These Customer Terms of Service (the “Terms”) are a binding agreement between you and CERTILATE INC. (“CERTILATE,” “we,” “us” or “our”). They govern your access to and use of certilate.com, the CERTILATE platform, and certified-translation services ordered through them (collectively, the “Services”).
Please read these Terms before creating an account, submitting documents, accepting a quotation or paying for an order. By checking the acceptance box or otherwise completing the electronic acceptance process, you confirm that you have read and agree to the version of these Terms identified at checkout. If you do not agree, do not place an order.
Nothing in these Terms excludes, restricts or waives a right or remedy that cannot lawfully be excluded, restricted or waived under applicable consumer-protection or other law.
1. About CERTILATE
CERTILATE INC. is a federal corporation with its registered office at 6-2160 Highway 7, Suite 260, Vaughan, Ontario L4K 1W6, Canada.
CERTILATE operates an online certified-translation agency. Customers contract with and pay CERTILATE. CERTILATE administers the order, selects or confirms an eligible independent certified translator, facilitates communications and corrections, and manages customer remedies. The assigned translator is an independent professional and is solely responsible for the accuracy and professional quality of the translation, the translator’s declaration, certification, signature, professional seal or electronic stamp, and the proper use of professional credentials. CERTILATE does not itself certify translations.
2. Eligibility and Authority
You may use the Services only if you have reached the age of majority in your jurisdiction and have legal capacity to enter into a binding contract. If you act for an organization or another person, you represent that you are authorized to bind that organization or person and to provide all documents and instructions submitted for the order.
You must not use the Services for unlawful, fraudulent, abusive or misleading purposes, or submit material that you are not authorized to provide for translation and processing.
3. Electronic Contracting and Records
You accept these Terms electronically by selecting an unchecked acceptance box linked to these Terms and completing the order-payment process. The acceptance record may include your customer and order identifiers, the Terms version, the date and time, your IP address, and the exact checkbox wording presented to you.
The Order Confirmation identifies the Terms version governing that order and provides or links to a downloadable copy. Your account may also permit you to view or download that version. CERTILATE may retain historical versions and electronic acceptance records as evidence of the transaction. An electronic acceptance, record or signature has the same intended effect as a paper acceptance or signature to the extent permitted by law.
4. Language of the Contract
French and English versions of these Terms may be made available. For a customer in Quebec, the French version and related required contract documents must be presented first. The English version governs only if, after receiving the French version, the customer expressly chooses to contract in English. If there is a conflict between language versions, the version validly chosen for the order governs, subject to mandatory law.
5. Creating and Submitting an Order
You are responsible for providing complete, readable and correct source documents, the correct source and target languages, the intended use, required certification, delivery instructions, any receiving-authority requirements known to you, and an accurate required completion time. You must review the uploaded-document preview, page count, orientation and order details before requesting quotations and again before payment.
To help eligible translators assess a request and prepare a quotation, CERTILATE may display a blurred preview of up to the first three pages of the submitted document, together with limited order details. The complete source material is provided only to the translator assigned after payment is confirmed. If an error appears only after the previewed pages, you remain responsible for identifying it before payment where reasonably possible and for notifying CERTILATE promptly after discovery.
CERTILATE may decline or pause an order that is unlawful, unsafe, technically unusable, outside available professional coverage, or missing information necessary to perform the service.
6. Quotations, Pricing and Taxes
The quotation displayed to you is one combined customer price in Canadian dollars unless the checkout expressly states another currency. It may include the translator’s professional fee, CERTILATE’s service amount and other applicable charges. CERTILATE is not required to disclose its internal allocation of the quoted price. Taxes and any separately chargeable delivery cost are shown where applicable before payment.
A quotation is based on the documents, page count, instructions, service level and delivery information available when it is prepared. It remains available until the expiry date and time shown with it. If it expires, if your documents or instructions change, or if the assigned translator is no longer available, price and timing may require reconfirmation. An obvious pricing or technical error may be corrected before work begins; if you do not accept the correction, CERTILATE will cancel the affected order and return the amount paid.
7. Payment and Order Commencement
Full payment is required before translation begins. Payment is processed through CERTILATE’s payment provider. A paid amount is not held in trust for you or the translator and does not create a fiduciary relationship. CERTILATE may delay commencement until payment is successfully authorized and cleared.
An order becomes active only when all of the following have occurred: (a) payment is confirmed; (b) complete, readable and usable source material and instructions have been provided; and (c) the translator’s assignment is confirmed. The turnaround clock begins at that time, not when documents are first uploaded, a quotation is requested or a translator is tentatively selected.
You authorize CERTILATE and its payment provider to charge the displayed amount and applicable taxes. You are responsible for charges imposed by your bank, card issuer or currency-conversion provider. Payment receipts may identify the amount, taxes where applicable, payment date, order number and payment method.
8. Assignment of the Translator
CERTILATE assigns or confirms an eligible translator using operational criteria that may include verified professional status, language pair, ability to meet the requested deadline, quotation, proposed turnaround, quality and correction history, fair access to opportunities, and earlier quotation time as a tie-breaker. CERTILATE may make or change an assignment where reasonably necessary to deliver the order.
If no available quotation meets your requested deadline, CERTILATE may present the nearest available completion time as an alternative. The alternative does not bind you unless you expressly approve it and complete payment. Unless an Order Confirmation expressly promises a named translator, CERTILATE does not guarantee that a particular translator will perform the order.
9. Service Levels and Turnaround
The service level selected at checkout sets the target translation period shown below, subject to translator availability, the order-commencement requirements in section 7, document complexity, certification steps, and any changed or incomplete instructions.
| Service level | Target turnaround | Important condition |
|---|---|---|
| Rapid | 2 hours | Available only when a qualified translator confirms availability. |
| Priority | 24 hours | Subject to confirmed assignment and complete usable inputs. |
| Accelerated | 2 days | Subject to confirmed assignment and complete usable inputs. |
| Standard | 3 days | Subject to confirmed assignment and complete usable inputs. |
| Flexible | 5–7 days | The Order Confirmation states the applicable target. |
Unless the Order Confirmation states otherwise, hours and days in a service-level turnaround are calendar hours and calendar days. A correction-response period expressly described as a business day excludes Saturdays, Sundays and statutory holidays in Ontario. A target may be extended by the time reasonably caused by unreadable or incomplete documents, changed instructions, delayed customer responses, additional certification requirements, events outside reasonable control, or a correction that changes the scope rather than correcting an error.
CERTILATE will communicate a known material delay. If the assigned translator withdraws, CERTILATE may reassign the order and offer a revised deadline. Your remedies are described in section 14.
10. Translation, Certification and Technology
The assigned translator must be certified by, or hold the professional status required by, a recognized Canadian professional translators’ association accepted by CERTILATE. CERTILATE verifies professional membership during onboarding and may reverify it annually or when circumstances reasonably require.
The translator prepares and certifies the translation using the translator’s own professional judgment and credentials. The translator may use an applicable professional-association portal to create an electronic stamp, declaration, affidavit or certification package. The translator may download source material where reasonably necessary to complete and certify the work, subject to confidentiality, security and deletion obligations.
After payment is confirmed, CERTILATE or the assigned translator may use approved translation-assistance technology, including DeepL, under the applicable business or API configuration. Technology may assist the workflow but does not replace the translator’s professional review or responsibility. CERTILATE does not promise that any automated output is error-free.
11. Digital Delivery, Approval and Completion
CERTILATE makes the initial digital translation or certification package available through the platform and may send a service notification. Delivery occurs when the file is made available in the customer’s account or sent to the electronic address specified for the order, as applicable. You are responsible for monitoring your account and service messages and for downloading files promptly.
You must review the delivered work within the periods in section 12. An order is complete when you approve it, the final applicable response period expires without a correction request or escalation, or CERTILATE issues a final resolution following escalation. Completion does not eliminate a timely claim concerning a genuine error made within 30 calendar days after completion or any longer non-waivable period required by law.
12. Included Corrections and Review Schedule
Two correction requests are included for genuine, in-scope translation or certification errors. A correction request must identify the alleged error clearly and must not introduce new source material, new instructions, a new intended use or a preference that changes the agreed scope. Out-of-scope changes may require a new quotation and deadline.
| Stage | Response period |
|---|---|
| Initial delivery | Customer has 3 calendar days to approve or submit the first correction request. |
| First correction | Translator responds within 24 hours, unless the order’s urgency requires a shorter agreed period. |
| Review after first correction | Customer has 48 hours to approve or submit the second correction request. |
| Second correction | Translator responds within 24 hours. |
| Final review | Customer has 48 hours to approve or escalate the matter to CERTILATE. |
| Automatic completion | The order closes when the applicable customer-response period expires. |
| Later genuine-error complaint | May be escalated within 30 calendar days after completion, subject to any longer mandatory legal right. |
If the required turnaround makes a standard response period impractical, CERTILATE may set a shorter reasonable correction timetable before payment or with your agreement. The correction periods do not require CERTILATE or a translator to perform an impossible or unlawful act.
13. Cancellations
Because payment occurs only after a translator has been selected and the service may begin immediately, paid orders are generally not cancellable merely because you change your mind. By paying, you request immediate performance and acknowledge that professional capacity may be reserved and work may begin at once.
If you ask to cancel, CERTILATE will assess the order’s actual status and applicable law. CERTILATE may, in its discretion, offer a full or partial refund, retranslation, replacement service or account credit even when no automatic entitlement exists. This discretion does not create a right to the same outcome in another case and does not limit a mandatory cancellation right.
14. Refunds and Remedies
CERTILATE assesses remedies fairly, taking into account the cause, materiality, whether the problem can be cured promptly, the stated purpose and deadline, work already performed, and any mandatory legal right. Completed orders are not refundable merely because the customer no longer needs the translation, changes instructions, or prefers different wording where no genuine error exists.
| Issue | CERTILATE response |
|---|---|
| Translator withdraws after assignment | CERTILATE may reassign the order and offer a revised deadline. If the revised deadline is materially later and you reject it, you may receive a full refund. |
| Essential deadline is missed | CERTILATE may first offer prompt completion or reassignment. If the service no longer serves the purpose you disclosed before payment, you may receive a full refund. |
| Material translation or certification error | CERTILATE may arrange correction, reissue, re-certification or retranslation. A partial or full refund may be provided if the problem cannot be cured appropriately or the failure is material. |
| Receiving authority refuses the translation | The outcome depends on the reason. CERTILATE may arrange correction or re-certification where the translator made a curable error, but no refund is required where refusal results from undisclosed requirements, authority policy, customer instructions or circumstances outside the service. |
| Wrong, incomplete or changed customer document or instruction | You remain responsible. A new fee or deadline may apply. CERTILATE may assist through support or escalation but is not responsible for the resulting cost or delay. |
| Platform or payment error attributable to CERTILATE | CERTILATE will use reasonable efforts to correct the error and may refund an amount charged incorrectly or provide another appropriate remedy. |
Approved monetary refunds are issued to the original payment method within five business days after approval. Your financial institution controls when funds appear. An account credit is provided only with your agreement. A refund does not require CERTILATE to reimburse a third-party cost that was not paid to CERTILATE, except where mandatory law requires otherwise.
15. Acceptance by a Receiving Authority
CERTILATE arranges translations certified by eligible Canadian professional translators and intended for official use. Requirements and acceptance decisions remain under the control of the receiving authority and may differ by institution, jurisdiction, document type, format, date, signature, seal, affidavit, notarization or delivery method. CERTILATE and the translator do not guarantee that every authority or individual officer will accept a translation.
You are responsible for confirming the receiving authority’s current requirements before ordering and for disclosing them before payment. If refusal is caused by a genuine translation or certification error within the agreed scope, section 14 applies. If refusal results from an undisclosed, changed or institution-specific requirement, additional work may require a new fee and deadline.
16. Printed Delivery
Printed delivery is optional where offered. CERTILATE does not print or ship packages. After the customer confirms accuracy, the translator sends the printed package directly to the address provided for the order. Any delivery estimate is separate from the translation turnaround and is subject to the carrier.
| Cause of loss, delay or replacement | Responsibility for replacement shipping |
|---|---|
| Customer provided an incorrect or incomplete address or instruction | Customer |
| Translator made an addressing, packaging or dispatch error | Translator |
| CERTILATE platform transmitted incorrect delivery information | CERTILATE |
| Carrier loss or delay without customer, translator or CERTILATE fault | Customer initially pays; the translator pursues the carrier claim and returns any recovered customer-attributable amount. |
A replacement translation package will be prepared without an additional translation fee where the same completed package can reasonably be reissued, but the shipping allocation above still applies. CERTILATE may assist with communications but is not the carrier and is not responsible for carrier performance except to the extent required by law.
17. Customer Responsibilities
You agree to:
- provide accurate account, order, document, language, deadline, intended-use and delivery information;
- review previews, quotations, service levels, authority requirements and the Order Confirmation before payment;
- have lawful authority to submit every document and personal information included in it;
- use the Services and delivered translation lawfully and not misrepresent, alter or misuse a certification, signature, seal, declaration or professional credential;
- keep account credentials confidential and notify CERTILATE promptly of suspected unauthorized access;
- respond promptly to questions and review delivered work within the applicable period; and
- avoid submitting malicious code, interfering with the platform, scraping or reverse engineering protected platform functions, or attempting to bypass security or access controls.
18. Confidentiality, Privacy and Security
CERTILATE handles personal information in accordance with its Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference for privacy matters. Customer documents may be accessed by authorized CERTILATE personnel where reasonably necessary for support, security, troubleshooting or service delivery. CERTILATE applies administrative, technical and contractual safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the information.
Eligible translators who receive a limited preview and the assigned translator who receives complete documents are subject to confidentiality obligations. The assigned translator may disclose or upload material only as reasonably necessary to perform and certify the order, including through an applicable professional-association portal, or as required by law.
No online service or method of transmission is completely secure. You must use a strong unique password, protect account access and avoid sending source documents through an unapproved channel. Suspected privacy or security incidents should be reported promptly through the platform or to privacy@certilate.com.
Source documents are ordinarily retained for 180 days after completion unless earlier deletion is requested and permitted, or longer retention is reasonably necessary for a dispute, legal obligation, security investigation or other purpose described in the Privacy Policy. Other records are retained as described in that Policy. A deletion request cannot require deletion of a record that CERTILATE must or is permitted to retain by law or for legitimate evidentiary purposes.
19. Customer Content and Intellectual Property
You retain the rights you have in documents and other material you submit (“Customer Content”). You grant CERTILATE a limited, non-exclusive, worldwide licence to host, copy, transmit, display, process, translate and otherwise use Customer Content only as reasonably necessary to provide, administer, secure and document the Services, comply with law, and resolve complaints or disputes. This licence ends when the relevant content is deleted, except for retained records or copies that may lawfully continue to be kept.
The CERTILATE website, platform, software, workflows, branding, interfaces, text and other materials supplied by CERTILATE are owned by or licensed to CERTILATE. Subject to these Terms, you receive a limited, revocable, non-transferable right to use them for lawful personal or internal business use. No other right is granted.
The delivered translation may be used for the purpose for which it was ordered, subject to third-party rights in the source material and any legal restriction. CERTILATE does not grant rights in material owned by another person.
20. Accounts, Suspension and Termination
You are responsible for activity under your account. CERTILATE may restrict or suspend access where reasonably necessary to address suspected fraud, non-payment, security risk, unlawful use, abusive conduct, repeated violation of these Terms, misuse of translator information, or risk to users or the platform. Where appropriate, CERTILATE will provide notice and an opportunity to correct the issue.
Suspension or account closure does not automatically cancel a paid order. CERTILATE will determine whether the order can safely and lawfully continue, should be delivered through another channel, or should be cancelled with an appropriate refund. Sections intended by their nature to survive—including payment, confidentiality, privacy, intellectual property, disclaimers, liability, dispute and record provisions—continue after account closure.
21. Service Availability and Changes
CERTILATE may maintain, update, secure, correct or modify the platform and may change available features, service levels, prices or fees prospectively. CERTILATE does not promise uninterrupted access. Planned or emergency maintenance, third-party outages, security events and circumstances outside reasonable control may affect availability.
A change to the platform, price or these Terms does not retroactively alter a paid order unless you agree or the change is required by law. The quotation, Order Confirmation and Terms version accepted for the order govern that order, subject to any later agreed amendment and mandatory law.
22. Disclaimers
CERTILATE will use reasonable care in administering the Services. Except for express commitments in these Terms, the quotation or Order Confirmation, and except where prohibited by law, the Services are provided on an “as available” basis without implied warranties concerning uninterrupted operation, fitness for a particular institutional outcome, or acceptance by a receiving authority.
CERTILATE does not provide legal, immigration, tax, medical or other professional advice. Information about translation, certification or authority practices is general information. You should obtain advice from the relevant authority or qualified adviser where the intended use is important or uncertain.
23. Limitation of Liability
To the maximum extent permitted by law, CERTILATE is not liable for indirect, incidental, special, exemplary, punitive or consequential loss, or for loss of profit, revenue, opportunity, goodwill or data, arising from an order or use of the Services, where such loss was not a reasonably foreseeable direct result of CERTILATE’s breach.
To the maximum extent permitted by law, CERTILATE’s aggregate liability arising from a particular order will not exceed the amount you paid to CERTILATE for that order. This cap does not reduce a refund or credit expressly owed under section 14 and does not apply to liability that cannot lawfully be limited, including liability arising from fraud or wilful misconduct, death or personal injury caused by negligence, or any privacy, confidentiality, gross-negligence or consumer-protection liability to the extent applicable law prohibits its limitation.
The exclusions and cap apply to CERTILATE and its directors, officers, employees, contractors and agents collectively. They do not limit the independent translator’s professional responsibility for the translator’s work, and they do not exclude a non-waivable statutory remedy.
24. Customer Indemnity
To the extent permitted by law, you will indemnify CERTILATE against a third-party claim, loss or reasonable cost directly resulting from your knowing submission of material you were not authorized to provide, your fraudulent or unlawful use of the Services, or your knowing infringement of another person’s rights. This obligation does not apply to the extent a claim was caused by CERTILATE’s or a translator’s breach, negligence, wilful misconduct or failure to follow lawful instructions, and it does not require you to indemnify CERTILATE for a liability that cannot lawfully be transferred to you.
CERTILATE must notify you reasonably promptly of a covered claim, permit you to participate in the defence, and not settle the claim in a way that admits your liability or imposes a non-monetary obligation on you without your consent, which must not be unreasonably withheld. CERTILATE may control the defence where necessary to protect confidential information, professional obligations or multiple affected parties.
25. Events Outside Reasonable Control
Neither party is responsible for a delay or failure caused by an event beyond that party’s reasonable control, including a widespread network or cloud outage, cyberattack despite reasonable safeguards, natural disaster, labour disruption, government action, failure of a professional-association portal, carrier disruption, or serious illness or emergency affecting the assigned translator. The affected party must use reasonable efforts to reduce the impact and resume performance.
If such an event materially delays an essential deadline and the service no longer serves the purpose disclosed before payment, CERTILATE will assess reassignment, cancellation and refund under section 14 and applicable law.
26. Complaints, Chargebacks and Disputes
Before starting a legal claim or payment dispute, please contact CERTILATE through the support channel in your account or the contact form on certilate.com and provide the order number, the issue, relevant evidence and the remedy requested. CERTILATE aims to acknowledge a complaint within two business days and provide a decision within ten business days, but a complex investigation may require more time. These are service targets, not guaranteed legal deadlines.
Where reasonably practicable, please give CERTILATE an opportunity to resolve the issue before initiating a chargeback. Nothing in this section delays, restricts or prevents you from exercising a chargeback, complaint, limitation-period or consumer-protection right, including where prompt action is needed to preserve that right.
The parties may agree to confidential mediation. If a dispute is not resolved, these Terms and each order are governed by the laws of Ontario and the federal laws of Canada applicable there, without regard to conflict-of-laws rules. Subject to a mandatory consumer forum or other non-waivable right, the courts of Ontario have exclusive jurisdiction.
27. Changes to These Terms
CERTILATE may update these Terms prospectively to reflect changes in the Services, prices, fees, law, security practices or business operations. The revised version will state its effective date. Where required by law or where a change materially affects an existing ongoing service, CERTILATE will provide appropriate notice and obtain consent where required.
The version you accepted for a paid order continues to govern that order unless you expressly accept a later version for it or a change is required by law. Continuing to use the platform after a revised version takes effect may constitute acceptance only where the revised Terms and appropriate notice are presented in a manner that creates a valid agreement.
28. Order Documents and Priority
These Terms, the quotation, the Order Confirmation, the Privacy Policy and any applicable Refund and Remedy Policy form the agreement for an order. If they conflict:
- the quotation or Order Confirmation controls the order-specific document, language, price, service level, deadline and delivery details;
- these Terms control general legal and service conditions;
- the Refund and Remedy Policy may explain procedures but cannot reduce a remedy expressly provided in these Terms or a mandatory legal right; and
- the Privacy Policy controls how personal information is handled.
A change requested after payment is binding only when CERTILATE confirms it in writing or through the platform. Marketing statements, frequently asked questions and informal messages do not amend the agreement unless the Order Confirmation expressly incorporates them.
29. General Terms
If a provision is unlawful or unenforceable, it will be limited or severed only to the minimum extent necessary, and the remaining provisions continue in effect. A failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver. Headings are for convenience and do not affect interpretation. “Including” means “including without limitation.”
You may not assign or transfer an order or these Terms without CERTILATE’s written consent. CERTILATE may assign these Terms in connection with a financing, reorganization, merger, sale or transfer of its business, provided the successor assumes the relevant obligations and the assignment does not reduce a mandatory consumer right. Nothing in these Terms creates a partnership, employment, agency or fiduciary relationship between you and CERTILATE, or between you and a translator.
Notices and communications may be delivered electronically through your account or to the email address associated with it. You are responsible for keeping that address current. These Terms and the incorporated order documents constitute the entire agreement concerning the order and replace prior inconsistent communications concerning it.
30. Contact
Customer support and complaints: use the support channel in your CERTILATE account or the contact form on certilate.com.
Privacy questions and requests: privacy@certilate.com.
Formal legal notices: CERTILATE INC., 6-2160 Highway 7, Suite 260, Vaughan, Ontario L4K 1W6, Canada.