LingoflyA job interview in Armenian
An interview at a small company: past work, skills and when they can start in Armenian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Բարև ձեզ (barev dzez), նստեք (nstek)։ Մինչ (minch) այս (ays) ինչո՞վ եք (ek) զբաղվել։» — Hello, have a seat. What did you do before this?; «Յոթ (yot') տարի (tari) աշխատել (ashkhatel) եմ (em) որպես (vorpes) մեխանիկ (mekhanik) գործարանում (gortsaranum)։» — For seven years I worked as a mechanic at a factory. Every line can be played right on the page.
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: an interview at a small company: past work, skills and when they can start. First the whole conversation, then each line on its own, with a translation.
- Արտադրությունը կրճատեցին, և շատերը մնացին առանց աշխատանքի։artadrut'yunə krchatetsin, yev shaterə mnatsin arrants ashkhatank'iProduction was cut back, and many were left without work.
- Ինձ սազում է։ Ինձ հետաքրքրում է աշխատավարձը և կանխավճարը։indz sazum e. indz hetak'rk'rum e ashkhatavardzə yev kankhavcharəThat suits me. I'm interested in the salary and the advance.
- Նվազագույն աշխատավարձից բարձր է, կանխավճարը՝ ամսի տասնհինգին։nvazaguyn ashkhatavardzits bardzr e, kankhavcharə — amsi tasnhinginAbove minimum wage, and the advance is on the fifteenth.
Lines one by one
| Armenian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Բարև ձեզ (barev dzez), նստեք (nstek)։ Մինչ (minch) այս (ays) ինչո՞վ եք (ek) զբաղվել։ | barev dzez, nstek'. minch ays inchov ek' zbaghvel? | Hello, have a seat. What did you do before this? |
| Յոթ (yot') տարի (tari) աշխատել (ashkhatel) եմ (em) որպես (vorpes) մեխանիկ (mekhanik) գործարանում (gortsaranum)։ | yot' tari ashkhatel em vorpes mekhanik gortsaranum | For seven years I worked as a mechanic at a factory. |
| Իսկ (isk) ինչո՞ւ (inchu) եք (ek) հեռացել (herratsel)։ Գործարանը (gortsaranə) դեռ (derr) աշխատում (ashkhatum) է։ | isk inchu ek' herratsel? gortsaranə derr ashkhatum e | And why did you leave? The factory is still operating. |
| Արտադրությունը (artadrut'yunə) կրճատեցին, և շատերը (shaterə) մնացին առանց (arrants) աշխատանքի (ashkhatank'i)։ | artadrut'yunə krchatetsin, yev shaterə mnatsin arrants ashkhatank'i | Production was cut back, and many were left without work. |
| Հասկանում (haskanum) եմ (em)։ Մեզ (mez) մոտ (mot) երկու (yerku) հերթափոխ (hert'ap'okh) է, ընդմիջումը (əndmijumə)՝ կես ժամ (kes zham)։ | haskanum em. mez mot yerku hert'ap'okh e, əndmijumə — kes zham | I understand. We have two shifts, and the break is half an hour. |
| Ինձ (indz) սազում (sazum) է։ Ինձ (indz) հետաքրքրում է աշխատավարձը (ashkhatavardzə) և կանխավճարը (kankhavcharə)։ | indz sazum e. indz hetak'rk'rum e ashkhatavardzə yev kankhavcharə | That suits me. I'm interested in the salary and the advance. |
| Նվազագույն (nvazaguyn) աշխատավարձից (ashkhatavardzits) բարձր (bardzr) է, կանխավճարը (kankhavcharə)՝ ամսի (amsi) տասնհինգին (tasnhingin)։ | nvazaguyn ashkhatavardzits bardzr e, kankhavcharə — amsi tasnhingin | Above minimum wage, and the advance is on the fifteenth. |
| Լավ (lav)։ Ե՞րբ (yerb) կարող (karogh) եմ (em) սկսել (sksel) և ինչ (inch) փաստաթուղթ բերեմ։ | lav. yerb karogh em sksel yev inch p'astat'ught' berem? | Good. When can I start, and what documents should I bring? |
How to prepare for a conversation like this
Memorizing the lines is not enough: the other person will say their own thing, not what is written. What helps more is catching the key words by ear and keeping three rescue phrases ready: “I don't understand”, “repeat, please”, “slower”.
And one more thing phrasebooks do not mention: awkwardness gets in the way more than not knowing the words.
- Fear of making mistakes gets in the way of learning a language, and noticeably so. The link turns up study after study, and together those studies cover almost twenty thousand people.checked many timesTeimouri, Goetze & Plonsky, 2019, Studies in Second Language Acquisition 41(2) · 19,933 participants from 23 countries; correlation with results r = −0.36.
- That fear can be dealt with — the methods have been tested and they work.checked many timesXiong et al., 2024, Journal of Language and Social Psychology · 37 studies, anxiety reduced by −0.61. Of the seven conditions examined, only age turned out to matter.
Frequently asked
How do you start a conversation in Armenian in this situation?
“Բարև ձեզ (barev dzez), նստեք (nstek)։ Մինչ (minch) այս (ays) ինչո՞վ եք (ek) զբաղվել։” (barev dzez, nstek'. minch ays inchov ek' zbaghvel?) — Hello, have a seat. What did you do before this? The first line in such a conversation is almost always the same, and that is the one worth learning: the other person will carry it from there.
What if you did not understand the reply?
Say “I don't understand” and “repeat, please” — both are in the rescue set. Admitting your language is still shaky almost always makes the other person more patient.
Should you memorize the dialogue?
No. It is more useful to catch the key words by ear: the other person will say their own thing, and a memorized line will not always fit their reply.