Terms of Use

These Terms of Use explain the conditions for accessing and using SayChinese (“SayChinese”, the “Service”, “we”, “us” or “our”).

SayChinese is an educational tool for Mandarin Chinese learning.

Please read these Terms together with our Privacy Notice. By using SayChinese, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the Service.

1. About SayChinese

SayChinese is an educational technology project designed to support Mandarin Chinese pronunciation and language learning.

The Service allows users to enter English or Chinese sentences and may provide learning support including:

• translation;
• Chinese-language review or correction suggestions;
• pinyin;
• pronunciation-focused segmentation;
• synthesized pronunciation audio; and
• related learning materials.

Features and functionality may change as the Service is developed and evaluated.

No account or sign-up is currently required.

2. Eligibility

SayChinese is intended for users aged 16 and over.

If you are under 16, you should use SayChinese only where a parent or guardian has authorised your use, including any optional analytics choices that require consent.

A teacher's recommendation or instruction alone does not replace parental or guardian authorisation where this is required.

Further information about privacy and analytics choices is provided in our Privacy Notice.

3. Free usage

The current Service allows up to 15 successful practice sentences per browser per day.

This limit is intended to support fair and sustainable access to the free Service.

We may change usage limits, features or access arrangements as the Service develops.

You must not deliberately circumvent or attempt to circumvent usage limits or other technical restrictions.

4. Educational purpose and accuracy of outputs

SayChinese is provided as a language-learning aid.

Some functions use automated or AI-assisted technologies. Other functions use software-based language processing or synthesized speech.

Translations, Chinese-language review or correction suggestions, pinyin, segmentation, pronunciation audio and other learning outputs may occasionally contain errors or may not be appropriate for every linguistic context.

Outputs should therefore be used as learning support rather than as a guarantee of linguistic accuracy.

Where accuracy is particularly important, you should check the information against appropriate learning resources or seek guidance from a qualified teacher or other suitable source.

5. Acceptable use

You may use SayChinese for lawful educational, learning and related purposes.

You must not intentionally:

• use the Service for unlawful, fraudulent or abusive purposes;
• interfere with or disrupt the operation or security of the Service;
• attempt to gain unauthorised access to systems, data or functionality;
• deliberately probe or test the security of the Service without permission;
• use bots, scripts or other automated methods to create excessive requests or place unreasonable demands on the Service;
• circumvent or attempt to circumvent usage limits or technical restrictions;
• introduce malicious code or harmful material; or
• use the Service in a way that unlawfully infringes another person's rights.

Nothing in these Terms restricts rights or activities that cannot lawfully be restricted.

6. Content you enter

You are responsible for the sentence text or other content you choose to submit to SayChinese.

Please do not enter confidential, highly sensitive or personally identifying information unless it is genuinely necessary for your use of the Service.

You should only submit content that you are entitled to use and that does not unlawfully infringe another person's rights.

As between you and SayChinese, we do not claim ownership of the sentence text you submit.

You permit SayChinese to process the content you submit to the extent reasonably necessary to provide the requested Service.

SayChinese does not currently provide a permanent sentence-history feature. Further information about how practice content is handled is available in our Privacy Notice.

7. Privacy and analytics

Our Privacy Notice explains how SayChinese handles information when you use the Service, including practice content, browser or device storage, usage limits and optional analytics.

Optional analytics are subject to the consent choices provided through SayChinese. You can review or change your analytics choice through Cookie Preferences.

Open Cookie Preferences

Detailed information about analytics technologies, storage and data processing is provided in the Privacy Notice rather than repeated in these Terms.

8. Intellectual property

The SayChinese name, branding, software, interface, website design and original materials associated with the Service may be protected by intellectual-property laws.

These Terms do not transfer ownership of SayChinese intellectual property to you.

You may use the Service for its intended purposes, subject to these Terms and applicable law.

You remain responsible for, and retain any rights you may have in, content that you submit.

Nothing in these Terms restricts uses that are permitted by applicable copyright or other intellectual-property law.

9. Availability and changes to the Service

SayChinese is an evolving Service.

We may:

• add, remove or modify features;
• change technical or usage limits;
• carry out maintenance;
• temporarily restrict access; or
• suspend or discontinue some or all of the Service.

Where a material change affects users and advance notice is reasonably practicable, we will aim to provide appropriate notice.

We do not guarantee that the Service or any particular feature will always be available, uninterrupted or free from technical errors.

10. Restriction of access

Because the current public version does not require user accounts, there may be no account to suspend or terminate.

However, we may take reasonable technical measures to restrict access where this is necessary to:

• respond to misuse;
• protect the security or availability of the Service;
• address deliberate circumvention of usage limits;
• comply with legal obligations; or
• protect SayChinese, users or third parties from harm.

Any such measures should be proportionate to the issue concerned where reasonably possible.

11. Disclaimers and statutory rights

SayChinese is currently provided as a free educational Service.

While we aim to provide a useful and reliable learning experience, we do not promise that:

• automated or software-generated outputs will always be accurate;
• translations or correction suggestions will be appropriate for every context;
• pinyin or segmentation will always be error-free;
• synthesized speech will represent every acceptable pronunciation or speaking style;
• the Service will always be uninterrupted or free from technical problems; or
• the Service will meet every user's individual learning needs.

You remain responsible for how you use and interpret the learning materials provided by SayChinese.

Nothing in these Terms excludes or restricts any rights, remedies or protections that cannot lawfully be excluded or restricted, including any applicable mandatory consumer rights.

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability where doing so would be prohibited by applicable law.

12. Third-party services

SayChinese relies on third-party technologies and service providers for some functions.

These services may occasionally experience interruptions, changes or technical failures that affect SayChinese.

Information about third parties involved in processing personal data or practice content, where relevant, is provided in our Privacy Notice.

13. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms as SayChinese develops or where changes are needed for operational, security, legal or regulatory reasons.

The latest version will be published on SayChinese with an updated “Last updated” date.

Where a change materially affects users, we will aim to provide reasonable notice where practicable.

Continued use of the Service after updated Terms take effect will be subject to the updated Terms, without affecting rights that cannot lawfully be waived or restricted.

14. Governing law

These Terms are governed by the laws of Ireland.

If you are a consumer living outside Ireland, this does not remove any mandatory consumer protections that apply to you under the law of your country of residence.

Questions concerning jurisdiction or where a dispute may be brought remain subject to applicable law and any mandatory consumer rights.

15. Contact

If you have questions about these Terms or SayChinese, contact:

hello.saychinese@outlook.com

16. Privacy Notice

Please also read our Privacy Notice, which explains how SayChinese handles practice content, browser and device storage, optional analytics and related information.