Come be a part of our mission and make a meaningful and positive impact with the industry leading provider of language services for the Deaf and hard-of-hearing!
Full time Benefits
- Paid Vacation Time and Paid Sick Time and Paid Holidays
- 401k 6% match with immediate vesting
- Nationwide Medical Insurance plans and coverage (Medical, Dental/Orthodontia, Vision)
- TeleDoc
- HSA company match
- 3 Medical plan options including a Low Deductible PPO Medical Plan Offering
- Employee Assistance Program
- Engaged Employee Resource Groups
- Outstanding Learning and Career Development Opportunities
Pay Range: Actual pay may vary up or down depending on job-related factors which may include knowledge, skills, experience, and location. In addition, this position may be eligible for incentive compensation.
* Applicants must be legally eligible to work in the United States to be considered. Visa sponsorship is not available for this role *
Job Summary
The ASL Linguist is a native ASL professional who applies deep linguistic and cultural expertise to produce high-quality sign language data for AI/ML applications. The Linguist develops and maintains dictionary content, creates and validates annotation standards, reviews generated avatar output, evaluates linguistic quality across datasets, and collaborates with engineering, research, and product teams to ensure ASL representations are accurate, natural, and culturally appropriate. The role requires strong ASL linguistic judgment, comfort with annotation tools, and the ability to work independently while collaborating closely with other AI/ML developers. Professional will serve as a senior linguistic subject-matter expert, contributing to the development of internal grammar models and language technology infrastructure that power Sorenson's AI-generated sign language products.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
- Maintain and expand Sorenson's ASL sign dictionary — author new entries, review and update existing entries, document regional and register variants, and resolve disputed entries with the Lead and engineering stakeholders.
- Develop and refine internal linguistic frameworks and grammar modeling standards used to ensure consistent, grammatically accurate AI-generated ASL output across diverse signing contexts.
- Design and oversee complex annotation tasks assigned to external contractors, establishing clear linguistic specifications and conducting rigorous quality reviews to ensure data integrity.
- Conduct discourse-level and cross-utterance linguistic analysis to identify patterns in natural signing flow, inform grammar model development, and resolve systemic annotation gaps.
- Partner with AI/ML engineering teams to clarify linguistic requirements for training data, review model outputs for linguistic accuracy, and provide feedback on edge cases.
- Review text-to-sign avatar output for ASL grammatical accuracy, naturalness, and cultural appropriateness; Document findings, categorize linguistic errors, recommend remediation strategies, and contribute to model evaluation standards.
- Lead weekly linguistic calibration sessions; own gloss and classifier convention documentation and decision logs.
- Mentor Sign Language Specialists during cross-functional rotations.
- Maintain accurate records of annotation work, decisions, and edge cases in team tooling and documentation systems.
Travel Requirements
Travel Requirements: 5%
Education
Minimum/Preferred Education Description
Minimum Bachelors Degree[KL1.1] In ASL Linguistics, Deaf Studies, ASL Studies, Interpreting, Deaf Education, or related fields.
Experience
Minimum Years of Experience Description
3+ years of substantive professional ASL work (annotation, linguistics, interpreting, Deaf education, or comparable).
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
Required
- Bilingual in ASL in English, with the ability to produce and quality-assure professional English transcriptions from ASL source content.
- Deep working knowledge of ASL linguistics — gloss conventions, non-manual markers, classifier predicates, role shift, and ASL grammar.
- Knowledge of lexicography, corpus linguistics, and sign language dictionary construction methodology.
- Active and informed participant in the Deaf community, with awareness of regional and generational ASL variation.
- Experience producing or annotating ASL content for instructional, research, interpreting, or media purposes.
- Strong written English for documentation, task specifications, and cross-team collaboration.
- Comfortable working with computer-based annotation tools and learning new software.
- Attention to detail, consistency, and a willingness to follow and improve standardized conventions.
- Ability to work both independently and collaboratively with peer Specialists, the Lead, and engineering teams.
Preferred
- American Sign Language as a primary or native language.
- Master's degree in ASL Linguistics, Linguistics, Deaf Studies, Interpreting, Deaf Education, or a related field.
- Prior experience with annotation tools such as ELAN, CVAT, or comparable platforms.
- Experience working with AI/ML teams, technology companies, or research groups that produce sign language data.
- Experience reviewing or evaluating signed avatars, animations, or generated ASL content.
- Experience writing or reviewing annotation guidelines, style guides, or convention documentation.
- Familiarity with sign language corpora, lexicography, or dictionary projects.
- Experience mentoring or training other annotators or linguists.
- Familiarity with PSE, SEE, and other North American signing varieties.
Company Summary
Our Mission…Harnessing the power of language, we connect diverse people and enrich the human experience.
Our Vision…To provide global language services that expand opportunities, nurture belonging, and empower the world to connect beyond words.
As one of the world’s leading language services providers, Sorenson combines patented technology with human-centric solutions. We strive to increase accessibility and inclusion through communication solutions for all: call captioning and video relay services, over-video and in-person sign language and spoken language interpreting, translation, real-time captioning, and post-production language services. Sorenson’s impact vision and plan extends to enhancing generational wealth and inclusive workplaces for our employees and the communities we serve.
We achieve great things together working “The Sorenson Way” with our employee values: Customer First, Can-Do Attitude, Collective Action, Growth Mindset, Ownership, and Connect Direct.
Equal Employment Opportunity:
Sorenson Communications is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer.
Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights (https://www.eeoc.gov/poster) notice from the Department of Labor.
