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.

Work arrangement
No