Maven International is committed to operating as an ethical organization and to conducting every part of our business responsibly. This Code sets out the professional, legal, and ethical standards that govern every Maven International assignment, and everyone who works on one.
We hold ourselves to these standards because we believe it is the right way to run a language services business. One consequence of that commitment is that institutional buyers, procurement teams, and donors can see, in specific terms, what we stand for before they place sensitive work with us. Everyone delivering that work also needs to know what is expected of them before they accept an assignment, not after something has gone wrong.
This Code binds:
We apply one standard across all of these groups. A freelance interpreter working a single asylum interview is bound by the same confidentiality and conduct requirements as a member of our permanent staff. Where local law, a client's own supplier code, or a professional body's rules set a higher bar than this Code, the higher bar applies.
Non-compliance is treated as misconduct and can result in termination of employment or contract, removal from our vendor database, and, where warranted, referral to the relevant authorities.
Business decisions are made on objective assessment of merit, capability, and cost, never on personal relationships or private gain.
A conflict of interest arises where a personal interest, whether through family, friends, clients, competitors, or suppliers, interferes with the interests of Maven International or a client, or could reasonably be perceived to.
What we require
A conflict that is not disclosed is itself a breach of this Code, independent of whether it affected the work.
An NDA is signed with every vendor as part of the vendor onboarding process, before they are engaged on any assignment. This is a standard part of how we bring a vendor into our network, not a step that only happens immediately before or in connection with a single project.
What is covered
How access is controlled
Duration
Confidentiality obligations survive indefinitely, or for the period specified in any separate NDA, whichever is longer. They do not lapse when a project closes, when a freelancer stops working with us, or for any other reason short of the obligation itself expiring under its own terms.
Project-specific agreements
Where a client requires it, Maven can facilitate an additional NDA or confidentiality agreement covering a specific project, assignment, cooperation, or contract. This sits alongside the standard vendor onboarding NDA as an extra layer where the client asks for one. It does not replace it.
Required disclosure
Where disclosure is compelled by law, court order, or a regulatory authority, we disclose only what is required and, where legally permitted, notify the client first.
Suppliers and staff handle personal data and sensitive client content in compliance with applicable data protection law and with our published Privacy Notice, Data Protection, and Confidentiality Standards policies. See those pages for the full detail on lawful basis, retention, and technical safeguards, which is not repeated here.
Our translation management system
Maven International uses XTRF as its Translation Management System (TMS). XTRF holds ISO/IEC 27001 certification, covering its information security management, and ISO 9001 certification, in its own name. These certifications belong to XTRF as the platform vendor and cover XTRF's own systems, not Maven International as an organization.
Smartcat, used within parts of our translation and localization workflows, holds SOC 2 Type II certification in its own name, on the same basis.
We do not tolerate corruption in any form.
It is prohibited to offer, promise, give, request, solicit, or accept any unfair advantage, whether cash or cash equivalent, gifts, credit, discounts, accommodation, services, or personal favors, in order to obtain, retain, or accelerate business.
How we assign work to vendors, translators, and interpreters
Maven does not allocate projects or assignments based on gifts, payments, commissions, kickbacks, personal benefits, or other improper incentives. Projects are assigned to translators and interpreters based on relevant professional criteria and merit.
Vendors, translators, interpreters, staff, partners, and other parties are prohibited from offering or accepting gifts, cash payments, kickbacks, or other benefits in exchange for receiving a project or assignment. This principle applies to our client-facing relationships, and it applies equally to how Maven selects and assigns work to its own language professionals and vendors.
Gifts and hospitality
Permitted only where occasional, modest, and customary for the market, and never where they could reasonably be read as an inducement. Nothing is offered or accepted around a live tender or an open procurement decision. Where there is doubt, the answer is to decline and report it.
Competence
Suppliers must hold the qualifications, language pairs, and subject-matter expertise they declared during onboarding. Accepting an assignment outside your demonstrated competence is a breach of this Code.
Delivery
Assignments are executed to the agreed scope, format, quality level, and deadline. Where something goes wrong, such as a missed deadline, an error discovered after delivery, or an inability to complete the work, we say so promptly rather than conceal it. Late disclosure of a problem is treated more seriously than the problem itself.
No unauthorized sub-contracting
Sub-contracting or outsourcing any part of an assignment to a third party is prohibited without prior written approval. This protects the confidentiality chain and ensures the buyer knows who is handling their material.
Record accuracy
Records, quotes, invoices, word counts, and project documentation must be accurate and complete. Falsifying any of these, or misrepresenting who performed the work, is fraud and is treated as such.
Fair dealing
We compete on quality, capability, and price. We do not coordinate pricing or bidding with competitors, offer or solicit improper payments, or take part in unlawful boycotts. We describe our services accurately, including capability, turnaround, quality level, and the use of machine translation or AI, in proposals and in marketing. Where a project is delivered for an end user through an intermediary, we describe the relationship accurately rather than claiming the end user as our client. We comply with applicable trade controls, restrictions, sanctions, and export embargoes, and we decline engagements that conflict with them. We pay our suppliers and linguists in full and on schedule, and withholding payment as leverage is prohibited.
Professional codes
Linguists follow the professional codes of the bodies they belong to, such as AIIC, ITI, ATA, and equivalents, alongside this Code: accuracy and impartiality, no addition, omission, or alteration of meaning, and no personal use of information obtained during an assignment.
Company assets
Company systems, accounts, and assets are for legitimate business use and are protected accordingly.
Equal opportunity
We provide equal opportunity in employment and engagement, without discrimination on any basis, including but not limited to gender, nationality, ethnic origin, and religion.
Harassment
Harassment, bullying, slander, and victimization are prohibited in every form of verbal, written, and electronic communication. This applies between staff, between staff and freelancers, and in dealings with client personnel.
Labor standards
We oppose child labor, forced or compulsory labor, undeclared employment arrangements, and the withholding of wages, and we require our suppliers to do the same across their own supply chains. See our Modern Slavery Statement for how this is assessed and enforced.
Fair terms for linguists
Freelance linguists are contracted on clear written terms stating scope, deadline, rate, and payment schedule before work begins, and are paid at the agreed rate on the agreed schedule.
Working conditions for interpreters
Interpreters working in humanitarian, legal, and other high-pressure settings are briefed on context before the assignment. Their working conditions, including team size, turn length, breaks, and security arrangements, are treated as a condition of the assignment rather than a courtesy, because interpretation quality degrades measurably without them and because the settings we work in carry real personal risk.
Anyone, whether staff, linguist, supplier, or client, can raise a concern about a breach of this Code, with their project manager, directly with the Director, or by email to admin@maven-international.com.
Concerns are handled confidentially and shared only with the people who need to act on them. We acknowledge every report within 10 working days.
Anyone who raises a genuine concern or reports a potential breach can do so without fear of negative consequences or adverse treatment.
Confirmed breaches result in corrective action up to and including termination of employment or contract, removal from our vendor database, and, where warranted, referral to the relevant authorities.
Last updated: September 24, 2026
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