If I had to pick the most harmful quote in copywriting, it would be this one:

“Poetry is what gets lost in translation.” – Robert Frost

Because, let’s be honest: Frost is talking about poems, not product detail pages.

What usually gets “lost” in translating a poem is the specific relationship between one word and another.

But copy does not trade in words. It trades in outcomes.

The day‑to‑day reality for international copywriters is not lyrical loss but messaging mismatch:

  • Obvious translations of English copy that do not quite sit right with German, Dutch, Romanian or Spanish buyers.
  • AI-generated slop that follows “global” blueprints, trained on content with a North American bias.
  • Emails that contain the dreaded phrase: We’ve had negative feedback from our team in [country]. Could you please help us “fluff this up” a bit in [language]?

So, this is not an article about translating English copy at all, but about learning a rigorous system in one place and applying it, intact, in your own language and market.

And that rigorous system is taught in Copy School.

That’s why I’d keep my Copy School subscription, even if I never wrote a word of English copy again.

Heck, I actively recommend it to all my non-English copywriting peers in Europe and beyond.

If you’re an international copywriter, Copy School is the smartest investment you can make this year

In this article, five international copywriters, including me, explain how investing in Copy School has paid off for us.

You’ll get insights on how we use the research and decision frameworks taught in Copy School in our own languages to ship copy that fits our clients’ culture and moves KPIs without sounding “too American.”

The first rule of Copy School: strategy beats style

It’s easy to worry that English‑first training will make you sound too “salesy,” or that the frameworks taught in Copy School will not land with your clients.

In fact, I used to have the same concerns.

But when I applied what I learned in a German-language project, I quickly found that Copy School’s durable value is strategic judgment: research, message structure, psychology.

And the good news is, strategy transfers.

Because it’s based on scientific studies and the research you conduct with your own audience.

Nicole König has over 20 years of experience as a copywriter. She points to a welcome side effect of writing strategically:

“Copy School will speed up your writing process”

“Joanna speaks English, but her teachings are universal.

For 20+ years, I’ve been writing copy in German and English.

Diving into Copy School is like getting a brand-new pair of glasses: Both my German and English output are sharper and bolder with less time from idea to draft to publication.”

– Nicole König (Copywriter, sustainable marketing expert and founder of Ecoquent)

So, if you feel uneasy about getting trained by an English-language copywriter, remember you’re not buying phrases.

As long as your English is good enough to understand this article, you’re bound to build your strategic muscle with:

  • Research you can run in your market. Voice-of-Customer interviews, surveys, review mining and competitor audits work in Detroit, Düsseldorf, Delft and Deva.
  • Evidence‑based frameworks that leave plenty of room for your culture. The psychology of risk‑reversal, value stacking, objection handling and specificity applies in every language.
  • Website and email architecture that clarifies what usually goes where and why – and can speed up your creative process. Building blocks like Proof Bars, The Switch, or the P.S. are universal.

“But will it feel too American in my market?”

TL;DR: Not if you do the research. 

Copy School helped me see that culturally sensitive copy is more than just a “vibe” or an aesthetic.

It’s really based on evidence, and even the right tone is steeped in the Voice of the Customer.

Once you know how to plan, run, and analyse your own research, a lot of choices fall into place – from trusted proof sources to the right level of directness in asking for the sale.

German audiences are known to be much more matter-of-fact than North American ones. Adopting an overly sales-y tone can destroy your brand.

Nevertheless, German email copywriter Nils Kersten says he saw huge benefits from the craftsmanship he learned in Copy School:

“Copy School teaches email writing as a solid craft”

“English isn’t my native language. And my email copywriting business is 100% in German. So, I was skeptical at first about whether Copy School was right for me.

Spoiler alert: It’s the perfect fit.

Because it’s less about language and much more about solid research, proven strategies, and ways to connect all the dots – then get it onto the page with a clear goal.”

– Nils Kersten, German eCommerce email copywriter

Here are just a few examples of how I’ve adapted what I learned in Copy School:

  • No chest‑beating or overly bold promises. When an audience prefers implicit claims, I use demo videos or let third‑party endorsements speak for the brand. Calculators and case study snippets can be a good alternative for guarantees, which can raise eyebrows in the German market.
  • Choosing the style with our goal in mind. The style taught in Copy School is usually conversational. This can feel overfamiliar to some audiences; sometimes formality builds trust. In those cases, I keep the formal German pronoun “Sie” and cut the slang. But I keep the structure and easy-to-read sentences.
  • Let tests, not taste, settle the debate. Like Nils, I will often write several subject lines in different styles – some more direct, others more inferential. A/B tests will teach us what the audience really wants.

Copy School teaches confidence even when you don’t know the answer.

I never really enjoyed chemistry lessons at school. But they taught me the importance of a testable hypothesis before switching on the Bunsen burner.

When I started out as a copywriter, the last thing I expected to re-enter my life was the almighty hypothesis.

But without a hypothesis, my work feels stale.

I love a good hypothesis framework because it grounds my experiments and makes them visible. I can tell clients exactly what we are testing with the copy and why this test is a good idea. 

That’s a huge mindset shift from the anxiety-ridden perfectionism of “I need to get this right the first time around.”

And without Copy School, I might still be stuck in that perfectionist hell-hole.

Like Nils, Sara Henßen writes exclusively in German. She agrees:

“The copy no longer depends on my instinct alone”

“Copy School has given me a real edge as a German copywriter. While most German courses focus on writing style and technique, here I’ve learned how to think strategically — using data-driven methods I can adapt for the German market.

I don’t write on instinct anymore. I write with purpose, backed by strategy and results.”

– Sara Henßen, German fundraising & accessibility copywriter

Not the scientific type? Don’t let that deter you. 

Deep down, I’m a poet.

When you say “lab,” I think “labradoodle,” not “laboratory.” But I still fell in love with hypotheses.

So much so, I’ve created a hypothesis framework for my personal life, to experiment with food, music, sleeping rhythms and such.

Bringing this back to our work life, let’s look at a practical example from the pricing page of a German-language fitness app.

My research surfaces two anxieties:

  1. Where is the health data stored and processed? (in German: “Datenspeicherung in der EU”)
  2. Are there any hidden costs? (in German: “versteckte Kosten”)

Here’s how Copy School helps me to address these anxieties:

  • I can write a headline version that directly addresses those anxieties.
  • I can add a breakdown showing all costs associated with each pricing plan, displayed line by line without hidden fees or asterisks.
  • I can add a trust row with badges people recognize (ISO‑27001, TÜV, EU servers).

Each of these points stands for a hypothesis: “If we do this, more people will sign up because they’re no longer too anxious.” These hypotheses can be tested and validated.

Without Copy School, I might not have done the research. I might have written based on assumptions. I might have guessed my way through the project.

With Copy School, I think through the project differently. And that has nothing to do with English.

If you’re worried AI will take your job, you need to upgrade the way you do your job

Our industry is feeling the squeeze: from personal emails to social media posts, blogs, and even sales pages, companies are “hiring” AI to write the copy.

The quality? So-so, to put it politely.

AI is great at remixing what exists. If your entire copywriting practice is built on creativity, AI will come for you.

But if your job is about discovering what matters and building a compelling sales argument, AI can be your ally.

It can help you comb through your Voice-of-Customer research, speed up your competitor audits or draft an outline.

This will create thinking space for you, so your copy can be both human and evidence-informed.

It’s interesting to see that some copywriters continue to thrive in the age of AI, while others are considering a career change.

My copy-based consultancy, From Scratch, has seen a surge in demand since GPT-3 came out. And I’m not alone. Henkjan Schrijver and Roxana Gramada, who write in Dutch and Romanian, are also doing well.

“To survive beyond 2025, upgrade your approach”

“Buckle up, because marketing is not in Kansas anymore. Whatever your language or country, if you want to survive as a copywriter or content marketer in 2025 and beyond, you need to upgrade your knowledge, skills and approach to clients.

While everyone drowns in beige slop, you can provide your clients with strategic copy that converts and insights that will dazzle. Copy School teaches you all of it. Subscribe yesterday.“

– Henkjan Schrijver, Dutch/English copywriter and conversion copy consultant at KNVRTED

“Copy School is the unfair advantage that pays for my living”

“Everything I have learned in Copy School has helped me deliver above and beyond with my Romanian-speaking clients. In my country, conversion copywriting principles are little known beyond the CRO agencies, and even there, their knowledge is highly selective. What I learned from Joanna Wiebe has pretty much paid for my living. It has also laid the foundation for my own body of work.

So, in that sense, getting Copy School is not only an Ivy League standard copywriting education, it’s a completely unfair advantage.”

– Roxana Gramada, positioning & messaging strategist and creator of Becoming Words

What I would tell any copywriter outside North America

Do not buy Copy School for the “money words” or the blueprints.

Buy it to train your judgment.

The frameworks teach you how to find what matters, structure an argument, and defend your decisions. Then you write in your language, matching your market’s culture and values.

Even if you never write in English, Copy School will make your work stronger, faster and more defensible. You will:

  • Find what matters with repeatable research
  • Turn findings into strategy and structure
  • Write in your language with cultural precision
  • Show clients the logic behind every recommendation
  • Keep improving with testing instead of guessing

If that is how you want to work next year, the decision is easy: Upgrade your process. Copy School is how I did it, and how Henkjan, Nicole, Nils, Roxana and Sara did it.

Get into Copy School, then bring the frameworks home to your language and your market.