LingoflyAt the job interview in Tamil
A candidate talks with an employer in an office in Tamil. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «வாங்கோ (vāṅgō), உட்காருங்கோ (uḍkāruṅgō). கொஞ்சம் (koñcam) உங்களைப் பற்றி (paṟṟi) சொல்லுங்கோ» (solluṅgō) — Come in, have a seat. Tell me a little about yourself; «நான் (nāṉ) கணக்குத் துறையில அஞ்சு (añcu) வருஷ (varuṣa) வேலை அனுபவம் (vēlai aṉubavam) உள்ளவன்» — I have five years of experience in bookkeeping. Every line can be played right on the page.
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: a candidate talks with an employer in an office. First the whole conversation, then each line on its own, with a translation.
- vāṅgō, uḍkāruṅgō. koñcam uṅgaḷaip paṟṟi solluṅgōCome in, have a seat. Tell me a little about yourself.
- nāṉ kaṇakkut tuṟaiyila añcu varuṣa vēlai aṉubavam uḷḷavaṉI have five years of experience in bookkeeping.
- aṅgē āḷ kuṟaippu vandadu. eṉṉaṭṭa oru parindurai irukkuThere were layoffs there. I have a reference letter.
- eṉṉaṭṭa muḻu nēra vēlai irukku. sōdaṉaik kālam mūṇu māsamWe offer full employment. The probation period is three months.
- சம்பளமும் மேலதிக நேரமும் ஒப்பந்தத்தில இருக்குமா?sambaḷamum mēladiga nēramum oppandattila irukkumā?Will the salary and overtime be in the contract?
- nalladu. nāṉ sammadikkiṟaṉ, eppa ārambikkalām?Good. I agree — when can I start?
Lines one by one
| Tamil | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| வாங்கோ (vāṅgō), உட்காருங்கோ (uḍkāruṅgō). கொஞ்சம் (koñcam) உங்களைப் பற்றி (paṟṟi) சொல்லுங்கோ (solluṅgō) | vāṅgō, uḍkāruṅgō. koñcam uṅgaḷaip paṟṟi solluṅgō | Come in, have a seat. Tell me a little about yourself. |
| நான் (nāṉ) கணக்குத் துறையில அஞ்சு (añcu) வருஷ (varuṣa) வேலை அனுபவம் (vēlai aṉubavam) உள்ளவன் | nāṉ kaṇakkut tuṟaiyila añcu varuṣa vēlai aṉubavam uḷḷavaṉ | I have five years of experience in bookkeeping. |
| ஏன் (ēṉ) பழைய (paḻaiya) வேலையை (vēlaiyai) விட்டு (viṭṭu) விலகினியள்? | ēṉ paḻaiya vēlaiyai viṭṭu vilagiṉiyaḷ? | Why did you leave your previous job? |
| அங்கே (aṅgē) ஆள் குறைப்பு (āḷ kuṟaippu) வந்தது (vandadu). என்னட்ட (eṉṉaṭṭa) ஒரு (oru) பரிந்துரை (parindurai) இருக்கு (irukku) | aṅgē āḷ kuṟaippu vandadu. eṉṉaṭṭa oru parindurai irukku | There were layoffs there. I have a reference letter. |
| என்னட்ட (eṉṉaṭṭa) முழு நேர வேலை (muḻu nēra vēlai) இருக்கு (irukku). சோதனைக் காலம் (sōdaṉaik kālam) மூணு (mūṇu) மாசம் (māsam) | eṉṉaṭṭa muḻu nēra vēlai irukku. sōdaṉaik kālam mūṇu māsam | We offer full employment. The probation period is three months. |
| சம்பளமும் மேலதிக (mēladiga) நேரமும் (nēramum) ஒப்பந்தத்தில (oppandattila) இருக்குமா? | sambaḷamum mēladiga nēramum oppandattila irukkumā? | Will the salary and overtime be in the contract? |
| இருக்கும் (irukkum). சம்பளத்துடன் (sambaḷattuḍaṉ) கூடிய (kūḍiya) லீவும் இருக்கு (irukku) | irukkum. sambaḷattuḍaṉ kūḍiya līvum irukku | They will. There is paid vacation too. |
| நல்லது (nalladu). நான் (nāṉ) சம்மதிக்கிறன் (sammadikkiṟaṉ), எப்ப (eppa) ஆரம்பிக்கலாம்? | nalladu. nāṉ sammadikkiṟaṉ, eppa ārambikkalām? | Good. I agree — when can I start? |
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 Tamil in this situation?
“வாங்கோ (vāṅgō), உட்காருங்கோ (uḍkāruṅgō). கொஞ்சம் (koñcam) உங்களைப் பற்றி (paṟṟi) சொல்லுங்கோ” (solluṅgō) (vāṅgō, uḍkāruṅgō. koñcam uṅgaḷaip paṟṟi solluṅgō) — Come in, have a seat. Tell me a little 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.