Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Kiarell]

has anyone heard this word before..."Copywriter"?

My co-teacher showed me how I was wrong when I told a student that copywriter was a Konglish word. I thought at first "someone who works at the registry and files copyrights?" then the student wrote the word "copywriter". I thought she meant a photocopier, or maybe a scribe, someone who writes copies.

But apparently, it means someone who writes "copy" not copies of something. It's some bull crap marketing job. You know, the slimeballs who say "We love to make you smile!" I was thinking of graphic desiogner, advertising exec, and "some guy in marketing". But apparently there was a wiki entry on copywriter though no such word for "to copywrite" exists.

Am I crazy? I've never heard this before. My co-eacher says everyone learns this word in high school.

[TeeBee]

Yes, this is term commonly used to describe people working as writers in the advertising industry. Copywriters generally write the words to adverts. "Copy" is also a word often used in journalism, as in to write newspaper or magazine copy.

I'm sure there are plenty of former/aspirant copywriters working in Korea as English teachers

BUt, I've never seen it used as "to copywrite". You write copy, you don't copywrite.

[Kiarell]

I feel stupid. So it's some industry term or jargon. Well, I read a lot of journalism, and a lot of studies on journalism and the media, but I've never learned the writing process of journalism or editing or print. So does "copy" all by itself (no "a" or final "ies") mean whatever goes into print or into advertisements?

[Clemmens]

"Copy" is pretty much any form of the printed word, though a copywriter is usually associated with marketing/advertising/PR. Pretty much what's been said already by the other dude. Just wanted to make myself seem smarter than you, even if only for a brief moment. God I hate myself...

[TeeBee]

Well, if you haven't been exposed to the industry then you probably won't know the terminology.

Basically a journalist or copywriter writes copy (singular and plural form), which usually goes through some editing process and then gets published in a newspaper/magazine/website. So, yes, basically any written material intended for print is copy.

From a quick online dictionary source:

Copy (noun)
- written matter intended to be reproduced in printed form: The editor sent the copy for the next issue to the printer.
- the text of a news story, advertisement, television commercial, etc., as distinguished from related visual material.