1. Introduction and Purpose
This Acceptable Use Policy ("Policy") applies to all clients and prospective clients seeking to use the Company's translation services provided through the Platform. It sets out the categories of business activities that are not permitted to access or use the Company's services and describes the procedures the Company applies to establish the lawful and legitimate nature of a client's business. The Policy forms part of the Company's internal compliance and risk management framework and is designed to ensure that no client activities create legal, financial, or reputational exposure.
Lingome is a professional translation platform that connects clients with translators or utilizes advanced technical means to deliver high-quality translations. The Company specialises in non-notarized translations for informational purposes, including website content, social media materials, and educational texts.
While the Company is not a regulated entity under United Kingdom financial services law, it observes relevant legal standards and good industry practice, including guidance derived from United Kingdom legislation and applicable international frameworks, in order to safeguard its operations and maintain the confidence of financial institutions and business partners. The purpose of this Policy is to define the industries and activities with which the Company will not cooperate under any circumstances, to explain the internal verification measures undertaken to confirm the nature and legitimacy of a client's business, and to affirm the Company's right to refuse or terminate services where prohibited activities, misrepresentations, or other unacceptable risks are identified.
2. Definitions
For the purposes of this Acceptable Use Policy, the following terms shall have the meanings set out below.
"Company" means the translation platform operated by a legal entity incorporated in the United Kingdom.
"Platform" means the website operated by the Company through which the Services are provided.
"Client" means any individual or legal entity that applies to use, or uses, the Company's services to request, manage, or receive translation or other language-related services through the Platform.
"Services" means the language-related services offered by the Company through its website, including translation, editing, proofreading, transcription, subtitling, and other related services made available from time to time.
"Prohibited Business Activities" means any type of activity or business category that is expressly restricted or excluded under this Policy and in respect of which the Company does not provide services.
"Applicable Laws" means the laws of the United Kingdom and publicly available international measures that the Company may take into account solely to assess whether the provision of services is lawful.
3. Acceptable Use Examples
The website and the Services may be used only for lawful purposes and in a manner consistent with the intended function of the Platform. Acceptable use includes submitting texts, documents, audio files, or other materials for translation, editing, proofreading, transcription, subtitling, or other language-related services for informational, educational, marketing, creative, or internal business purposes.
Clients may use completed translations and other delivered results on websites, social media, marketing materials, presentations, educational materials, or internal company documents. Such use must not suggest that the Services provide certified, notarised, or officially recognised translations unless this has been expressly agreed in advance.
Acceptable use also includes communicating with the Company or its support team to place orders, clarify project requirements, request revisions within the agreed scope of work, resolve service-related matters, or obtain information about the Services available through the platform.
The website may only be used in accordance with its normal technical functionality. This includes creating and managing user accounts, uploading files within the permitted limits, placing orders, making payments, and receiving completed services. Access to the platform must take place through standard web browsers and normal website interfaces. Users must not attempt to disrupt, overload, manipulate, or otherwise interfere with the operation of the website or its underlying systems.
4. Prohibited Technical and Behavioural Use
Users must not use the Lingome website or the Services in any way that interferes with their normal operation, security, or reliability. The Company does not permit any technical or behavioural use that disrupts the proper functioning of the website, including automated access through bots, scripts, crawlers, scrapers, or similar tools, unless the Company has given prior written permission.
Users must not attempt to probe, scan, test, reverse engineer, or otherwise bypass the security measures, access controls, or technical limits implemented on the website or related systems. Any attempt to gain unauthorised access to user accounts, files, systems, or data is strictly prohibited.
The Services must not be used to upload, transmit, or distribute malware, viruses, corrupted files, or any other code or material intended to damage, disrupt, overload, or interfere with the website, third-party systems, or user devices.
Users must not misuse file upload tools, order submission functions, or communication features in a way that creates excessive system load, disrupts service availability, or results in abusive or non-genuine requests. Activities such as spamming, phishing, automated mass submissions, scraping, or abusive use of support or contact channels are prohibited.
Any use of the website or the Services that compromises data security, violates privacy rights, enables unlawful collection of information, or otherwise creates technical, operational, legal, or reputational risks for the Company is prohibited.
This Acceptable Use Policy forms part of the Terms and Conditions. Any breach of this Policy will be treated as a breach of the Terms and Conditions and may result in suspension, restriction, or termination of access to the Services, refusal to provide services, or other measures taken by the Company in accordance with applicable law. The Company may monitor the use of the Services to verify compliance with this Policy and may take appropriate action if prohibited use is identified, including reporting violations to competent authorities where required or permitted by law.
5. Legal Context of the Policy
This Acceptable Use Policy is based on applicable legal standards in the United Kingdom and on generally recognised international measures relevant to the lawful provision of commercial services. It reflects the Company's responsibility to ensure that the Services made available through the Platform are not used in a manner that could expose the Company to legal, contractual, or reputational risk.
United Kingdom law and recognised international legal frameworks restrict or prohibit certain types of activity, including conduct connected with criminal property, terrorism, fraud, international sanctions, human exploitation, and other serious offences. These legal principles define the boundaries within which commercial services may be lawfully provided and the circumstances in which the Company may refuse to provide Services.
For these purposes, the Company may consider publicly available legal frameworks and guidance relating to criminal proceeds, terrorist activity, sanctions regimes, fraud, and modern slavery, as well as guidance issued by competent authorities in the United Kingdom. References to such laws or guidance are included only to explain the legal context supporting the Company's contractual restrictions and service eligibility criteria.
This Policy does not establish a regulatory compliance framework. References to legal standards are included solely to define prohibited activities and to support the Company's right to refuse, limit, suspend, or terminate the Services where their provision would conflict with applicable law or the Company's legitimate business standards.
6. Restricted Uses of the Services
The Company does not provide Services where the stated purpose of use, the nature of the activity, or the way the Services are intended to be used may expose the Company to legal, contractual, or reputational risks. The categories described in this section are defined only for service eligibility and internal risk management purposes and do not create or represent any regulatory or licensing framework.
The Services are not provided in connection with activities related to the manufacture, distribution, or sale of controlled substances, or the production or trade of firearms, ammunition, explosives, or similar items. The Company also does not provide Services for activities connected with any form of human exploitation, including unlawful labour practices, human trafficking, or services based on coercion or abuse.
The Services may not be used in connection with deceptive or misleading schemes. This includes fraudulent or high-risk investment offers, pyramid-style business structures, or other schemes designed to mislead participants or customers. The Company also does not provide Services to businesses involved in the sale or promotion of counterfeit goods, unauthorised software, or stolen property, or to organisations that promote hate speech, extremist ideologies, or terrorist activity.
The Services must not be used in connection with unlawful online environments, including illegal trading platforms or tools intended to gain unauthorised access to systems or data. The Services may not be used to support tax evasion, identity misuse, or other fraudulent financial practices. The Company may also refuse to provide Services to entities operating in, or having significant links with, jurisdictions that are subject to international sanctions.
Any activity involving the exploitation of minors, non-consensual sexual material, revenge pornography, or other clearly prohibited content is strictly forbidden. The Company also reserves the right to refuse Services where an organisation does not appear to have genuine business activity or where the intended use of the Services indicates a high risk of unlawful or improper conduct.
Any involvement in the prohibited categories described above makes a client or user ineligible to use the Services. Where such activity is identified, the Company may refuse, suspend, or terminate access to the Services in accordance with this Policy and the Terms and Conditions.
7. Assessment of Service Eligibility
The Company may apply reasonable and proportionate measures to determine whether the intended use of the Services is consistent with the purpose of the Platform and acceptable under this Policy. These measures are used only to determine whether the Services can be provided and to protect the Company from legal, operational, or reputational risk.
As part of this process, clients or users may be asked to provide a brief explanation of how the Services will be used. Where the Services are requested by or on behalf of a business, the Company may review publicly available information, such as the business website or other accessible materials, solely to confirm that the declared activity is consistent with the use of language-related services through the Platform. Where such information is not available, the Company may request limited additional information for clarification.
For clarity, the assessment described in this section does not involve the collection, processing, or storage of payment card data or other payment credentials. The Company does not handle or retain cardholder data. All payments are processed by independent third-party payment service providers in accordance with the Terms and Conditions.
The Company does not conduct identity verification, beneficial ownership checks, transaction monitoring, or any other form of ongoing financial or behavioural monitoring. The measures described in this section do not constitute customer due diligence, know-your-customer procedures, anti-money laundering controls, or any other regulated compliance activity.
If the information provided is materially inaccurate, misleading, or insufficient to reasonably assess the intended use of the Services, or if the intended use appears to fall within prohibited categories, the Company may refuse to provide the Services or may suspend or terminate access to the Services in accordance with this Policy and the Terms and Conditions.
8. Company Rights and Termination
The Company reserves the right to refuse to provide the Services where the intended use of the Services or the information provided by a client or user indicates that such use would be inconsistent with this Policy, the Terms and Conditions, or applicable law.
The Company may suspend, restrict, or terminate access to the Services if it becomes aware of prohibited use, inaccurate or misleading information, or other circumstances indicating that the Services are being used in violation of this Policy. This may apply even if such issues were not identified when access to the Services was first granted. Access to the Services may also be limited or suspended where a client or user does not provide reasonable clarification requested for the purpose of assessing service eligibility.
Where required by applicable law, or where continued provision of the Services may expose the Company to legal or contractual risk, the Company may disclose relevant information to competent authorities or other parties entitled to receive such information. These actions may be taken without prior notice where advance notification is not required by law or could prevent the proper handling of the situation.
Any refusal, suspension, restriction, or termination of access to the Services under this Policy will be carried out in accordance with the Terms and Conditions. The Company will not be responsible for any loss or damage resulting from such actions where they are taken in good faith and within the scope of the Company's contractual rights.
9. Recordkeeping and Internal Review
The Company may keep limited records relating to the assessment of how the Services are used and the application of this Policy for operational and risk management purposes. These records may include information provided by clients, internal notes, and decisions made under this Policy.
Records are retained only for a reasonable period and only to the extent necessary for operational, contractual, or risk management purposes. The Company does not retain information longer than required by applicable law or legitimate business needs. All records are stored securely and access is restricted to authorised personnel.
The Company may periodically review this Policy and its practical application to ensure that the measures remain appropriate for the nature of the Services and the Company's general risk profile. Any issues identified during such reviews may be documented and addressed within a reasonable timeframe under internal management oversight.
These reviews are internal and do not represent regulatory supervision or external audits. Information may be shared with competent authorities or relevant business partners only where required by law, contractual obligation, or a lawful and justified request.