A 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, նստեք: Մինչ այս ինչո՞վ եք զբաղիլ:» — Hello, take a seat. What did you do before this?; «Յոթ տարի աշխատիլ եմ որպես մեխանիկ գործարանում:» — For seven years I worked as a mechanic at a factory. 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: an interview at a small firm: what you did before, what you can do and when you can start. 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, նստեք: Մինչ այս ինչո՞վ եք զբաղիլ:parev tsez, nsdek' Minch ays inchov ek' zpaghilHello, take a seat. What did you do before this?
- Յոթ տարի աշխատիլ եմ որպես մեխանիկ գործարանում:yot' dari ashkhadil em vorbes mekhanig kordzaranumFor seven years I worked as a mechanic at a factory.
- Իսկ ինչո՞ւ եք հեռացել: Գործարանը դեռ կ'աշխատի:isg inchu ek' herratsel Kordzaranə terr g'ashkhadiAnd why did you leave? The factory still works.
- Արտադրութիւնը կրճատեցին, եւ շատերը մնացին առանց աշխատանքի:ardatrut'yunə grjadetsin, yev shaderə mnatsin arrants ashkhadank'iThey cut production, and many were left without work.
- կը Հասկանամ: Մեզ մօտ երկու հերթափոխ է, ընդմիջումը՝ կէս ժամ:gə Hasganam Mez mod yergu hert'ap'okh e, əntmichumə ges zhamI understand. We have two shifts, and the break is half an hour.
- Ինձ սազում է: Ինձ հետաքրքրում է աշխատավարձը եւ կանխավճարը:ints sazum e Ints hedak'rk'rum e ashkhadavartsə yev gankhavjarəThat suits me. I am interested in the salary and the advance.
- Նվազագույն աշխատավարձից բարձր է, կանխավճարը՝ ամսի տասնհինգին:nvazakuyn ashkhadavartsits partsr e, gankhavjarə amsi dasnhinkinIt is above the minimum wage; the advance is on the fifteenth.
- Լաւ: Ե՞րբ կրնամ սկսիլ եւ ինչ փաստաթուղթ բերեմ:lav Yerp grnam sgsil yev inch p'asdat'ught' peremAll right. When can I start, and what documents shall I bring?
Lines one by one
| Western Armenian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Բարեւ ձեզ, նստեք: Մինչ այս ինչո՞վ եք զբաղիլ: | parev tsez, nsdek' Minch ays inchov ek' zpaghil | Hello, take a seat. What did you do before this? |
| Յոթ տարի աշխատիլ եմ որպես մեխանիկ գործարանում: | yot' dari ashkhadil em vorbes mekhanig kordzaranum | For seven years I worked as a mechanic at a factory. |
| Իսկ ինչո՞ւ եք հեռացել: Գործարանը դեռ կ'աշխատի: | isg inchu ek' herratsel Kordzaranə terr g'ashkhadi | And why did you leave? The factory still works. |
| Արտադրութիւնը կրճատեցին, եւ շատերը մնացին առանց աշխատանքի: | ardatrut'yunə grjadetsin, yev shaderə mnatsin arrants ashkhadank'i | They cut production, and many were left without work. |
| կը Հասկանամ: Մեզ մօտ երկու հերթափոխ է, ընդմիջումը՝ կէս ժամ: | gə Hasganam Mez mod yergu hert'ap'okh e, əntmichumə ges zham | I understand. We have two shifts, and the break is half an hour. |
| Ինձ սազում է: Ինձ հետաքրքրում է աշխատավարձը եւ կանխավճարը: | ints sazum e Ints hedak'rk'rum e ashkhadavartsə yev gankhavjarə | That suits me. I am interested in the salary and the advance. |
| Նվազագույն աշխատավարձից բարձր է, կանխավճարը՝ ամսի տասնհինգին: | nvazakuyn ashkhadavartsits partsr e, gankhavjarə amsi dasnhinkin | It is above the minimum wage; the advance is on the fifteenth. |
| Լաւ: Ե՞րբ կրնամ սկսիլ եւ ինչ 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 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, նստեք: Մինչ այս ինչո՞վ եք զբաղիլ:” (parev tsez, nsdek' Minch ays inchov ek' zpaghil) — 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.