*Signing up for a monthly membership is a must when using us as a Point of Contact for school related services.
*If you sign up for a one-month plan, we respectfully require you keep the membership for at least 2 months.
*Premium services are recommended for those who send child(ren) to Japanese school / daycare, and have a chance having to have us call schools or a school bus driver earlier than we officially open at 9:00am, OR who likes exploring Japan and would like enough monthly minutes to cover all your possible requests!
Terms and Conditions
Thank you very much for subscribing to our monthly plan!
Please review and fully understand these terms and conditions.
How things work with your subscription plan
Your monthly minutes You get unlimited quick services (5 minutes) each month plus a certain time for our appointment/research service depending on your plan (Basic, Deluxe or Premium). The first 5 minutes is always free per case/request.
*Only Deluxe or Premium subscribers can use one up-to 15-mins phone interpretation service per month.
Most interpretation services are to be provided on-site / in person bases upon request.
Your monthly minutes do not roll over to the following month. If you run out of the time, you can add time by purchasing credits. Credits are only available to our monthly subscribers as of January 1st, 2022.
Outside business hours We are open 09:00~17:00 Mondays through Fridays, 9:00-12:30 Saturdays (except US/JP holidays). For Premium subscribers, we start assisting at 8:00 in the morning during the weekdays. If you need immediate assistance outside our hours, we will deduct doubled time from your monthly time.
Suspending your plan We need you to give us at least a 2-week notice if you would like to suspend the plan for an entire month. You can suspend it for up-to 1 month a year.
Auto-renewal membership Once your subscription plan begins, your plan now automatically renews until cancelled.
You will be billed...
- 1-month plan...Every month (Please be a member for at least 2 months.)
- 3-month plan…Every 3 months
- 6-month plan…Every 6 months
- 12-month plan…Every 12 months
Canceling your plan Please give us a 2-week notice by filling out this form if you are no longer in need of our monthly services before your next payment is due, and make sure to have us cancel it for you. Once our system has charged you for the payment cycle, we are unable to refund for the remaining months of the cycle. In case you still need to cancel your monthly plan, please contact us at least 2 weeks prior to the date you need to cancel. You would get 50% from the remaining fees back if the reason of your cancellation is beyond control. Please note that there would be no refund if you cancel the plan by yourself without notifying us.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. How does the payment work for subscription plans?
A. It depends on the length of you plan, and each plan automatically renews until cancelled.
You will be billed...
- 1-month plan...Every month
- 3-month plan…Every 3 months
- 6-month plan…Every 6 months
- 12-month plan…Every 12 months
Q. When can I receive these services?
A. During our business hours, which are 09:00-17:00 Mondays to Fridays (08:00~ for Premium members) / 09:00-12:30 Saturdays. We are closed on Sundays and US/JP holidays.
Q. What does monthly plans not include?
A. These plans do not include on-site services and official / proper document translation. You still get discounts for menus that these plans do not cover. Please see more information on simple translation included in the monthly plans below.
Q. What types of requests can I make with these subscription plans?
A. We can assist you with your family reservations/appointments or research for you or your family. Arrangements for your friends (excluding yourself), co-workers, or reservations for a command/spouses’ group event for 13 or more guests (including yourself) are not included.
For an event or a restaurant reservation for a larger group, it most likely takes a long time based on our experience because detailed services such as explaining/choosing menu, letting the venue know possible food allergies, or arranging venue decorations are often requested. For a group event services, please see this page for more details. If you are a Deluxe or Premium member, you will get a discount for the group event planning assistance as well.
We can also help you with research on anything possible, ticket purchasing you have difficulty obtaining by yourself, or even online shopping.
Q. What do the quick services cover?
A. Any online / phone call services that takes within 5 mins or less. When you have an appointment somewhere out in town and need interpretation service, please inform us in advance so we can make an arrangement to assist you over the phone. When the first 5 minutes is over, your monthly time will be used.
Q. What are “monthly service minutes?”
A. Your plans come with up-to 30 / 60 / 90-minutes of services per month. We research/call places (such as yochiens, schools, hotels, camping sites, etc) to communicate or find out information. You can also use your monthly time to cover phone call services that exceed the first 5 mins. We can search for available tickets, specific items online and more on your behalf as well.
Q. How does Explore Translation deduct the service time?
A. We start counting time after consultation and the first 5-min of service per case / request. Service times include correspondence. We will let you know how long we have spent assisting you each time we are done assisting.
Q. Does my monthly time roll over to the following month when I do not use it up by the end of the month?
A. No, your service time resets back to 30 / 60 / 90mins. on the 1st of each month while your membership is active.
Q. What is “simple translation” that’s included in each plan?
A. Translation service via Email or FB Messenger for important info on small notes, photos, and/or school newsletters. We deduct minutes (by 5mins) from your monthly service time, but again the first 5 minutes is free of charge. Formal document translation services by Microsoft word/Pages are not included.
“Simple translation” examples…
