Translation file retention and deletion questions

List the file categories

Source images, editable drafts, completed translations, certificates and billing records can follow different retention practices. Ask about each category rather than relying on a general statement that files are deleted. A certification record may be kept for a different purpose from the source document.

Understand exceptions and control

Read whether legal obligations, disputes, fraud prevention or backups affect deletion. Ask how subcontractors are instructed and whether an account closure triggers the same action as a specific deletion request. Do not assume a marketing promise describes every system used by the provider.

Keep evidence of the request

Use the documented privacy contact and record the provider’s response. Ask what action was completed and what remains under an exception. The FTC’s guidance supports minimizing and protecting retained information but does not create a universal deletion deadline for every translation order.

Ask which copies a deletion statement covers

A provider can hold an uploaded source, a working translation, a delivered PDF, account records, support messages and backups. Deleting one category does not necessarily delete the others. Ask the policy to distinguish them. A statement that files leave an account dashboard may describe visibility rather than removal from working systems or backups. The practical question is what information remains accessible, to whom and for what purpose.

Subcontractors and delivery services can create additional copies outside the primary portal. Check whether the provider's deletion process reaches those processors and whether any records must remain for billing, dispute handling or other stated reasons. Do not infer a universal retention period from one sentence about upload storage. A meaningful answer identifies the relevant categories and the process for requesting deletion or clarification.

Plan for your own retrieval before requesting removal

Save the source and final deliverables you need in a secure location before closing an account or requesting deletion. A future correction may require the exact source version and certificate, particularly when an issuing authority later amends a record. This is a reason to manage your own record carefully, not a reason for a provider to keep every sensitive document indefinitely without explaining its policy.

The FTC information-protection guide supports minimizing unnecessary sensitive information, but this page does not determine a particular legal deletion right. Use the provider's published privacy contact to ask about project files, backups, shared links and completed deletion confirmation separately. In a sample inquiry, name the order reference rather than emailing the entire passport again. If a policy promises removal after completion, ask what completion means and whether a disputed order changes that status. This yields a more useful answer than a broad request to delete everything without specifying the records involved.