Getting a job in Kazakh
An interview at a small firm in Kazakh. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Кіріңіз, отырыңыз. Түйіндемеңізді оқыдым.» — Come in, have a seat. I've read your resume.; «Рахмет. Мен бес жыл бухгалтер болып істедім.» — Thank you. I worked as an accountant for five years. Every line can be played right on the page. 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. 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.
- Кіріңіз, отырыңыз. Түйіндемеңізді оқыдым.Come in, have a seat. I've read your resume.
- Рахмет. Мен бес жыл бухгалтер болып істедім.Thank you. I worked as an accountant for five years.
- Неге жұмыс ауыстырғыңыз келеді?Why do you want to change jobs?
- Ескі компания банкрот болды. Дағдарыс бәріне тиді.The old company went bankrupt. The crisis hit everyone.
- Түсіндім. Мұнда аптасына бір рет презентация жасау керек.I see. Here you have to give a presentation once a week.
- Мәселе емес. Мен презентация дайындауды ұнатамын.Not a problem. I enjoy preparing presentations.
- Жақсы. Ең төменгі жалақыдан жоғары сома ұсынамыз, сынақ мерзімі екі ай.Good. We offer a sum above the minimum wage, with a two-month probation period.
- Аванс мүмкіндігі бар ма? Шешімді жазбаша хабарлаңыз.Is there a possibility of an advance? Please inform me of the decision in writing.
Lines one by one
| Kazakh | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Кіріңіз, отырыңыз. Түйіндемеңізді оқыдым. | — | Come in, have a seat. I've read your resume. |
| Рахмет. Мен бес жыл бухгалтер болып істедім. | — | Thank you. I worked as an accountant for five years. |
| Неге жұмыс ауыстырғыңыз келеді? | — | Why do you want to change jobs? |
| Ескі компания банкрот болды. Дағдарыс бәріне тиді. | — | The old company went bankrupt. The crisis hit everyone. |
| Түсіндім. Мұнда аптасына бір рет презентация жасау керек. | — | I see. Here you have to give a presentation once a week. |
| Мәселе емес. Мен презентация дайындауды ұнатамын. | — | Not a problem. I enjoy preparing presentations. |
| Жақсы. Ең төменгі жалақыдан жоғары сома ұсынамыз, сынақ мерзімі екі ай. | — | Good. We offer a sum above the minimum wage, with a two-month probation period. |
| Аванс мүмкіндігі бар ма? Шешімді жазбаша хабарлаңыз. | — | Is there a possibility of an advance? Please inform me of the decision in writing. |
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 Kazakh in this situation?
“Кіріңіз, отырыңыз. Түйіндемеңізді оқыдым.” — Come in, have a seat. I've read your resume.. 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.