LingoflyA job interview in Western Armenian
An interview at a small firm: what you did before, what you can do and when you can start in Western Armenian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Բարեւ ձեզ (parev tsez), նստեցէք (nsdetsek)։ Ասկէ (asge) առաջ (arrach) ինչո՞վ կը (gə) զբաղէիք։» — Hello, take a seat. What did you do before this?; «Եօթը (yeot'ə) տարի (dari) գործարանին (kordzaranin) մէջ (mech) իբրեւ (iprev) մեխանիկ (mekhanig) աշխատեցայ (ashkhadetsay)։» — For seven years I worked as a mechanic at a factory.
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: an interview at a small firm: what you did before, what you can do and when you can start. First the whole conversation, then each line on its own, with a translation.
- Իսկ ինչո՞ւ հեռացաք։ Գործարանը տակաւին կ'աշխատի։isg inchu herratsak' Kordzaranə dagavin g'ashkhadiAnd why did you leave? The factory still works.
- Ինծի կը յարմարի։ Աշխատավարձն ու կանխավճարը զիս կը հետաքրքրեն։indzi gə harmari Ashkhadavartsn u gankhavjarə zis gə hedak'rk'renThat suits me. I am interested in the salary and the advance.
- Նուազագոյն աշխատավարձէն բարձր է, կանխավճարը՝ ամսուան տասնըհինգին։nvazakuyn ashkhadavartsen partsr e, gankhavjarə amsvan dasnəhinkinIt is above the minimum wage; the advance is on the fifteenth.
Lines one by one
| Western Armenian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Բարեւ ձեզ (parev tsez), նստեցէք (nsdetsek)։ Ասկէ (asge) առաջ (arrach) ինչո՞վ կը (gə) զբաղէիք։ | parev tsez, nsdetsek' Asge arrach inchov gə zpagheik' | Hello, take a seat. What did you do before this? |
| Եօթը (yeot'ə) տարի (dari) գործարանին (kordzaranin) մէջ (mech) իբրեւ (iprev) մեխանիկ (mekhanig) աշխատեցայ (ashkhadetsay)։ | yeot'ə dari kordzaranin mech iprev mekhanig ashkhadetsa | For seven years I worked as a mechanic at a factory. |
| Իսկ (isg) ինչո՞ւ (inchu) հեռացաք։ Գործարանը (kordzaranə) տակաւին (dagavin) կ'աշխատի (g'ashkhadi)։ | isg inchu herratsak' Kordzaranə dagavin g'ashkhadi | And why did you leave? The factory still works. |
| Արտադրութիւնը (ardatrut'yunə) կրճատեցին, եւ (yev) շատերը (shaderə) մնացին առանց (arrants) աշխատանքի (ashkhadank'i)։ | ardatrut'yunə grjadetsin, yev shaderə mnatsin arrants ashkhadank'i | They cut production, and many were left without work. |
| Կը (gə) հասկնամ (hasgnam)։ Մեր (mer) քով (k'ov) երկու (yergu) հերթափոխ (hert'ap'okh) կայ (gay), ընդմիջումը (əntmichumə)՝ կէս ժամ (ges zham)։ | gə hasgnam Mer k'ov yergu hert'ap'okh gay, əntmichumə ges zham | I understand. We have two shifts, and the break is half an hour. |
| Ինծի (indzi) կը (gə) յարմարի։ Աշխատավարձն ու (u) կանխավճարը (gankhavjarə) զիս (zis) կը (gə) հետաքրքրեն։ | indzi gə harmari Ashkhadavartsn u gankhavjarə zis gə hedak'rk'ren | That suits me. I am interested in the salary and the advance. |
| Նուազագոյն (nvazakuyn) աշխատավարձէն բարձր (partsr) է, կանխավճարը (gankhavjarə)՝ ամսուան (amsuan) տասնըհինգին (dasnəhinkin)։ | nvazakuyn ashkhadavartsen partsr e, gankhavjarə amsvan dasnəhinkin | It is above the minimum wage; the advance is on the fifteenth. |
| Լաւ (lav)։ Ե՞րբ (yerp) կրնամ (grnam) սկսիլ (sgsil) եւ (yev) ինչ (inch) փաստաթուղթ բերեմ։ | lav Yerp grnam sgsil yev inch p'asdat'ught' perem | All right. When can I start, and what documents shall 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 Western Armenian in this situation?
“Բարեւ ձեզ (parev tsez), նստեցէք (nsdetsek)։ Ասկէ (asge) առաջ (arrach) ինչո՞վ կը (gə) զբաղէիք։” (parev tsez, nsdetsek' Asge arrach inchov gə zpagheik') — Hello, take 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.