# Japanese Transcription & Pitch Annotation Specialist

> Volga Partners · Japan (Remote) · Other · Posted 2026-09-24

**Workplace:** remote

**Department:** L1 UB Main

## Description

**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.

## Apply

[Apply at Volga Partners](https://apply.workable.com/volga-partners/j/AC5E7AEB10/apply)

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