Terms of Service

Last updated: July 7, 2026

The short version: Dictation Buddy is a free study tool provided "as is." It's a practice aid, not an official test or a guarantee of any exam result. Use it at your own discretion, be respectful of the service, and understand that we can't be held liable for how you use it or rely on it.

1. Acceptance of these terms

By accessing or using Dictation Buddy (the "Service"), you agree to these Terms of Service. If you do not agree, please do not use the Service. If you are under 18, you should review these terms with a parent or guardian. The Service is intended for users aged 13 and older.

2. What the Service is

Dictation Buddy is a free educational web app for practicing Chinese dictation, reading, listening, handwriting, and vocabulary. It includes optional AI-generated practice features. It is a study aid only.

3. Educational use and no guarantee of results

Content is provided for general study and self-practice. We do not guarantee that using the Service will improve your grades, language ability, or performance on any exam. The reading and listening exercises follow the STAMP test format but are original, unofficial practice content. They are not real test questions, are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Avant Assessment or any testing organization, and should not be treated as an official or predictive assessment.

4. Accuracy of content and AI features

We work to keep content accurate, but language learning material — and especially AI-generated sentences, translations, definitions, and grading — may contain errors or awkward phrasing. AI output can be wrong or misleading. Always verify important information with a qualified teacher or an authoritative source. You are responsible for how you use the information the Service provides.

5. Acceptable use

You agree not to:

use the Service for any unlawful purpose or in violation of these terms;
attempt to overload, disrupt, scrape at scale, or abuse the AI function or servers;
attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Service, its servers, or its API keys;
reverse engineer or misuse the Service in ways that harm us or other users;
submit unlawful, harmful, or sensitive personal information through AI features.

6. Third-party services and content

The Service relies on and links to third-party services and open resources, including Google Gemini (AI), Vercel (hosting), Hanzi Writer (stroke order), pinyin-pro (pinyin), Tatoeba (example sentences, CC-BY), and CC-CEDICT (dictionary). Your use of AI features is also subject to Google's applicable terms. We are not responsible for third-party services, their availability, or their content, and we make no warranty regarding them.

7. Intellectual property

The Service's original design, code, and content are owned by the operator of Dictation Buddy. Third-party and open-licensed resources remain the property of their respective owners and are used under their licenses (for example, Tatoeba under CC-BY and CC-CEDICT under its license). "STAMP" and related marks belong to their respective owners; references here are descriptive only.

8. Disclaimer of warranties

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE," WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, ACCURACY, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE SERVICE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, SECURE, OR THAT CONTENT WILL BE ACCURATE OR COMPLETE.

9. Limitation of liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, IN NO EVENT WILL THE OPERATOR OF DICTATION BUDDY BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR ANY LOSS OF DATA, PROGRESS, PROFITS, OR OPPORTUNITY, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO YOUR USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THE SERVICE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. BECAUSE THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED FREE OF CHARGE, OUR TOTAL LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ANY CLAIM RELATED TO THE SERVICE WILL NOT EXCEED USD $50. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW CERTAIN LIMITATIONS, SO SOME OF THE ABOVE MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

10. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless the operator of Dictation Buddy from any claims, damages, or expenses arising out of your misuse of the Service or your violation of these terms or applicable law.

11. Availability and changes

The Service is free and may be modified, suspended, or discontinued at any time without notice. We may update these terms from time to time; the "Last updated" date above will reflect the current version. Continued use after changes means you accept the updated terms.

12. Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws applicable at the operator's principal place of residence, without regard to conflict-of-law rules. Any dispute will be handled in the courts of that jurisdiction, to the extent permitted by applicable law.

13. Contact

Questions about these terms? Email YOUR_CONTACT_EMAIL.