Sports SME Linguist Role - Grow in NLP Localization in Columbus
Career & Market Insight
This role sits at the intersection of sports domain expertise, linguistics, and AI/NLP data services — a niche that is growing rapidly as sports media platforms and machine learning companies expand globally. Building experience in MTPE (Machine Translation Post-Editing) is particularly valuable, as it is an increasingly in-demand skill in the localization industry.
Career development highlights:
- Exposure to NLP training data pipelines at a company that serves major tech clients — a résumé differentiator
- Develops specialized skills in sports localization, a niche with limited competition and strong demand from streaming and fantasy sports platforms
- Portfolio-building opportunity: work may be attributable or usable as samples for sports journalism or localization freelance pitches
Compensation context: No salary is listed, which is typical for freelance/contractor linguistic roles. Market rates for Ukrainian-language MTPE and localization typically range from $0.03–$0.08 per word, or $15–$30/hour depending on specialization. Sports SME roles can command a slight premium. Treat this as a supplementary income or portfolio-building engagement rather than a primary salary replacement unless volume is confirmed.
Green flags: Welocalize is a well-established global LSP (Language Service Provider) with a strong reputation — good for your CV. Watch for: lack of salary transparency and project-based nature suggest variable income; clarify volume expectations before committing.
As a trusted global transformation partner, Welocalize accelerates the global business journey by enabling brands and companies to reach, engage, and grow international audiences. Welocalize delivers multilingual content transformation services in translation, localization, and adaptation for over 250 languages with a growing network of over 400,000 in-country linguistic resources.
Driving innovation in language services, Welocalize delivers high-quality training data transformation solutions for NLP-enabled machine learning by blending technology and human intelligence to collect, annotate, and evaluate all content types. Our team works across locations in North America, Europe, and Asia serving our global clients in the markets that matter to them. www.welocalize.com
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Main Purpose of the Job
Welocalize is seeking passionate and culturally fluent Sports Subject Matter Experts specialized in football with exceptional writing skills to join our localization team. You'll review, localize, fact check, translate, and adapt football-related content so it resonates with audiences in your market.
Project Details:
- Language Pair: English (US) > Ukrainian (Ukraine)
- Task Type: Quality Control, Translation, Copy Edit, MTPE
- Assessment: Grammar + SME knowledge
Main Duties
- Review, localize, fact check, translate, and adapt sports-related content, mainly football, while adhering to writing style guides and guidelines
- Conduct market-specific research on local content, product and terminology trends, and best localization practices for the target audience in your market
- Provide feedback on written content
Required Skills
- BS/BA and/or 2+ years of work experience in the linguistic field, sports journalism, copywriting, or copy-editing
- Extensive sports knowledge, mainly football
- Experience in translation and localization of multimedia content, preferably also machine translations and evaluations
- Native-level fluency in the target language (Ukrainian)
- Excellent grammar and writing skills in the native language
- Strong creative writing, proofreading, and editing skills in the native language
- Tech savvy: strong practical knowledge of computers and mobile devices, word processors, and spreadsheets
- Owning a licensed version of MS Office apps
- Ability to work independently and remotely
Bonus If You Have:
- Published work on platforms like ESPN, The Athletic, FourFourTwo, or similar
- Experience working with sports media platforms, live score apps, or sports streaming services
- A flair for adapting voice and style to Gen Z, football fan culture, and pop culture audiences
After your application is reviewed, shortlisted candidates will be contacted by our team to complete the application process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this a fully remote position with no location restrictions?
Is this a freelance/contractor role or a full-time employment position?
What language pair is required for this role?
What is the assessment process for this role?
Do I need prior sports journalism experience to apply?
