise, no refund will be due where publication is delayed, suspended or refused because the purchaser supplied incomplete, inaccurate, unlawful or non-compliant material, failed to respond to editorial requests or otherwise breached these Terms.

If ELLIPSE WORLD declines an order before providing any material part of the purchased service for reasons unrelated to the purchaser's conduct or breach, the amount paid for that service will be returned. This limited exception does not create any broader cancellation or refund right.

Article 9. Member Profiles and Professional Representations

Each member is responsible for ensuring that all information appearing in its profile remains accurate, current, substantiated and not misleading. This obligation applies in particular to representations concerning office locations, staff, language capabilities, certifications, professional memberships, years of experience, awards, insurance coverage and regulatory status.

A member must promptly request correction of information that has become inaccurate. ELLIPSE WORLD may request documentary support for a professional claim and may remove or qualify that claim if adequate support is not provided.

The member may not use its profile to make unlawful comparative claims, disparage a competitor, misrepresent an affiliation or publish confidential information. References to clients, employees, contractors or other individuals may be included only where the member has obtained all permissions required by law.

Article 10. Press-Release Services

A press-release order covers the editorial review, formatting and publication of one approved company announcement in the NATA Press Room, together with any additional distribution expressly described on the applicable order page.

The purchaser must provide a complete and accurate draft, together with the photographs, links, permissions and supporting information reasonably required for publication. ELLIPSE WORLD may revise the material for grammar, clarity, consistency, length, presentation and compliance with its editorial standards. Any material factual alteration will be submitted to the purchaser for approval before publication.

ELLIPSE WORLD may decline to publish material that it reasonably considers false, misleading, defamatory, unlawful, infringing, excessively promotional, unrelated to the language-services industry or likely to expose the Platform or a third party to legal or reputational harm. It may also require the purchaser to substantiate claims involving certifications, appointments, partnerships, awards or business performance.

Press releases constitute paid promotional content and may be identified as "Press Release," "Member Announcement," "Sponsored Content" or by another designation that clearly communicates their nature.

Article 11. Featured Articles and Interviews

A featured-content order may take the form of an interview, company presentation, executive profile, thought-leadership article or another editorial format agreed between the purchaser and NATA.

Unless otherwise agreed in writing, the purchaser is responsible for providing timely, accurate and sufficiently detailed source material. ELLIPSE WORLD retains editorial control over the title, structure, style, formatting, layout and publication schedule, while respecting the substance of the information approved by the purchaser.

The standard price includes reasonable editorial preparation and revisions within the original scope of the order. A substantial rewrite, additional interview, change of format or repeated revision cycle may require a supplementary quotation.

Featured articles and interviews are paid promotional publications. They may therefore be marked as "Sponsored," "Paid Member Feature," "Partner Content" or by another clear disclosure. Any homepage placement is temporary and will generally occur at or around the time of initial publication.

Article 12. Duration and Availability of Publications

Where the Platform describes a press release, featured article or interview as having a "permanent URL," this means that the publication is intended to remain accessible without a predetermined contractual expiration date.

It does not constitute a guarantee of perpetual hosting, uninterrupted availability or indefinite preservation in its original form. ELLIPSE WORLD may correct, update, archive, redirect, de-index or remove a publication where reasonably necessary for legal, editorial, security, reputational or technical reasons.

A publication may also be removed where it has become materially inaccurate, infringes third-party rights, contains unlawful material or is connected with fraudulent or deceptive conduct.

Article 13. Search Engines and External Visibility

ELLIPSE WORLD may permit search engines to crawl and index public profiles and publications. It may also apply technical link attributes such as sponsored, nofollow, ugc or any successor designation where appropriate to identify the nature of a link and comply with search-engine policies.

No representation concerning visibility, indexing, ranking or SEO performance constitutes a guarantee. Search engines and other platforms remain independent third parties that determine their own algorithms, policies and results.

A change in search-engine treatment, indexing, ranking or link attribution does not constitute a failure by ELLIPSE WORLD to provide the purchased service and does not create a right to a refund.

Article 14. Rights in Submitted Content

The member retains ownership of the text, logos, trademarks, photographs and other materials it submits to the Platform.

By submitting such material, the member grants ELLIPSE WORLD a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free and transferable licence, with the right to use technical service providers, to store, reproduce, format, edit, display, distribute, promote and archive that material for the operation and promotion of the Platform and the provision of the purchased services.

This licence includes the right to create excerpts, directory index entries, newsletter summaries, social-media announcements and technical adaptations. It continues for as long as the content remains published and for any reasonable backup, archival, evidentiary or legal-retention period thereafter.

The member represents that it owns the submitted material or has obtained all licences, releases and permissions necessary for its use. The member further represents that the material does not infringe any copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity, confidentiality or other third-party right.

Article 15. Public Nature of Published Information

Profiles, press releases, interviews and featured articles are public communications. Once published, they may be viewed, copied, quoted, indexed, cached, summarized or archived by independent third parties.

Members must therefore refrain from submitting private residential addresses, confidential client information, sensitive personal data or information concerning another individual unless publication is lawful, necessary and duly authorized.

ELLIPSE WORLD may remove information from the live Platform but cannot guarantee the deletion of copies retained by search engines, internet archives, social networks or other independent third parties.

Article 16. NATA Member Badge

For the duration of an active membership, ELLIPSE WORLD grants the member a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable and revocable licence to display the official NATA Member Badge in the form supplied by NATA.

The badge indicates only that the company holds an active paid directory membership. It must not be presented as evidence of accreditation, certification, governmental recognition or a guarantee of professional quality.

The badge may not be altered, sold, sublicensed or used on behalf of another company. The member must cease using it promptly upon expiration, suspension or termination of the membership.

All rights in the NATA name, logo and badge remain vested in ELLIPSE WORLD or its licensors.

Article 17. Relationships Between Directory Users and Members

The Platform facilitates the discovery of independent translation companies. ELLIPSE WORLD does not participate in quotations, negotiations, assignments, payments or contracts entered into between a directory user and a member.

Each member independently determines its services, prices, methods, personnel and contractual terms. Each directory user is responsible for determining whether a provider is suitable for a particular assignment and for verifying any credential, licence, insurance policy or professional status relevant to that assignment.

ELLIPSE WORLD is not responsible for the acts, omissions, statements, fees, services or work product of any member or directory user.

Article 18. Intellectual Property and Permitted Use

The Platform, its design, database structure, classification system, software, editorial content, graphics, branding and other materials, excluding member-owned content, are owned by or licensed to ELLIPSE WORLD and are protected by applicable intellectual property laws.

Users may access and consult the Platform for legitimate personal or professional research. No user may reproduce, republish, sell, license, scrape, harvest or systematically extract Platform content, nor use that content to build or enrich a competing directory, database, prospecting list or commercial service.

Automated access is prohibited except for ordinary indexing by search engines permitted by the Platform's technical configuration. Users must not interfere with the Platform's security, introduce malicious code, circumvent access restrictions, manipulate engagement data or use directory information to send unlawful or unsolicited bulk communications.

Article 19. Suspension and Termination

ELLIPSE WORLD may suspend or terminate an account, profile, publication or badge licence where payment is overdue or reversed, information is materially inaccurate, these Terms have been breached, third-party rights are threatened or continued publication creates a material legal, security or reputational risk.

Where the circumstances reasonably permit, ELLIPSE WORLD will notify the member and allow an opportunity to correct the issue. Immediate action may nevertheless be taken where necessary to protect the Platform, its users or third parties, or to comply with law.

Termination does not affect payment obligations that arose before termination. Provisions concerning intellectual property, content licences, liability, indemnification, disputes and any other provision intended by its nature to survive will remain effective.

Article 20. Availability and Warranties

The Platform is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. ELLIPSE WORLD will use reasonable care in operating it but does not warrant that access will be uninterrupted, error-free or entirely secure.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, ELLIPSE WORLD disclaims implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title, non-infringement and achievement of a particular commercial result.

Nothing in these Terms excludes any warranty, remedy or statutory right that cannot lawfully be excluded.

Article 21. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, ELLIPSE WORLD will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, special, exemplary or punitive loss, or for any loss of profit, revenue, business, opportunity, data, goodwill, reputation or anticipated savings arising from the Platform or a purchased service.

Subject to liabilities that cannot lawfully be limited, ELLIPSE WORLD's total aggregate liability arising from a membership, publication order or use of the Platform will not exceed the total amount paid by the claimant to ELLIPSE WORLD for the service giving rise to the claim during the twelve months preceding the relevant event.

These limitations do not apply to fraud, wilful misconduct, gross negligence or any other liability that applicable law prohibits the parties from limiting.

Article 22. Indemnification

A member will indemnify and hold harmless ELLIPSE WORLD, its officers, employees and contractors against third-party claims, liabilities, losses and reasonable legal costs arising from the member's submitted content, professional services, inaccurate representations, infringement of third-party rights, misuse of the NATA Member Badge or breach of these Terms.

ELLIPSE WORLD will provide reasonable notice of any claim for which indemnification is sought and will not agree to a settlement imposing an admission or additional obligation on the member without the member's consent, such consent not to be unreasonably withheld.

Article 23. Force Majeure

ELLIPSE WORLD will not be responsible for a delay or failure caused by an event beyond its reasonable control, including failure of hosting or telecommunications infrastructure, cyberattack, natural disaster, labor dispute, governmental action, widespread service interruption or failure of an essential third-party provider.

Performance will be suspended for the duration of the event concerned. If the interruption becomes prolonged, ELLIPSE WORLD may discontinue the affected service and provide any remedy required by applicable law.

Article 24. Amendments

ELLIPSE WORLD may amend these Terms to reflect changes in the Platform, its commercial services, applicable law or its security and operational requirements.

The amended Terms will be published with a revised effective date. Where an amendment materially affects an active paid membership, reasonable notice will be provided before the amendment takes effect.

Unless immediate application is required by law or security considerations, amendments will operate prospectively. Continued use of the Platform after their effective date constitutes acceptance where permitted by law.

Article 25. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These Terms are governed by the laws of France, without regard to its conflict-of-law rules.

Before commencing formal proceedings, the parties will attempt in good faith to resolve any dispute by written notice and negotiation for a period of at least thirty days.

Subject to any mandatory jurisdiction or statutory right that cannot be excluded, the courts having jurisdiction over ELLIPSE WORLD's registered office will have exclusive jurisdiction over disputes arising from these Terms, the Platform or any purchased service.

Article 26. General Provisions

These Terms, together with the applicable order page and any expressly incorporated policy, constitute the entire agreement relating to the relevant service. If an individually negotiated written agreement conflicts with these Terms, that agreement will prevail to the extent of the conflict.

The member may not assign its rights or obligations without ELLIPSE WORLD's prior written consent. ELLIPSE WORLD may assign these Terms in connection with a merger, reorganization, sale of assets or transfer of the Platform.

If any provision is found invalid or unenforceable, it will be limited or severed to the minimum extent necessary, without affecting the remaining provisions. A failure to enforce a provision does not constitute a waiver.

Questions concerning these Terms, membership renewals or cancellations may be addressed to membership@natranslationalliance.org or submitted through the contact page available on the Platform.