Last updated: October 19, 2026
These terms apply to every project (translation, subtitles, LQA and other localization work) that Kakehashi Localization ("we", "us") carries out for a customer ("you"). Our services are offered to businesses only.
A contract is formed when you reply "I agree" to our written quote and we confirm receipt of the advance payment (or the full amount).
Fees are as stated in the quote, in the currency stated in the quote. Translation is charged by English source word count, subtitles by the running time of the video (rounded up to the next full minute), and LQA by the hours worked, up to the cap stated in the quote; we do not exceed the cap without your written approval. Exact repeated sentences are charged at 30% of the word rate. You pay 50% before work starts (for LQA, 50% of the cap) and the remainder within 14 days of delivery. For LQA, the remainder is based on the hours actually worked, and any overpayment is refunded. Bank charges on your side, and any taxes withheld or imposed in your country, are borne by you so that we receive the full quoted amount. Late payments bear interest at 14.6% per year from the 30th day after the due date.
The scope is the content, word count, languages and file formats listed in the quote. Anything beyond that scope (additional words, new files, other formats) is quoted separately and starts only after you agree. LQA covers testing and reporting language and display issues in the builds, platforms and areas listed in the quote. It does not include fixing issues or testing other functionality, and we do not guarantee that every issue will be found.
You provide the source files, any glossary or style guide, and context where needed. You confirm that you have the right to have the materials translated. Where no glossary is provided, we choose terminology, and changes to that terminology are covered by the free revision round. For subtitles, you provide the video and its English captions (SRT, VTT or a similar format). For LQA, you provide the build and any keys or test accounts needed to reach the areas in scope, and keep access working during the agreed test period.
For the "edited machine translation" service, we produce a machine translation and a native Japanese linguist edits it in full. For "human translation", a native Japanese translator translates the text. In both cases a second person checks the result. Subtitles are translated by a native Japanese translator and checked by a second person. Where the audio cannot be made out, we mark the line and ask you rather than guess. LQA is carried out by a native Japanese linguist, and each reported issue is verified before delivery. We work with independent linguists under confidentiality obligations. Any AI tools we use are configured not to use your content for training.
Please review the delivery within 7 days; if we receive no notice by then, the delivery is accepted. Errors on our side (mistranslations, omissions, deviations from the quote) are corrected free of charge at any time. One round of preference-based or specification changes is free; further rounds are charged at the rates in the quote.
When the full fee has been paid, all rights in the delivered translation pass to you and you may use it without restriction. Until then, those rights remain with us. Our internal tools and processes remain ours.
With your consent, given in your reply to our quote, we keep a translation memory and glossary built from your project and use them only for your future projects. This keeps your terminology consistent and lets us translate repeated text faster; sentences that exactly match your earlier projects are charged at 30% of the word rate, the same as repeated sentences within a project. You can withdraw consent at any time, and we will then delete them.
With your separate consent, given in your reply to our quote, we may use your source text and our translation, after removing names, personal information, product names and other identifying details, to improve our internal translation and quality-check tools. Customers who consent receive a 5% discount on that project. This material is never shown or delivered to other customers. Without your consent, we do not use your content for this purpose.
We use your materials only for your project and require the same of our linguists. Unreleased builds, and anything we see in them, are treated as confidential. Files, videos and builds are deleted 30 days after delivery, except for material you have allowed us to keep under sections 7a and 7b. We will sign your NDA on request.
You agree not to engage, directly and without us, the linguists who worked on your project and whom you came to know through it.
If you cancel before work starts, we refund all payments. If you cancel after work starts, we charge for the work completed so far. If we expect to miss a deadline, we will tell you as soon as we know and you may choose: (a) a new delivery date, (b) partial delivery of the finished part with the rest later, or (c) cancellation of the unfinished part with a refund for it.
Except in cases of our willful misconduct or gross negligence, our liability is limited to correcting the delivery free of charge or refunding the fees you paid for the project concerned, and we are not liable for lost profits or indirect damages. You are responsible for final decisions on how the translation is used, including legal, regulatory and safety-related wording.
Each party confirms that it is not, and has no relationship with, any organized crime group or similar anti-social force. Either party may terminate the contract immediately if the other breaches this clause.
For a first project with a new customer, we may deliver a PDF preview first and release the editable files after the remaining payment is received.
All communication is by email. These terms are governed by the laws of Japan. The Osaka District Court has exclusive jurisdiction in the first instance. If these terms are translated, the English version prevails.
Kakehashi Localization, Osaka Ekimae Dai-2 Building 12-12, 1-2-2 Umeda, Kita-ku, Osaka 530-0001, Japan. contact@kakehashilocalization.com