Legal Terms of Service

Terms of Service

Effective date: · Last updated:

1. The service

Omakase Desk, operated by Naoya Hasegawa, provides (A) Japanese business communication support: drafting and reviewing Japanese business emails, replies and documents, review of machine-translated Japanese, and general advice on Japanese business communication; (B) English–Japanese consecutive interpreting for scheduled online meetings; and (C) Japanese marketing localization: social media post localization and English-to-Japanese video subtitles.

2. How we work

Written drafts are prepared with the help of AI and are then reviewed and corrected by a native Japanese professional before delivery. Interpreting is performed live by a native Japanese speaker, without AI. We are open about this and describe how data is handled in our Privacy Policy.

3. What is not included

  • We do not send emails on your behalf. You send the messages.
  • We do not decide price, delivery dates or contract terms for you.
  • We work by email and message. Interpreting is offered only for scheduled online meetings (see section 5).
  • We do not post on your social media accounts, reply to comments, manage accounts or run advertising.
  • We do not burn subtitles into videos, edit video, or provide voice-over or dubbing. Subtitles are delivered as SRT or VTT files.
  • Our work is not certified or sworn translation and is not legal, tax or financial advice.

4. Tasks, quotes and delivery

A single task covers up to 250 source words, or about 30 minutes of work. You receive a quote with the number of tasks before work starts. Working hours are Monday to Friday, 9:00–18:00 PHT (10:00–19:00 JST). First drafts are normally delivered within one to two business days. These are targets, not guarantees, and depend on scope and your timely replies.

5. Meeting interpreting

  • Interpreting covers English and Japanese, consecutively, in meetings scheduled in advance on Zoom, Microsoft Teams or Google Meet. It does not cover same-day requests, simultaneous interpreting, in-person interpreting, or legal or medical settings, and we do not accept legal or medical interpreting.
  • The interpreter conveys what is said and does not negotiate, agree to terms or make decisions on your behalf.
  • Schedule at least 3 business days ahead and share your materials at least 2 business days before the meeting. Interpreting is limited to 2 hours per day.
  • Recording or transcribing a meeting is done only with the consent of all participants and is the client’s responsibility.
  • Cancellation rules are set out in the Refund Policy.

6. Marketing localization and subtitles

  • You confirm that you own, or are licensed to use, all content you send us (text, video and audio), and that it does not infringe any third party’s rights. We do not accept content that infringes the rights of others.
  • One free subtitle revision is included after delivery.
  • Social media posts (up to 150 words including hashtags) count as 1 task. Subtitle intake is limited to 60 video minutes per week.

7. Plans and payment

  • Payment by PayPal invoice in USD. You can pay with a PayPal account or a credit/debit card. Payment is due before work begins, after you approve the quote.
  • Starter Pack tasks are valid for 60 days and do not renew automatically.
  • Monthly plans renew each month. Unused tasks do not carry over.
  • Dedicated Desk includes effectively unlimited requests handled one at a time, up to 8 tasks per day, with a minimum term of 3 months.
  • Prices for interpreting and subtitles are as published on the pricing section of our website at the time of your quote.
  • You can cancel a monthly plan by notifying us at least 10 days before the next renewal date.
  • Extra tasks are charged at the rate shown for your plan.

8. Revisions

For written work, one revision is included for each delivery, if requested within 7 business days of delivery. Subtitles include one free revision after delivery. Further changes may count as additional tasks.

9. Your responsibilities

You are responsible for the accuracy of the information you give us, for having the right to share it, and for deciding whether and how to use our drafts. Please review the final text and send confidential material by email, not chat. We can sign an NDA on request.

10. Ownership

When you have paid, you may use the delivered texts for your business. You keep ownership of your original content.

11. Liability

We take care with every deliverable, but language and business relationships involve judgment, and we cannot guarantee any particular response from your Japanese counterpart. To the extent permitted by law, our total liability for any claim relating to the service is limited to the amount you paid for the task or month in question, and we are not liable for indirect or consequential losses.

12. Ending the service

You may stop using the service at any time, subject to the plan terms above. We may decline or stop work that is unlawful or abusive, and will refund any prepaid, unused tasks for that work under our Refund Policy.

13. Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of the Philippines.

14. Contact

Email us at [email protected].