An interview for a new job in Western Armenian
A job interview: experience, a probation period, an offer in Western Armenian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Բարեւ ձեզ: կը Խնդրեմ ձեր մասին պատմել:» — Hello. Please tell us about yourself.; «Ծրագրաւորող եմ, հինգ տարուայ աշխատանքային փորձ ունիմ:» — I am a programmer; I have five years of work experience. The conversation is predictable: few lines, and almost all of them repeat from one exchange to the next.
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: a job interview: experience, a probation period, an offer. The conversation is short and predictable — which is exactly what makes it good for a first try: few lines, and almost all of them repeat from one exchange to the next.
- Բարեւ ձեզ: կը Խնդրեմ ձեր մասին պատմել:parev tsez gə Khntrem tser masin badmelHello. Please tell us about yourself.
- Ծրագրաւորող եմ, հինգ տարուայ աշխատանքային փորձ ունիմ:dzrakravorogh em, hink daruay ashkhadank'ayin p'orts unimI am a programmer; I have five years of work experience.
- Ինչո՞ւ եք նախորդ աշխատանքէ հեռացած:inchu ek' nakhort ashkhadank'e herratsadzWhy did you leave your previous job?
- Կ'ուզէի աւելի բարդ նախագիծերուն վրայ աշխատիլ:g'uzei aveli part nakhakidzerun vray ashkhadilI wanted to work on more complex projects.
- Հասկանալի է: Ի՞նչ աշխատավարձ կը սպասեք:hasganali e Inch ashkhadavarts gə sbasek'Understandable. What salary do you expect?
- Կ'ուզենայի քննարկել այն պայմանագիրը ստորագրելուց առաջ:g'uzenayi k'nnargel ayn baymanakirə sdorakreluts arrachI would like to discuss that before signing the contract.
- Լաւ: Փորձաշրջանը երեք ամիս է, գրաֆիկը՝ լրիւ դրոյք:lav P'ortsashrchanə yerek' amis e, krafigə lryu troyk'All right. The probation period is three months, the schedule is full time.
- Շնորհակալութիւն: Ե՞րբ պիտի իմանամ պատասխանը:shnorhagalut'yun Yerp bidi imanam badaskhanəThank you. When will I hear the answer?
Lines one by one
| Western Armenian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Բարեւ ձեզ: կը Խնդրեմ ձեր մասին պատմել: | parev tsez gə Khntrem tser masin badmel | Hello. Please tell us about yourself. |
| Ծրագրաւորող եմ, հինգ տարուայ աշխատանքային փորձ ունիմ: | dzrakravorogh em, hink daruay ashkhadank'ayin p'orts unim | I am a programmer; I have five years of work experience. |
| Ինչո՞ւ եք նախորդ աշխատանքէ հեռացած: | inchu ek' nakhort ashkhadank'e herratsadz | Why did you leave your previous job? |
| Կ'ուզէի աւելի բարդ նախագիծերուն վրայ աշխատիլ: | g'uzei aveli part nakhakidzerun vray ashkhadil | I wanted to work on more complex projects. |
| Հասկանալի է: Ի՞նչ աշխատավարձ կը սպասեք: | hasganali e Inch ashkhadavarts gə sbasek' | Understandable. What salary do you expect? |
| Կ'ուզենայի քննարկել այն պայմանագիրը ստորագրելուց առաջ: | g'uzenayi k'nnargel ayn baymanakirə sdorakreluts arrach | I would like to discuss that before signing the contract. |
| Լաւ: Փորձաշրջանը երեք ամիս է, գրաֆիկը՝ լրիւ դրոյք: | lav P'ortsashrchanə yerek' amis e, krafigə lryu troyk' | All right. The probation period is three months, the schedule is full time. |
| Շնորհակալութիւն: Ե՞րբ պիտի իմանամ պատասխանը: | shnorhagalut'yun Yerp bidi imanam badaskhanə | Thank you. When will I hear the answer? |
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 it gets in the way badly. It is one of the most reliably measured findings in the entire field.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: կը Խնդրեմ ձեր մասին պատմել:” (parev tsez gə Khntrem tser masin badmel) — Hello. Please tell us about yourself.. 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.