Japanese Linguistic Expert

$40/hr

rate as listed

Workload: ~15h/week
Engagement: Project-based
Location: Worldwide
Field: Languages

Evaluate, annotate, and refine Japanese language data used to train and assess large language models. The work covers translation, summarization, dialogue, grammar correction, and culturally appropriate Japanese usage.

The work

You will review Japanese output from a large language model for accuracy, naturalness, grammar, syntax, semantics, register, and cultural fit. Day-to-day tasks may include assessing translations and summaries, correcting dialogue, rewriting unnatural passages, annotating linguistic features, categorizing model errors, and documenting gaps that researchers can use to improve training.

What the platform screens for

Mercor is looking for native or near-native fluency in Japanese and professional fluency in English. Screening is likely to test whether you can explain subtle Japanese choices under follow-up, distinguish grammatical correctness from natural usage, account for regional and register differences, and turn an observed model failure into precise, actionable feedback. Relevant professional experience may come from translation, editing, linguistic annotation, or NLP data work in Japanese. Interest in AI and LLM-driven language technologies is preferred but not required.

Working format

The project is remote and involves collaboration with AI researchers and distributed teams. The listing does not specify whether work is fully asynchronous, the expected weekly commitment, project duration, or required overlap hours, so candidates should be ready to state their availability and time zone clearly during screening.

Pay band: $40/hr

What they look for

Native or near-native Japanese fluency
Professional fluency in English
Professional Japanese translation, editing, linguistic annotation, or NLP data experience
Japanese grammar, syntax, semantics, stylistics, and register analysis
LLM output evaluation and detailed linguistic feedback
Remote collaboration with distributed teams

Included with this listing

Interview prep — 10 questions

Matched to what this platform's screening actually measures. Answer each out loud in 60–90 seconds: claim → concrete example → implication.

What it tests: This tests whether your claimed experience can be tied to concrete Japanese deliverables, review standards, and quality-control responsibilities.
A strong answer: Describe one or two specific projects, your exact role, the content types involved, and how quality was reviewed or measured. Clarify whether you produced text, evaluated others' work, designed annotations, or resolved reviewer disagreements.
Where people lose it: Candidates lose points by listing job titles without explaining what Japanese material they handled or what decisions they personally owned.

Summary, eligibility guidance and screening preparation are prepared by Sidequest from the platform's posting. Check the source listing before applying.