Data Retention & Secure Deletion Policy
Effective date: September 12, 2026 · Version: 2.0 · Review: Annually
Applies to all documents, recordings, and personal information handled by A2Z Language Hub Inc. across translation, transcription, and interpretation services.
Our promise in plain language: Your documents are handled confidentially, stored securely with encryption, shared only with the certified professional working on your file, and permanently deleted on a set schedule after your project is delivered. You can ask us to delete your files immediately, or to keep them longer for re-issue — your choice.
1. What does this policy cover?
This policy covers every client document, recording, translation, transcript, related communication, and the personal information they contain, whether held by A2Z or by the certified professionals and service providers who work on our behalf. It explains what we keep, how long we keep it, how we secure it, and how and when we permanently delete it.
A2Z Language Hub Inc. ("A2Z," "we," "us") provides certified and notarized translation, transcription, and interpretation services. In the course of this work we receive sensitive material, including immigration, legal, medical, financial, and identity documents, that contains personal information.
2. What principles guide how A2Z handles my data?
A2Z follows five principles: data minimization, confidentiality, security, purpose limitation, and time limitation. Together they mean we collect only what your project needs, restrict access to the people working on it, encrypt it in storage and transit, use it for nothing but your requested service, and delete it on a defined schedule.
- Data minimization: we collect and retain only what is needed to complete your project and meet our legal obligations.
- Confidentiality: access is restricted to the assigned project manager and the certified professional working on your file, all bound by confidentiality agreements.
- Security: files are stored and transmitted using encryption and access controls (see Section 5).
- Purpose limitation: your material is used only to deliver the service you requested, never sold, and never used for marketing or AI training.
- Time limitation: material is deleted on a defined schedule once it is no longer needed (see Section 4).
3. What information does A2Z handle?
A2Z handles five categories of information: the source material you send us, the deliverables we produce, your contact and project details, transaction records, and project-related communications. Payment card details are never among them, because card payments are processed by Stripe and never stored on A2Z systems.
- Source material you provide: documents, images, scans, and audio/video files to be translated or transcribed.
- Deliverables we produce: certified translations, transcripts, and the accompanying certificate of accuracy or affidavit.
- Contact & project details: your name, email, phone, and the instructions needed to complete your order.
- Transaction records: invoices and receipts. Payment card details are processed securely by our payment provider (Stripe) and are never stored on A2Z systems.
- Communications: emails, WhatsApp messages, and quote-form submissions related to your project.
4. How long does A2Z keep my documents?
Source files, completed translations, transcripts, and recordings are deleted within 30 days after final delivery. Interpretation sessions are not recorded, and interpreter notes are destroyed immediately after the session. Contact details are deleted or anonymized within 12 months, and invoices are kept for 6 years to meet Canadian tax obligations.
Unless you instruct us otherwise, or the law requires a longer period (see Section 10), we retain and delete material according to the schedule below.
| Type of material | Default retention | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Source documents & files you upload | Deleted within 30 days after final delivery | Kept briefly so we can address revisions or re-issue requests. Delete-on-delivery available on request. |
| Completed translations & transcripts | Deleted within 30 days after final delivery | You receive your own copy; keep a backup. Extended retention available on request (see Section 7). |
| Audio / video for transcription | Deleted within 30 days after final delivery | Recordings are never reused or shared beyond your project. |
| Interpretation sessions | Not recorded; interpreter notes destroyed immediately after the session | Sessions are recorded only if you request it and consent in writing. |
| Project & contact details | Deleted or anonymized within 12 months of project close | Retained to manage repeat/re-issue requests. |
| Invoices & transaction records | Retained 6 years | Required to meet Canadian tax and business-record obligations. Contains billing data, not your source-document content. |
| Payment card details | Not stored by A2Z | Handled by Stripe (PCI-DSS compliant). |
| Encrypted backups | Purged within 30 days of the primary deletion | Deletion flows through to backup copies on the next cycle. |
5. How does A2Z store and secure my files?
Files are encrypted in transit and at rest, stored with reputable providers, and accessible only to the assigned project manager and the certified professional on your file. Every translator, interpreter, transcriptionist, and staff member is bound by a confidentiality agreement. When a file reaches the end of its retention period it is permanently deleted from primary systems and backups.
- Encryption in transit and at rest, using industry-standard protocols (e.g., TLS/SSL and 256-bit encryption).
- Access on a need-to-know basis: limited to the assigned project manager and the certified professional on your file.
- Confidentiality agreements binding every translator, interpreter, transcriptionist, and staff member.
- Secure storage with reputable providers; where feasible, data is stored in Dropbox or Google Drive.
- Secure deletion: when files reach the end of their retention period they are permanently and irreversibly deleted from primary systems and backups; paper materials, if any, are shredded.
6. Does A2Z upload my documents to public online tools?
No. Everything we do with your files happens in-house. When a document needs to be resized or compressed, converted to another format, made searchable (OCR), or reformatted, our team does that work using secure, licensed software on our own controlled systems, never by uploading your file to a public website. Specifically:
- We do not use free online PDF compressors, resizers, or "shrink your PDF" websites to reduce file size.
- We do not use public online file converters, OCR sites, or web-based document editors.
- We do not paste or upload your content into public machine-translation or AI tools (such as free web translators). All translation is done by certified, experienced human professionals.
- We do not post your files to public links, open shared drives, or file-sharing sites that are not secured.
7. Can I ask A2Z to delete my files sooner or keep them longer?
Yes. You control how long we keep your files. At any time you can ask us to delete your source files and deliverables immediately after delivery, to keep your project on file for a defined period so we can re-issue it, to access or correct the personal information we hold, or to withdraw your consent. We respond to every request within 30 days.
- Delete immediately: have your source files and deliverables securely deleted as soon as your project is delivered.
- Extend retention: have us keep your translation project on file for a defined period (for example, up to 12 months) so we can quickly re-issue it if you lose your copy or an authority requests it again.
- Access or correct: request a copy of the personal information we hold about you, or ask us to correct it.
- Withdraw consent: withdraw your consent to our handling of your information, subject to any legal retention we are required to maintain.
To make any of these requests, contact our office using the details in Section 9. We will respond within 30 days.
8. Who else can access my documents?
Only the certified translators, interpreters, and transcriptionists who complete your work, and the service providers who support us, such as secure cloud storage and our payment processor, Stripe. All of them are bound by confidentiality and data-protection obligations, may access your material only to deliver your project, and must follow our deletion requirements. We do not sell your information, and we do not use your documents to train artificial-intelligence systems.
9. How do I contact A2Z about my data?
Contact our office by email or phone using the details below. This is the address for every request described in Section 7, including immediate deletion, extended retention, access, correction, and withdrawal of consent.
A2Z Language Hub Inc.
- Email: hthakkar@a2zlanguagehub.com
- Phone (Main Line · BC & Western Canada): +1 (604) 720-7721
- Phone (Ontario & Eastern Canada): +1 (437) 539-0037
- Head Office: Surrey, BC · Serving all of Canada
- Web: www.a2zlanguagehub.com
10. Which privacy laws apply, and how will I know if this policy changes?
A2Z handles personal information in accordance with applicable Canadian privacy law, including the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and, in British Columbia, the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA). We may update this policy from time to time. The current version and its effective date are posted on this page, and material changes are reflected in an updated version number and date at the top.
For details on how we collect and use personal information more broadly, see our Privacy Policy.