Help create a more natural way to learn Japanese and Korean.
Remote
Paid
2-4 hours per week
Work when it suits you
Shapes is an app for learning Japanese and Korean, but it's not like other apps, textbooks or language courses. It takes a different approach.
People learn more effectively and speak more naturally when they can choose to learn what is relevant to their life, through small, natural sentence patterns, rather than complicated grammar breakdowns, repetitive memorization and word lists.
This is also how every child learns to speak: through who is around them, what they want and need to say, repeated naturally, all without a single grammar lesson.
This is how Shapes works.
The Role
The work is practical and varied:
Create short, clear, useful phrases and lessons for Japanese or Korean learners
Review lessons to make sure the language feels natural and accurate
Build and maintain the app dictionary for words used in lessons, making sure meanings are simple and accurate
Test lessons to see if they could also help Japanese or Korean speakers learn English
Bring your language instinct, cultural understanding and teaching judgment to the work
Give feedback on the lesson creation tools and the learning app — what they're like to use, what works and what doesn't
Be open to learning new things, including grammatical concepts, linguistic terminology and technical processes. You don't need to know these upfront; they come through the work
Some of this is structured creation work, and some is careful validation and review. What matters most is the judgment behind every word, phrase and lesson.
At its core, language learning isn't just about grammar and vocabulary. It's about being able to make real connections: friendships, conversations, and moments that wouldn't exist without a shared language. That's what you'll help people do.
The Fit
Who we are looking for:
You are fluent in Japanese and English or Korean and English.
You care about sharing language in a clear, helpful way.
You notice the small things: the difference between something that's correct and something that feels natural
You are comfortable working both independently and collaboratively, sharing ideas, asking questions and giving honest feedback
You don't need formal teaching or linguistics experience. We're looking for someone who wants to help people learn language in a thoughtful, practical way.
The Application
No resumé or cover letter needed. The first step is to just tell us about yourself.