Localization QA Specialist

About Mantra

We're the creators of Mantra Engine, a cloud-based manga localization platform for enterprise clients. In addition to our SaaS platform, we also offer end-to-end localization services for publishers, manga distributors, and entertainment companies.

Examples of our translation initiatives include:

• Simultaneous Japanese-English serialization support for The Ancient Magus’ Bride using Mantra Engine
• Multilingual same-day manga distribution support for Shueisha titles

While manga and comics are currently our core focus, we are actively expanding into broader entertainment domains including video games, light novels, and video content.

As demand for our localization services continues to grow rapidly, we are seeking a Localization QA Specialist to help strengthen our localization pipeline and ensure high-quality localized content across projects.

Role Overview

This position is primarily responsible for ensuring localization quality across projects, rather than managing project schedules or delivery.

You will work closely with business team members, translators, reviewers, and other stakeholders, leveraging workflows supported by our proprietary technology. You will be responsible for maintaining and continuously improving localization quality across entertainment projects while ensuring alignment with established standards, guidelines, and project requirements.

Responsibilities

• Perform translation quality assurance (QA), quality control, and final reviews of Japanese-to-English localized content
• Establish and improve quality standards, review criteria, and evaluation metrics
• Review translations for mistranslations, omissions, stylistic inconsistencies, and localization/cultural adaptation issues
• Organize feedback and provide actionable guidance to translators and reviewers
• Evaluate translation quality and provide actionable feedback to improve localization outcomes across projects
• Propose workflow improvements from a QA and quality optimization perspective

Note: Some project coordination responsibilities may be included, but the primary focus of this role is quality ownership and assurance.

Qualifications

• Native-level English proficiency
• Japanese proficiency equivalent to JLPT N1 or higher, with strong reading comprehension and nuance understanding
• 3+ years of experience in translation QA, localization QA, or related quality-review roles within Japanese entertainment, including manga, light novels, video games, or anime.
• Ability to maintain high quality standards while meeting deadlines
• Strong understanding of quality expectations for commercial content in publishing, gaming, or entertainment industries
• Must live within Tokyo and be able to commute and work on-site at our Iidabashi office

Preferred Skills

• Experience creating glossaries and style guides
• Experience providing feedback to multiple translators
• Experience managing quality assurance for B2B localization projects

Ideal Candidate

We are looking for someone who:

• Continuously learns and adapts to new technologies and workflows
• Can collaborate effectively with Mantra staff, freelance translators, and reviewers to achieve the best localization outcomes
• Defines quality using clear, repeatable standards rather than intuition alone
• Elevates team-wide quality through constructive feedback and communication
• Works effectively within established workflows while contributing thoughtful process improvements
• Communicates decisions, feedback, and rationale clearly and transparently
• Enjoys the intersection of human creativity, Japanese entertainment localization, and our proprietary technology

Compensation & Benefits

Salary: ¥3.6M – ¥6M annual salary (includes fixed overtime allowance equivalent to 45 hours/month)

Employment Type: Contract Employee

Working Hours: Flexible working hours (flextime system)

Holidays & Leave: Two days off per week, Japanese national holidays, New Year holidays, paid leave, bereavement leave, etc.

Location: Mantra Office (Koraku, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo) / Hybrid remote work available

Benefits: Health insurance, pension, employment insurance, commuting allowance, parental leave system, company laptop provided

Hiring Process

1. Document Screening (Resume / CV / Portfolio)
2. Translation & QA Assessment
3. Approximately 3 Interview Rounds
4. Final Offer & Compensation Discussion

More about Mantra

Mantra is a startup focused on transforming global entertainment localization through both human creativity and our proprietary technology. We work with major Japanese publishers and entertainment companies to help bring manga, light novels, video games, anime-related content, and other media to audiences worldwide.