LingoflyA job interview in Kazakh
A candidate answers the employer's questions in Kazakh. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Түйіндемеңізді оқыдым (oqydym). Өзіңіз туралы (turaly) айтыңыз (aityñyz).» — I've read your resume. Tell me about yourself; «Бес (Bes) жыл (Zhyl) банкте (bankte) істедім (istedim), есеп (Esep) дайындадым (daiyndadym).» — I worked at a bank for five years, preparing reports. Every line can be played right on the page.
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: a candidate answers the employer's questions. First the whole conversation, then each line on its own, with a translation.
- Неге бұрынғы жұмыстан шықтыңыз?Nege būrynğy zhūmystan shyqtyñyz?Why did you leave your previous job?
- Bizdiñ zherde synaq merzimi üsh ai.Our probation period is three months.
- Toğyzdan altyğa deiin, aqyly demalys bar.From nine to six, with paid vacation.
Lines one by one
| Kazakh | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Түйіндемеңізді оқыдым (oqydym). Өзіңіз туралы (turaly) айтыңыз (aityñyz). | Tüiindemeñizdi oqydym. Öziñiz turaly aityñyz. | I've read your resume. Tell me about yourself. |
| Бес (Bes) жыл (Zhyl) банкте (bankte) істедім (istedim), есеп (Esep) дайындадым (daiyndadym). | Bes zhyl bankte istedim, esep daiyndadym. | I worked at a bank for five years, preparing reports. |
| Неге (Nege) бұрынғы (Būrynğy) жұмыстан (zhūmystan) шықтыңыз? | Nege būrynğy zhūmystan shyqtyñyz? | Why did you leave your previous job? |
| Бөлімде қысқарту болды (Bölimde qysqartu boldy), сондықтан (Sondyqtan) кеттім (kettim). | Bölimde qysqartu boldy, sondyqtan kettim. | There were layoffs in the department, so I left. |
| Біздің (bizdiñ) жерде (zherde) сынақ мерзімі үш ай (Synaq merzimi üsh ai). | Bizdiñ zherde synaq merzimi üsh ai. | Our probation period is three months. |
| Түсіндім (tüsindim). Жұмыс кестесі (Zhūmys kestesi) қандай (Qandai)? | Tüsindim. Zhūmys kestesi qandai? | I see. What is the work schedule? |
| Тоғыздан (toğyzdan) алтыға (altyğa) дейін (deiin), ақылы демалыс (Aqyly demalys) бар (Bar). | Toğyzdan altyğa deiin, aqyly demalys bar. | From nine to six, with paid vacation. |
| Маған (Mağan) қолайлы (qolaily). Қашан (qashan) жауап (zhauap) күтейін? | Mağan qolaily. Qashan zhauap küteiin? | That suits me. When can I expect an 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 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 Kazakh in this situation?
“Түйіндемеңізді оқыдым (oqydym). Өзіңіз туралы (turaly) айтыңыз (aityñyz).” (Tüiindemeñizdi oqydym. Öziñiz turaly aityñyz.) — I've read your resume. Tell me 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.