What the work involves

You receive transcripts in Canadian French and record them in a consistent, neutral-to-upbeat "customer service" voice: clear enunciation, steady pacing, no drift in tone across a session. The scripts are read as written — punctuation, commas and em dashes carry pacing information, and the lab cares about whether you honour them or, where the text reads awkwardly aloud, adjust it so the delivery sounds natural rather than recited. Sessions are self-directed after a kickoff call: you record, edit, check against spec, and submit.

Delivery spec is strict and is the most common reason submissions bounce. Files must be WAV, 44.1 kHz, mono, with under one second of silence at head and tail, and no audible breaths. That means real post-production — noise floor management, breath removal, top-and-tail trimming — not just a clean take.

What the platform screens for

  • Nativeness and provenance. Mercor asks for native Canadian French, born and raised in Canada. Expect questions about where you grew up and how your register sits relative to France French — this is checked, and ID verification follows.
  • A real recording chain. Professional-grade microphone, audio interface, treated or soundproofed space, pop filter, editing software. Interface-less USB setups and untreated rooms are where candidates fail.
  • Spec literacy. You should be able to say, without hedging, how you'd export mono 44.1 kHz WAV and how you remove breaths without leaving digital artefacts.
  • Voice-adjacent background is welcome. Professional VO is preferred but not required; radio, podcasting, streaming, music, comedy and broadcast experience all count if the audio quality is there.

Logistics and pay, honestly

Fully remote and mostly asynchronous, with one scheduled kickoff call. Commitment is 2–10 hours per week, rolling start once the contract is accepted and ID clears. The observed rate is $300 USD per finished hour — measured by the length of accepted submitted audio, not time at the desk. Recording, retakes and editing are absorbed into that figure, so the effective hourly rate depends heavily on how efficiently you work; the lower end of the band reflects that reality rather than a different pay scale. Functional English is required for project communication, though the recorded work is entirely in French.