Privacy policy
Last updated: 25 September 2026
Translating Patents provides patent and technical translation, revision and proofreading services. This policy explains how we handle personal information when you visit translatingpatents.com, contact us or commission our services.
Who we are and how to contact us
Translating Patents is the trading name of Jaime Holmes, a self-employed translator based in the United Kingdom. We are the data controller for personal information used to manage our website, enquiries and business relationships.
You can contact us about privacy or exercise your data protection rights through the contact form on our website or by writing to:
Translating Patents
International House
10 Churchill Way
Cardiff
CF10 2HE
United Kingdom
Information we collect
We receive information through our website contact form, by email and from clients commissioning work. This may include:
- Names, email addresses, telephone numbers, organisations and job titles.
- Enquiries, correspondence, quotation requests and assignment instructions.
- Documents supplied for translation, revision or proofreading, which may contain personal information about inventors, applicants, representatives or other individuals.
- Records of assignments, invoices and payments.
- Technical information about website visits, including IP addresses in server logs, browser and device information, pages viewed and interactions with website content.
Please provide only the personal information needed for your enquiry or assignment.
Why we use information and our lawful bases
We use personal information to respond to enquiries, prepare quotations, deliver services, communicate about assignments and administer our business.
We rely on the following lawful bases, as appropriate:
- Contract: where information is necessary to take steps at your request before entering into a contract, or to perform a contract with you as an individual.
- Legitimate interests: to manage business enquiries and relationships, including contact with staff of corporate clients; maintain necessary assignment records; protect our website and systems; and establish, exercise or defend legal claims. We consider these interests alongside individuals’ rights and reasonable expectations.
- Legal obligation: to maintain required tax and accounting records and comply with applicable legal duties.
- Consent: where required for optional cookies or similar technologies. Consent can be withdrawn without affecting the lawfulness of earlier processing.
If you do not provide information necessary for an enquiry or assignment, we may be unable to provide a quotation or carry out the requested work.
Information in translation and other client documents
Client material may contain personal information about people other than the person commissioning the work. We use that information as necessary to assess and carry out the assignment.
Where we handle personal information solely on a client’s behalf and under their instructions, we act as a data processor. The client determines the purposes of the processing, and the applicable contract and data protection terms govern our handling of that information.
We act as a data controller for information we use independently to administer our business, such as client contact details and accounting records.
Our professional and contractual confidentiality obligations also cover material that is not personal data, including unpublished patent applications and technical documents.
Website hosting and logs
Our website uses a hosting provider based in the United States. Hosting services may process website information, including technical logs and information submitted through the contact form.
Website logs support the operation, security and troubleshooting of the site. They are retained for up to three months.
Google Analytics
We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors find and use our website and to improve its content and usability.
Google Analytics can use cookies and similar technologies to collect information about pages visited, interactions, approximate location, browser and device characteristics. The information collected depends on the service’s configuration and applicable privacy choices. Google Analytics 4 does not log or store individual IP addresses.
Our Google Analytics user-level and event-level data retention setting is 14 months. This setting does not necessarily limit the retention of aggregated reports that do not identify individual visitors.
For more information, see How Google uses information from sites or apps that use its services.
YouTube videos and cookies
Our website contains embedded videos hosted by YouTube, a Google service. When an embedded player loads or is used, Google may receive information about your device and visit and may use cookies or similar technologies. Depending on your Google account settings and the player configuration, this information may be associated with your Google account.
Google explains how it handles information in its Privacy Policy.
Some cookies support website functionality; others are used for analytics or embedded content. Where consent is required, it must be obtained before those cookies or similar technologies are used. This privacy policy does not itself constitute consent.
You can also manage or delete cookies through your browser settings. Blocking cookies may affect some website features, and browser controls do not necessarily prevent all information transfers to external services.
Who may receive personal information?
Personal information may be handled by providers supporting our website, email, file storage, backups and business administration. Google processes information through Analytics and YouTube as described above.
Information may also be provided to professional advisers or public authorities where necessary for legal compliance, professional advice or the handling of legal claims.
Processing outside the United Kingdom
Our US-based hosting provider and Google’s services may involve processing personal information outside the United Kingdom.
International transfers are subject to UK data protection requirements. Depending on the recipient and circumstances, these require an applicable UK adequacy arrangement, appropriate contractual safeguards or another legally permitted basis. The UK Extension to the EU–US Data Privacy Framework applies only to US recipients whose relevant certification covers the transfer.
You can contact us using the details above to ask about overseas processing and the safeguards applicable to your information.
How long we keep information
We use the following retention periods:
| Type of information | Retention period |
|---|---|
| Patent translation files and associated working documents | Two years after completion, unless otherwise agreed with the client. |
| Client correspondence and assignment administration | Normally up to six years after completion of the relevant assignment, where necessary for business records, queries or legal claims. |
| Invoices and business records required for Self Assessment | At least five years after the 31 January submission deadline for the relevant tax year, and longer where HMRC rules or an ongoing enquiry require it. |
| Google Analytics user-level and event-level data | 14 months, subject to the distinction concerning aggregated reports above. |
| Website logs | Up to three months. |
| Contact-form records stored by the website | Up to 12 months after submission. |
| Website backups | Up to six months from creation. |
An enquiry received through the contact form may also become part of our email correspondence or assignment records. In that case, the relevant correspondence or assignment retention period applies to those copies.
The two-year period for translation files also applies to copies of those files retained as email attachments, unless otherwise agreed. Keeping administrative correspondence for longer does not by itself extend the retention period for the attached translation files.
Information deleted from the live website may remain in existing website backups until those backups expire within their six-month cycle.
We may retain particular records for longer where necessary to comply with a legal obligation or resolve an ongoing dispute. Otherwise, information is deleted or anonymised when it is no longer needed.
Your data protection rights
Depending on the circumstances, you may have the right to:
- Access your personal information and obtain a copy.
- Have inaccurate or incomplete information corrected.
- Request deletion or restriction of processing.
- Object to processing based on legitimate interests.
- Receive certain information in a portable format.
- Withdraw consent where processing relies on it.
These rights are subject to the conditions and exemptions in data protection law. Please use our website contact form or postal address to make a request. We may need to confirm your identity before disclosing information.
Where a request concerns information we process on a client’s behalf, we may refer it to the client and assist them in responding.
Complaints
If you have concerns about how we handle your personal information, please contact us so that we can consider and respond to them.
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office, the UK data protection regulator, through ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy to reflect changes to our services, website or data protection requirements. The date at the top indicates when it was last updated.