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Posted on27 February 2024

Atlas Translations FAQs: Our Commitment to Your Confidentiality

Being attentive to confidentiality issues can be crucial for clients seeking professional translation services. We take this seriously at Atlas Translations and are happy to show our commitment to your confidentiality.

Are you a business protecting sensitive information? An individual with personal details on the line? Either way, we’ve got you covered. Our staff and suppliers treat their work with confidentiality as the standard, not an add-on. If needed, we also have a range of policies to implement for your extra peace of mind.

Read on for a not-so-secret look into keeping your secrets silent, your proposals protected, and your business out of other peoples’ noses. Rest assured that Atlas Translations wears your confidentiality as a badge of honour. We only ask that you take care where you put the pin!

How Do We Safeguard Your Confidentiality?

First off, a quick definition. Confidentiality and privacy might seem one and the same, but they’re not. To put it simply:

Privacy = Personal

Confidentiality = Data

Privacy is a personal matter. It’s your right to have your personal information kept to yourself. Confidentiality refers to a person’s duty to protect someone else’s personal information (i.e. data).

It’s your right to privacy that fuels our commitment to your confidentiality.

Secure Access

All of our work is treated confidentially by both our staff and our linguists. This means we have strict user authentication and permissions settings. This makes sure that every piece of information is only accessible to those directly involved in the project. We keep all our files on our secure database for six years as standard. If you prefer your files deleted sooner, we can do that at your request.

State-of-the-Art Encryption

We employ state-of-the-art encryption technologies for both storage and transmission of information. Whether the data is at rest or in transit, encryption acts as a barrier against hackers and unauthorised individuals. This is to make sure that sensitive information remains as confidential and secure from prying eyes as possible.

Continuous Training and Awareness

Recognising that the human element plays a crucial role in maintaining confidentiality, we provide continuous training and awareness programs for our staff and suppliers. These programs emphasise the importance of confidentiality, educate on potential security threats, and inform on best practices for handling sensitive information. By fostering a culture of security awareness, we ensure that every team member understands their role in protecting client confidentiality.

Agreements

Earlier, we mentioned policies we can implement for additional peace of mind. We understand that some clients, business or personal, require more protection for their information. That’s why we’re more than happy to ask our translators and other staff to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) or Confidentiality Agreement.

These legal documents outline that parties involved in business together agree to protect any sensitive or confidential information from being released. We encourage you to seek legal advice before implementing any NDA or CA in your project.

When Might Confidentiality Be Important?

Obviously, the de facto answer would be always. And, let’s face it, you’d be correct. But you might wonder why we’re so keen on transparency about our confidentiality practises. Atlas Translations knows that every project we take on requires confidentiality during translation services.

For businesses, information will need to be protected to keep new products and innovations from being leaked to competitors
Individual clients may need to include sensitive information as part of the translation process, such as government identifiers or financial details

Understanding this requirement is pivotal when dealing with sensitive data in a business setting. Misinterpretations can lead to harmful consequences, such as violating a business partner’s trust or facing legal repercussions.

Through our professional standards and confidentiality processes, we emphasise our values of integrity and trust on a daily basis. These confidentiality measures aren’t just lip service; they’re in place to give you complete peace of mind.

Confidentiality in Cross-Cultural Communication

In the world of translation and localisation, understanding and respecting cultural nuances is as crucial as the words we translate. Our commitment to confidentiality takes on a unique dimension when it involves cross-cultural communication. Two ways that we ensure your sensitive information remains protected across global borders and cultures are:

Being Culturally Sensitive

We’re a global company because our staff and suppliers are global. Regularly training in and being aware of cultural norms and communication practices. This ensures we’re not just translating language but also respecting the cultural context of the information we handle. It’s our global outlook on safeguarding your data’s integrity and confidentiality.

Using Localised Confidentiality Standards

We recognise that different cultures have varying expectations and laws when it comes to privacy and data protection. So we adapted our practises and confidentiality agreements to meet the highest standards, regardless of geographical location.

Here’s a couple of well-known examples of how culture and geography can affect your confidentiality.

In the United States, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was passed to protect patients’ health information.
- Note how it only protects the patient’s health information.
On the other hand, European jurisdictions provide privacy protections under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
- This law covers both personal and sensitive data, including health-related information.
- The United Kingdom still follows the laws set out in the GDPR but retains the independence to review the framework through the UK GDPR.

By integrating these practices into our daily work, we protect your data and respect the cultural nuances of global communication. Our approach ensures that your projects are not just translated but truly localised, with confidentiality and cultural sensitivity at the forefront.

That’s a Wrap!

With literal decades of experience in the translation and localisation industry, we’re at ease with all sorts of different client needs and services. From our in-place security and continual awareness training to our use of non-disclosure agreements, we’re top of the line.

Our commitment to your confidentiality doesn’t just stop after clicking on “Send.”

Confidentiality is always a top priority in everything we do for you. We’re happy and able to adapt to meet any confidentiality requirements you may have; just let us know.