Expert Audio Transcriber, UAE Arabic (Emirati)

Perle; United Arab Emirates; Hybrid; AED 111,600 - 167,400; Full time

Job summary

Perle is looking for a transcriptionist fluent in Emirati Arabic to transcribe audio recordings accurately. The ideal candidate will have at least two years of transcription experience, a strong command of Modern Standard Arabic, and familiarity with Gulf dialects. This role offers flexible scheduling and a direct relationship with Perle's QA team. Successful candidates will engage in pilot tasks and receive per-task compensation, allowing adaptation to audio complexity and project needs.

Qualifications

• Native fluency in Emirati Arabic with residence or extensive immersion in UAE.
• Strong command of Modern Standard Arabic for dialectal speech representation.
• Ability to transcribe natural Arabic-English code-switching common in Emirati speech.

Responsibilities

• Transcribe audio recordings into accurate written text according to specific style guides.
• Apply conventions for speaker identification and disfluencies.
• Self-review submissions against the quality bar before delivery.

Skills

Native fluency in Emirati Arabic

Strong command of Modern Standard Arabic

Familiarity with regional variation

Comfortable transcribing Arabic-English code-switching

At least two years of transcription experience

Accuracy under deadline pressure

Comfortable with web-based annotation platforms

Reliable high-speed internet

Ability to commit to defined volume

Job description

ABOUT PERLE

Perle is an AI infrastructure company building expert-driven training data, evaluation systems, and applied AI products for the world's leading labs and enterprises. Our partners include xAI, Samsung, ELM, and Unisys. Headquartered in San Francisco with experts across more than forty markets, we specialize in the work that requires real human judgment: domain expertise, linguistic nuance, and cultural fidelity that generic data vendors cannot deliver.

DIALECT AND SCOPE

Emirati Arabic (Khaleeji), spoken across the seven emirates with distinctive Gulf vocabulary, phonology, and intonation. Project audio reflects authentic Emirati speech patterns including older generational forms, Bedouin influences, and code-switching with English and Modern Standard Arabic.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

• Transcribe audio recordings into accurate, time-aligned written text following Perle's project-specific style guide
• Apply correct conventions for speaker identification, overlapping speech, disfluencies, fillers, false starts, and non-speech events such as laughter, background noise, and music
• Make principled orthographic decisions for dialectal, colloquial, and code-switched speech
• Flag ambiguous segments, uncertain speakers, and audio quality issues using project conventions
• Self-review every submission against Perle's quality bar before delivery
• Engage with QA reviewers on edge cases, calibration sessions, and style guide updates

MUST HAVE

• Native fluency in Emirati Arabic with residence or extensive immersion in the UAE
• Strong command of Modern Standard Arabic for orthographic representation of dialectal speech
• Familiarity with regional variation across the seven emirates and adjacent Gulf dialects
• Comfortable transcribing the natural Arabic-English code-switching common in Emirati daily speech
• At least two years of professional transcription, captioning, court reporting, broadcast, translation, or linguistic annotation experience
• Demonstrated accuracy at the word level under deadline pressure
• Comfortable with web-based annotation platforms and variable-speed audio playback
• Reliable high-speed internet, quality headphones, and a quiet workspace
• Ability to commit to defined volume per week during active project phases

NICE TO HAVE

• Background in Gulf Arabic linguistics, media, education, or government translation
• Prior experience annotating Khaleeji or pan-Gulf speech data
• Familiarity with Arabic NLP conventions and dialectal orthography standards
• Familiarity with IPA or other phonetic transcription systems
• Experience with verbatim versus clean-verbatim transcription conventions

HOW WE WORK WITH YOU

• Paid pilot task before full onboarding so both sides can calibrate
• Per-task or per-minute compensation, with rates tied to audio complexity and turnaround
• Flexible scheduling, with volume scaling up and down based on active client projects
• Direct working relationship with Perle's linguistic leads and QA team
• Eligible for invitation to additional Perle expert projects across related domains