All remote jobs

Senior Japanese Linguist

AI Summary
Welocalize is seeking a senior native Japanese linguist to lead translation, copy-editing, review, and linguistic quality activities for assigned client accounts. The role owns Japanese-language deliveries, terminology resources, style guides, queries, and error arbitration across internal and external contributors. It requires at least eight years of localization, translation, editing, or content-writing experience, including five years of review work. The linguist will coordinate freelancers and vendors, train contributors, communicate with clients, and improve localization workflows. Strong English and Japanese proficiency, CAT-tool expertise, and consistent performance under tight delivery deadlines are essential.
Remote from
Japan
Salary
Undisclosed
Employment
Full Time
Experience
Senior
Published
Apply before
8 Dec 2026
Listing views
29
Application actions
1
Application toolkit

Make your next move.

Prepare your resume, explore your fit, and draft a cover letter for this opportunity.

Opportunity details

About this role.

About Welocalize

Welocalize, a Welo Global brand, serves localization teams through AI-enabled multilingual content solutions that enable enterprises to operate and scale globally. Welocalize combines AI, automation, and human expertise to support enterprises in more than 300 languages, enabling accurate, culturally aligned, and compliant multilingual content at scale.

Welocalize’s Opal Platform comprises patented technology designed to automate multilingual content and improve workflow performance for enterprises. Opal functions as an agentic system that orchestrates AI, automation, and human expertise to coordinate content workflows across the lifecycle, improving speed, scalability, and operational control for global enterprises. These solutions operate within a secure and compliant environment supported by seven ISO certifications. Welocalize is headquartered in New York with offices worldwide. welocalize.com

Job Responsibilities:

This role involves managing translation and copy-editing tasks, ensuring high-quality linguistic deliverables for assigned projects or accounts. Responsibilities include coordinating with freelancers and agencies, maintaining language resources, resolving terminology queries, and collaborating with clients and internal teams to enhance workflow efficiency. The position also supports broader team efforts through editing, error arbitration, and active participation in quality initiatives. Job Reference: #LI-JC1

The following is a non-exhaustive list of responsibilities and areas of ownership for this role:

  • Performing copy-edit tasks on assigned projects or accounts
  • Performing on-demand translation tasks
  • Performing lead linguist role on assigned accounts
  • Taking ownership of deliveries that were translated internally or by external partners for one or more accounts into Japanese language
  • Preparing, managing and maintaining the language materials (including glossaries, Style Guides, work instruction) up to the quality standards and up to date as required by the account or project
  • Managing project-related queries
  • Ensuring good interaction among team members and resolving questions on terminology and language matters
  • Coordinating with freelancers, agencies and internal linguists on assigned projects or accounts
  • Testing and qualifying new freelancers and vendors as required
  • Developing and training of internal linguists/new and existing freelancers according to the accounts’ and Welocalize’s needs
  • Interacting with clients on linguistic matters as required
  • Participating in the development of new and improved working processes. Propose process improvements.
  • Meet or exceed the KPIs in terms of productivity, on time delivery, quality
  • Achieving the goals set by the team manager

Additional Job Details:

REQUIREMENTS

Education Level

University degree in Translation/Applied Languages/Linguistic Studies or equivalent combination of education and experience (University degree in other fields plus 2 years of full time experience in translation; OR 5 years of full time professional experience in translating)

Experience and Skills

  • Fluent in English, both written and spoken
  • Native fluency in Japanese language
  • 8+ years of relevant experience in translation/localization/editing or content writing
  • 5+ years of review experience
  • Thorough understanding of the localization process
  • Excellent knowledge of terminology used various subject matters
  • Subject-matter expert within company for assigned content specialities, service lines and processes
  • Excellent user experience of standard CAT tools, e.g. XTM, SDL Studio and issue tracking and query management tools, e.g. JIRA
  • Ability to learn new localization tools and applications quickly
  • Excellent user experience of standard software, such as Windows and Office applications
  • Ability to give clear, concise and constructive feedback
  • Ability to coordinate internal and external translators
  • Excellent interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills
  • Ability and willingness to train/teach others and pass on knowledge.
  • Ability to work with tight deadlines
  • Excellent problem solving skills
  • Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, linguists
  • Ability, willingness and experience in communicating with customers at various levels
  • Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists
  • Ability to work in a virtual team

Compensation

Additional Information

Apply now >

This job listing has been manually reviewed by the Jobicy Trust & Safety Team for compliance with our posting guidelines, including verification of the company's legitimacy, accuracy of job details, clarity of remote work policy, and absence of misleading or fraudulent content.

Role DNA

A quick view of the complexity, pace, ownership and collaboration implied by the job description.

Job Complexity

5/5
EasyHard

Pace & Pressure

4/5
RelaxedFast-paced

Autonomy Level

5/5
GuidedFull ownership

Communication Load

5/5
IndependentCollaborative
AI insightThis is a senior quality and delivery ownership role requiring deep Japanese localization expertise, extensive review experience, and command of CAT, terminology, and issue-management systems. The position combines hands-on linguistic work with vendor coordination, client communication, training, and KPI accountability.

Salary analysis

Estimated compensation compared with the broader US market for similar roles.

Estimated job median (per year)Highly competitive
$100,000
US market range (per year)$85k–$115k
AI insightThe yearly pay period is inferred from the job context; it was not explicitly stated by the employer. No employer salary was disclosed. The annual cadence and USD market estimate are inferred for a senior full-time localization linguist role; estimates are not verified compensation research.

Core skills

Skills and capabilities most closely associated with this opportunity.

Sample interview questions
How do you maintain consistency across Japanese translations completed by multiple linguists and vendors?

I establish and maintain approved glossaries, style guides, translation memories, and documented work instructions. I also conduct regular reviews, address recurring issues through feedback, and use query logs to ensure decisions are visible and consistently applied.

Describe how you handle a terminology dispute when the source context is ambiguous.

I first review the surrounding content, account instructions, existing terminology resources, and prior client decisions. If ambiguity remains, I document clear options with rationale, raise a focused query to the appropriate stakeholder, and update the glossary once a decision is confirmed.

What quality checks do you perform when reviewing a Japanese localization delivery?

I check semantic accuracy, terminology, grammar, naturalness, tone, formatting, tags, numbers, locale conventions, and compliance with the style guide. I prioritize errors by severity and identify root causes so feedback improves future work rather than only correcting the current delivery.

How would you train a new Japanese freelance linguist for a specialized account?

I would provide account-specific reference materials, explain the content domain and quality expectations, and assign a controlled qualification task. After reviewing it, I would give actionable examples of required improvements, answer questions, and monitor early deliveries before expanding the linguist's scope.

How do you meet tight deadlines without compromising linguistic quality?

I assess scope and risks early, clarify requirements promptly, and break work into prioritized checkpoints. I use translation memories and terminology resources efficiently, reserve time for targeted QA, and communicate capacity or source-content risks early so the team can make informed delivery decisions.

This analysis is generated from the job description. Salary estimates, role characteristics and sample answers are guidance, not employer-provided facts.
Next step

Apply now.

Follow the employer’s application method and review Jobicy’s safety guidance before sharing personal information.

Did you apply?Let us know, and we’ll help you track your application.

Continue on the employer website

Protect your personal information and never pay to secure an interview or job offer. .

Log in to save
One quick step before you apply

Sign in to continue.

Sign in or create a free account to continue to the employer's application.

Add alert
Jobs Talent AI Tools Salaries
Menu