Language & Dialect Specialist - Conversation Reviewer (Contract)

Authenica B.V. is hiring language specialists to review and annotate short conversation segments for an AI training-data program. We are specifically seeking native speakers of Japanese, Mandarin, German, or Spanish, with at least intermediate (B1/B2) written English. You will listen to brief audio clips in your native language and provide structured judgments and written reasoning about what you hear. This is not transcription or translation work. The role involves interpreting tone, intent, conversational nuance, and dialect- and culture-specific meaning in professional conversation settings. Work begins on an as-needed, project-by-project basis. High-performing reviewers may be offered ongoing project work. How The Work Flows: • You listen to short audio clips (typically 5–30 seconds) in your native language. • You apply a structured annotation framework, provided and explained at onboarding, to capture what you observe. • You write brief justifications in English explaining your labeling decisions. • You take part in calibration exercises so that reviewers stay consistent with one another. The specific framework and labels are taught inside the platform during onboarding — you do not need prior knowledge of any particular labeling scheme to apply. Responsibilities: • Review short audio clips in your native language. • Interpret tone, intent, hesitation, cadence, and shifts in conversational register — including shifts in formality, politeness level, or forms of address, and what those shifts signal. • Judge what is normal versus unusual against your own native sense of how speakers in your dialect ordinarily sound in this setting. • Identify shifts in language, tone, directness, or framing, and interpret their communicative function — whether to clarify, emphasize, build familiarity, soften impact, maintain discretion, or obscure intent. • Apply the provided annotation framework consistently across clips. • Write clear, brief justifications in English for each labeling decision. • Participate in calibration exercises to maintain inter-reviewer consistency. Required Qualifications: • Native fluency in Japanese, Mandarin, German, or Spanish. • Declared dialect / regional expertise — please tell us the specific region, dialect, or accent environment you know best. • Intermediate (B1/B2) written English — sufficient to write clear reasoning. • Comfort making judgment-based decisions and explaining them in writing. • Comfort working in a structured desktop annotation application. • Willingness to sign and abide by confidentiality terms. • Own and work on Apple operating system (macOS) for compatibility with annotation platform Preferred background • Linguistics, sociolinguistics, or bilingual customer-service experience. • Call-center experience, including team-lead or quality-assurance roles. • Experience reviewing conversations for compliance, quality, or investigative purposes. • Familiarity with: o Regional speech and cultural influences in your dialect. o Pragmatic patterns — politeness hierarchy, indirect phrasing, register shifts. o Script-based or structured customer-service speech patterns. o Communicative shifts in language, tone, and framing, including clarification, emphasis, familiarity, discretion, and concealment. What We Look For in Hired Reviewers: • Consistent judgment across many clips. • Clarity in written reasoning. • Attention to nuance and detail. • Reliable, confidential handling of material. To Apply, Please Provide: • Primary language, including specific dialect / accent expertise. • Country of residence and confirm right to work as an independent contractor to ensure compliance with EU employment and tax requirements for non-EU residents. • Linguistics or language-analysis experience. • Customer-service, call-center, compliance, or investigative experience. • Confirmation of your English proficiency level (B1/B2 or higher) • Weekly availability and time zone. Selection Process: Short-listed candidates will be asked to complete a brief paid evaluation task. This is a substantive screening assessment of native command of your language and dialect-specific judgment — not a formality. Candidates selected after the evaluation must complete identity verification and sign contractor and confidentiality agreements before beginning any project work or being given access to project materials.