Our mission is to reinvent the way people learn, starting with language.
Learning a language can change a life by opening doors to new cultures, careers, and communities. Two billion people around the world are actively trying to learn a language, but the best way to learn (one-on-one tutoring) is hard to access at scale and hasn’t been meaningfully improved in decades. Speak is building a human-level, AI-powered tutor in your pocket: a conversation-first experience that lets learners actually speak, get instant feedback, and progress through carefully designed lessons. The result is a complete path from beginner to confident speaker across multiple languages.
Speak first launched in South Korea in 2019, where Speak has now become the number one language learning app, and we now serve learners across many markets and 15+ languages. Speak is one of the world’s leading AI companies, with over $150m raised in venture investment from OpenAI, Accel, Founders Fund, Khosla Ventures, and more, with a distributed team across San Francisco, Seoul, Tokyo, Taipei, and Ljubljana.
About this roleWe are looking for a talented multilingual superstar (Japanese/Korean/English) with skills and backgrounds in translation and localization. The primary contribution is to localize our in-app content for the Japanese market. The secondary contribution is to create high-quality Korean content for the Japanese market with training and support.
We want an expert with excellent oral and written communication skills in both languages. This candidate should have a sharp linguistic understanding of both Korean and Japanese, with working professional proficiency in English.
Content translation and localization
Perform Japanese -Korean translation and localization for in-app learning and marketing content from a pedagogical perspective.
Iterate and polish the translated/localized content based on QA tasks in pursuit of an optimal learning experience to Koreans learners teaching Chinese
Content development and writing
If needed, design and write in-app learning materials (e.g., lesson scripts, activities, vocabulary lists) in a systematic way for Korean learners at different levels of Simplified Chinese proficiency under training and guidance of the manager.
Content project support
If needed, support operation of content-related projects, such as uploading scripts, QAing lessons, coordinate pieces of the operation under training and guidance of the manager.
Communication and collaboration with international team members
Receive directions well form the manager, implement instructions, complete projects, and maintain clear communication from end-to-end.
Required
Native Japanese and native or near-native Korean writing and speaking skills
Deep understanding of both languages and the status quo of Korean learning in Japanese
Demonstrated experience and expertise in Japanese-Korean translation and localization
Experience in Korean teaching, language pedagogy, or curriculum design
Great attention to detail with a strong sense of ownership and agency
Passion for technology-assisted language learning and willingness to learn and use advanced technologies for work
Working proficiency in English
A fast learner, team player, skilled communicator, and creative problem-solver
Preferred
Experience working in educational technology (EdTech)
Experience using AI tools (e.g., LLMs, generators, internal tools) to create instructionally sound, pedagogically aligned, and scalable learning materials
While we respect contractors’ flexibility and ownership of their own schedule, we expect the localizer / writer to work for 15 – 20 hours a week on average. It is highly likely that more than 20 hours a week is appreciated, depending on the workload and the availability. We completely understand that availability may fluctuate and we also respect contractors’ request to take time off. But we also expect a somewhat regular work schedule or hours in most occasions. All in all, maintaining clear communication with the manager is certainly expected.
Why work at SpeakJoin a fantastic, tight-knit team at the right time: we're growing very quickly, we've most recently raised our Series C from some of the top investors in the valley, and we've achieved product-market fit in our initial markets. You'd join at a magical time when a single person could significantly change the course of the company.
Do your life's work with people you’ll love working with: we care strongly about our craft and want every person at Speak to feel like they're growing every day. We believe in the idea that working with people you both enjoy and have respect for makes everything better. We hire thoughtfully and only work with people we admire deeply.
Global in nature: We're live in over 40 countries and launching in a number of new markets soon. We have dedicated offices in San Francisco, Ljubljana, Seoul, Tokyo, and Taipei, and you’ll have the opportunity to talk to users in each of these regions on a regular basis as well as travel.
Impact people's lives in a major way: Learning a language is one of the single most life-changing skills one can learn, and right now 99% of people never achieve their goal because the process is broken. We’re helping millions of people achieve their goals and improve their lives.
Speak does not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.