We're super excited to welcome Josh to The International Bunch who joins us as one of our new in-house copywriters. We caught up with Josh in his first week to chat about his experiences.
Do you want to start off by telling our readers a bit about yourself and your professional background?
Language is love; language is life. It’s something that always fascinated me growing up. At school, I always found myself submerged in the wonderful world of English language and literature. That goes for foreign languages, too, as a matter of fact. While most in my class dreaded the thought of sitting in another hour-long French or German lesson, I was ecstatic. I loved foreign languages so much that I even picked up an after-school Japanese class. Fast forward a decade later, and I earned myself a degree in BA Japanese from SOAS, the University of London in 2017.
I knew during school that I always wanted to be a translator (not to be confused with an interpreter!). The ability to convey an idea from one manmade writing system into another just blew my mind. During my year abroad in Tokyo (2015-2016) as part of my degree, I worked three different part-time jobs in English/Japanese translation, including for Tokyo University of Foreign Studies where I was based, as well as two prominent Japanese entertainment and talent agencies where I had the opportunity to translate for many high-profile names in the country’s music and fashion industries. One of these jobs turned full time after I graduated where I worked remotely at the company from the UK for over five years. It was in this position that I really began to hone my writing skills by creating localized translations and copy.
Whether it’s translation, localization, penning a novel, or copywriting, they all have one thing in common: they’re rooted in writing and storytelling. Writing is an art and one that’s built for adapting. We have 26 letters in English at our disposal to arrange in an infinite amount of ways to convey any amount of ideas. It’s a linguistic jigsaw puzzle that, if arranged correctly, can materialize images and elicit emotions in others we share it with.
I find writing copy is like writing poetry. Just how a poet’s goal is to capture thoughts, feelings, and scenes in a succinct series of lines that offers readers a window into their mind, a copywriter’s job is to craft clear and concise text that gives customers, or potential customers, insight into a brand which, if done right, will have them coming back for more.
What excites you the most about your move to The International Bunch?
I was excited to join a brand new team and see new faces, as well as level up my copywriting skills and learn more about the marketing, scholarly communications and information industry. Even before I joined The International Bunch, I had the impression that they were a team of professionals who genuinely cared about their craft. And I was right! Everyone has been so warm, welcoming, and friendly, and I look forward to learning lots from them during my stay.
Finally, outside of your working life, how do you like to spend your time?
My main hobbies are writing, gaming, and music. I love writing stories, worldbuilding, and creating original characters. I enjoy writing poems, especially ones rooted in nature, fantasy, and horror. Two of my biggest inspirations are Keats and H.P. Lovecraft.
I’m still a big kid on the inside so video games are a passion of mine too. Like a good book, I love nothing more than getting immersed in the breathtaking worlds and stories found in games. It serves as inspiration for my writing too.
I absolutely love music and going to concerts as well - of all genres. Whether it’s zoning out to hip hop or lo-fi beats, headbanging to metal, questioning my existence to Radiohead, or jumping up and down to Ariana Grande.
Want to learn more about Josh? Check out Josh's LinkedIn profile.
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