2024 had a rocky start as this was the first year that I began working fully freelance. I found that the main skills in demand from me were translation and English language copywriting and have been leaning into that. However, I did also have the chance to do a little design and video editing. Below are a selection of clients which I was lucky enough to work with in 2024.
Japan Market Entry Company YOUNEEDS Co., Ltd.
YOUNEEDS Co., Ltd. is a Japan market entry company which assists foreign companies in entering the Japanese market. Founded in 2020, the company assists foreign businesses through providing targeted lists of possible partners, localizing their content and advising on adapting their offering for the Japanese market.
I worked with YOUNEEDS Co., Ltd. as a Staff Writer for their blog. I also helped out interpreting in meetings with clients, writing marketing copy and even filming and editing video for social media. One highlight of working together was helping to welcome two Australian interns, Chloe and Cailym, in the Autumn of 2024. This allowed for interesting cultural experiences, including attending French Fashion Days at the Embassy of France in Tokyo.
With many in-person events, trade shows, online meetings and interesting projects to take part in, this has been a very fun and rewarding partnership. I am looking forward to more to come with YOUNEEDS Co., Ltd. in 2025.
Mantra Inc.
I worked to translate and proofread light novels for Mantra Inc. in the Autumn of 2024. Mantra is primarily a tech company which is looking to speed up the translation process for manga, novels and other works of fantasy. This was a fun assignment, as light novels often have rather over the top and unexpected plot lines. However, the high word count, tight deadlines and sprawling nature of the novels made light novel translation rather intense.
Japan Times Agency
I have been lucky enough to begin working with the Japan Times Agency, an advertising agency under The Japan Times. The work mainly covers ‘advertorial’, whereby sponsors request content which is created based on events or products that the client manages. Due to the nature of the work, unfortunately it is not possible to be credited by name for the content created. The writing, however, is assiduous and involves several rounds of fact checking. Working with an editor has been an insightful experience and I have enjoyed writing the articles requested so far.
SPUR (Shueisha)
SPUR is a fashion magazine run by the large Japanese publisher, Shueisha. The magazine focuses on the latest trends and pop culture, with a fun, preppy vibe. I attended a shoot as Interpreter and also assisted with some post-editing to ensure accuracy of the interpreted interview. This was an unusual assignment for me, as my work normally revolves around translation and writing, rather than interpreting. However, getting to be part of a shoot filled with other creatives was great fun, and the experience opened my eyes to the demand for interpreting as a skill.
50 Watts Books
I was once again lucky enough to work with Philadelphia-based publisher of the wonderful and the bizarre, 50 Watts Books. This year, I was thrilled at the publication of I Am A Wolf by Maki Sasaki, which I translated. Published originally by Fukuinkan-Shoten in 1973, the book has a darkly humorous style and was great fun to work on.
I also assisted in researching two collections of retro illustrations, The Frogs and The Insects (upcoming), from 50 Watts’ Anthropomorphic Japan series. For this work, I enjoyed visiting the National Diet Library of Japan and pouring through digitized magazines and periodicals. These projects were heavy learning curves for me, as it was the first time I had needed to read older, non-typical kanji for work. However, I learned a lot and feel very happy to have been part of these projects.
All in all, 2024 was a year for finding my feet. I am proud of managing to navigate the Japanese tax system, as this had always been taken care of by my company when I worked in house. I hope to build on the base created in 2024 and look to brighter and better things in 2025, while continuing to improve and expand my skills.
