Japanese Transcription & Pitch Annotation Specialist

Role Overview Volga Partners is seeking Japanese language specialists to support a specialized speech evaluation and annotation project. This role is ideal for individuals with strong transcription skills and a deep understanding of natural Japanese pronunciation, mora structure, and pitch. You will review Japanese audio, validate and correct transcripts and Katakana pronunciation, and assign H/L pitch values at the mora level based on actual speech. The work focuses on evaluation of existing audio recordings , not one-time participation or recording. This is a remote, freelance, project-based opportunity expected to run for approximately one month, with an engagement of around 15 hours per week . Responsibilities • Review Japanese audio and verify transcript accuracy. • Correct transcription errors (omissions, additions, repetitions, and pronunciation differences). • Review mixed Kanji/Kana transcription for accuracy, punctuation, pauses, and bunsetsu boundaries. • Validate Katakana pronunciation lines to match actual spoken audio. • Apply project-specific pronunciation rules (particles, long vowels, double consonants, syllabic nasals, and contracted sounds). • Assign H/L pitch values to each mora, aligned with the pronunciation line. • Represent audible vowel lengthening with additional mora and pitch values. • Flag unclear audio for review rather than making unsupported assumptions. • Maintain consistent annotation quality and follow calibration feedback. Key Skills and Requirements Language Proficiency • Fluent or highly proficient Japanese ability. • Strong transcription knowledge and accuracy. • Ability to transcribe spoken Japanese using Kanji/Kana. • Ability to prepare or validate Katakana phonetic transcription. • Strong understanding of mora structure and pitch perception. • Ability to identify pauses, sentence endings, emotional speech, vowel lengthening, and pronunciation differences. • Attention to detail and consistent annotation judgment. Ideal Candidate Profile • Experience in Japanese speech transcription or QA. • Audio or linguistic annotation projects. • ASR transcription or speech data QA. • Japanese linguistics, phonetics, phonology, or prosody. • Speech technology or voice data projects. • Japanese language teaching. • Voice acting or narration with strong pitch perception. Work Structure • Type: Freelance / Project-Based • Duration: Approximately 1 month • Commitment: ~15 hours per week (total workload ~15 hours) • Recruitment Target: 15 resources Compensation • Rate: $18–$20 USD/hour • Payment: Processed through Deel • All project hours and assignments must be approved in advance and are based on project needs; contractors should not independently add or work unapproved hours. Qualification Assessment • Candidates will complete a short qualification assessment covering: • Japanese transcription accuracy • Katakana pronunciation validation • Mora identification and pronunciation rules • H/L pitch perception • Mora-to-pitch alignment accuracy Note: Strong performance on the practical audio portion is required before moving into production work. Originally posted on Himalayas