2025 Urban Connections
Host Organization: Urban Connections Co., Ltd.
Website: https://urbanconnections.jp/en/
Organization Profile: We focus on providing effective communication services to our clients, serving as a bridge across the linguistic and cultural gaps that they face.
For over three decades, we have been serving Japanese and global companies, international organizations, and Japanese government entities, meeting their unique needs including but not limited to: translation, interpreting, editing, content creation, and international conference support.
Our Tokyo-based team of 30 full-time staff work in tandem with our expansive network of translators, interpreters, writers, and designers to tailor solutions to meet the communication needs of our clients across various mediums.
City: Tokyo, Japan
Internship format: In-person
Internship Department: Research & Development Group
Department Description: Actively seek out, test, and verify IT solutions to optimize how we deliver our core services (primarily translation and editorial work). Flexibly handle internal requests for client work, while also disseminating knowledge acquired and lessons learned to colleagues across the company.
Project description: Our company handles large volumes of translation, interpreting, editing, and content creation work, used by our clients for both internal and external communications. In addition, we support meetings and conferences by dispatching interpreters, summary writers, and on-site staff.
Interns would be expected to support ongoing and incoming projects that require strong writing and communication skills. Such support could include taking on editorial work including English proofreading, editing, audio transcription, and summary writing of meetings. Interns would research and utilize IT solutions and AI tools to optimize such work. There may also be opportunities for more open-ended, self-directed R&D projects if relevant to the work that we do.
Since we work across a wide range of industries, interns may be able to contribute to projects that align with their interests, and depending on their language abilities, they could have chances to support translation work. They would receive ample opportunities to grow a broad knowledge base across fields and receive constructive feedback from colleagues on their work.
Number of Opening(s): 1 or 2
Work Hours and Internship Start/End Dates: (9-6pm five days a week. Flexible start and end date)
Work Attire: Business Formal
Local Language: Japanese
Local Language level needed: Basic reading, writing, and speaking (one-year level at Stanford)
Additional desired intern qualifications: We are seeking positive and driven candidates who are curious and hungry to learn about completely novel topics and flexible to adapt to new work as the chances arise.
Higher levels of Japanese fluency (including native fluency) are not required but very welcome.
Other highly encouraged skills and competencies:
- Fluency in other non-English languages.
- Experience using LLMs and other AI tools across broad applications.
- Translation or interpreting experience (formal or informal).
- Strong interests in any of the following areas: politics, economics, diplomacy, defense, environment, finance, IT, law, manufacturing.
- Design experience (Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign).
- Video editing experience (Adobe Premiere, DaVinci Resolve, etc.)
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- Policies regarding travel (domestic or international) and international internships will be updated as University policies evolve. Visit International Affairs Health Advisories for the most current travel guidance and restrictions for international travel.
- Travel Reservations: All interns are strongly encouraged to utilize Stanford Travel, a centralized booking program, when booking airfare, hotels, or rental cars for their internship experiences. StudentUniverse is best for special student rates.
- Students must be enrolled at Stanford in the quarter when they apply for an internship opportunity (Winter), and will need to be enrolled in undergraduate study in the quarter when grant funding is disbursed (Spring). Applicants participating in off-campus Stanford programs are welcome to apply, but it is the responsibility of the applicant to compile, collate, and submit a complete application.
- Internship participants must certify that they are in good academic standing, and may not participate in the program or receive or retain internship stipends if they are on suspension.
- International students must consult with Bechtel about interning in the U.S. or traveling out of the U.S. in the summer.
- Each applicant can apply for a maximum of two program-arranged positions. If you apply for more than two positions, we will only consider the first two positions submitted. EXCEPTIONS: your application for program-arranged positions in Belgium, Estonia, and Latvia, are exempt from this restriction. Although you are allowed to apply to multiple positions in these countries and you might be selected for multiple positions, you can only be awarded with one internship.
- The Program is open to all undergraduate students. Seniors* or co-terms are eligible as long as they do not confer their undergraduate degrees until after they complete their internships to remain eligible. Coterm students must still have undergraduate status. Positions in South Asia and Iranian Studies are also open to Master's students in all majors. Positions in East Asia are open to MA students majoring in East Asian Studies. Note*: Only seniors who will be returning to co-term for all of next year, are eligible to apply for positions in Belgium and Estonia.
- Participants must be current Stanford students during the internship period. Seniors and graduating Master's students must postpone graduation paperwork until the internship ends, but may participate in commencement. For summer graduation requirements, including details regarding enrollment requirements and information about participation in the June commencement ceremonies, students should contact their major department's student services office and Registrar's Office for graduation quarter petition.
- Local language skills are based on the internship description requirements.
- Global Studies minors receive preference for the program.
- Preference will be given to students who have not had similar internship experiences in the same country or region i.e., students who haven’t already participated in an internship in this country or region.
- Students who have not been accepted into the Global Studies Internship Program should refrain from contacting any of the partner organizations listed in the internship list until they receive direction from Stanford Global Studies.
- Preferably, before beginning their internships, selected candidates should have taken at least one course regarding the internship region. The course can be taken in the quarter prior to the internship.
- Interns must commit to full-time work (a minimum of 35 hours per week) for at least 8 weeks.
- To be eligible for a stipend, students must maintain health insurance for the duration of their internship.
- Violations of Global Studies Internship Program policies are also violations of the Fundamental Standard and may be referred to the Office of Community Standards. Students who fail to abide by the policies set forth by the Global Studies Internship Program, Stanford Global Studies, and Stanford University, will have low priority or no longer be eligible for future Stanford Global Studies funding opportunities and programs. The Global Studies Internship Program reserves the right to rescind funding at any given point and time should they be apprised of any policy violations as outlined above.
For more information, please see Eligibility and Stipend.
For more internship positions provided by the Stanford Global Studies Internship Program, please see our internship listing.
If you have ANY questions, please email globalinternships [at] stanford.edu. Please also see the FAQ.