Learn about useful Japanese expressions for a job interview
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Naomi: なおみです。(Naomi desu.) |
| Kat: Kat here. Impress Others with Your Formal Japanese. So, Naomi-sensei! What are we going to learn in this lesson? |
| Naomi: Useful expressions at job interviews! |
| Kat: Sounds useful. Good. This conversation takes place at... |
| Naomi: 面接 (mensetsu) |
| Kat: A job interview. And who is this conversation between? |
| Naomi: ジョシュさんと面接官 (Joshu-san to mensetsukan) |
| Kat: Josh and an interviewer. Since it's a conversation at a job interview, you'll hear formal Japanese. |
| Naomi: では、聞きましょう。(Dewa, kikimashō.) |
| Kat: Let's listen to the conversation. |
| DIALOGUE |
| （knock-knock) |
| 面接官 (mensetsukan) : どうぞお入りください。(Dōzo o-hairi kudasai.) |
| ジョシュ (Joshu) : 失礼いたします。ジョシュアと申します。(Shitsurei itashimasu. Joshua to mōshimasu.) |
| : どうぞよろしくお願いいたします。(Dōzo yoroshiku onegai itashimasu.) |
| 面接官 (mensetsukan) : おかけください。…あ、どうぞ、お座りください。(O-kake kudasai. … A, dōzo, o-suwari kudasai.) |
| ジョシュ (Joshu) : ああ、すみません。ありがとうございます。(Ā, sumimasen. Arigatō gozaimasu.) |
| 面接官 (mensetsukan) : ジョシュアさんは、ALT…んー。このALTは日本語で何ですか？(Joshua-san wa, ALT... nn. Kono ALT wa Nihon-go de nan desu ka?) |
| ジョシュ (Joshu) : 英語の先生のアシスタントです。(Eigo no sensei no ashisutanto desu.) |
| 面接官 (mensetsukan) : 今、群馬に住んでいるんですか。(Ima, Gunma ni sunde iru n desu ka.) |
| ジョシュ (Joshu) : はい。ホームステイをしています。(Hai. Hōmusutei o shite imasu.) |
| : でも、4月から東京で働きたいと思っています。(Demo, shi-gatsu kara Tōkyō de hatarakitai to omotte imasu.) |
| 面接官 (mensetsukan) : じゃ、引越しをするんですね？(Ja, hikkoshi o suru n desu ne?) |
| ジョシュ (Joshu) : はい。(Hai.) |
| Naomi: もう一度、会話を聞いてください。今度はゆっくり話します。(Mō ichi-do, kaiwa o kiite kudasai. Kondo wa yukkuri hanashimasu.) |
| 面接官 (mensetsukan) : どうぞお入りください。(Dōzo o-hairi kudasai.) |
| ジョシュ (Joshu) : 失礼いたします。ジョシュアと申します。(Shitsurei itashimasu. Joshua to mōshimasu.) |
| : どうぞよろしくお願いいたします。(Dōzo yoroshiku onegai itashimasu.) |
| 面接官 (mensetsukan) : おかけください。…あ、どうぞ、お座りください。(O-kake kudasai. … A, dōzo, o-suwari kudasai.) |
| ジョシュ (Joshu) : ああ、すみません。ありがとうございます。(Ā, sumimasen. Arigatō gozaimasu.) |
| 面接官 (mensetsukan) : ジョシュアさんは、ALT…んー。このALTは日本語で何ですか？(Joshua-san wa, ALT... nn. Kono ALT wa Nihon-go de nan desu ka?) |
| ジョシュ (Joshu) : 英語の先生のアシスタントです。(Eigo no sensei no ashisutanto desu.) |
| 面接官 (mensetsukan) : 今、群馬に住んでいるんですか。(Ima, Gunma ni sunde iru n desu ka.) |
| ジョシュ (Joshu) : はい。ホームステイをしています。(Hai. Hōmusutei o shite imasu.) |
| : でも、4月から東京で働きたいと思っています。(Demo, shi-gatsu kara Tōkyō de hatarakitai to omotte imasu.) |
| 面接官 (mensetsukan) : じゃ、引越しをするんですね？(Ja, hikkoshi o suru n desu ne?) |
| ジョシュ (Joshu) : はい。(Hai.) |
| Naomi: 今度は、英語の訳と一緒に聞いてみましょう。(Kondo wa, Eigo no yaku to issho ni kiite mimashō.) |
| 面接官 (mensetsukan) : どうぞお入りください。(Dōzo o-hairi kudasai.) |
| Kat: Please come in. |
| ジョシュ (Joshu) : 失礼いたします。(Shitsurei itashimasu.) |
| Kat: Excuse me. |
| : ジョシュアと申します。どうぞよろしくお願いいたします。(Joshua to mōshimasu. Dōzo yoroshiku onegai itashimasu.) |
| Kat: My name is Joshua. I'm pleased to make your acquaintance. |
| 面接官 (mensetsukan) : おかけください。(O-kake kudasai.) |
| Kat: Please be seated. |
| : あ、どうぞ、お座りください。(A, dōzo, o-suwari kudasai.) |
| Kat: Ah, please sit down. |
| ジョシュ (Joshu) : ああ、すみません。ありがとうございます。(Ā, sumimasen. Arigatō gozaimasu.) |
| Kat: Ah, excuse me. Thank you. |
| 面接官 (mensetsukan) : ジョシュアさんは、ALT…んー。このALTは日本語で何ですか？(Joshua-san wa, ALT... nn. Kono ALT wa Nihon-go de nan desu ka?) |
| Kat: So Joshua, you're an ALT. ... Hmm. This "ALT," what is it in Japanese? |
| ジョシュ (Joshu) : 英語の先生のアシスタントです。(Eigo no sensei no ashisutanto desu.) |
| Kat: It's an English teacher's assistant. |
| 面接官 (mensetsukan) : 今、群馬に住んでいるんですか。(Ima, Gunma ni sunde iru n desu ka.) |
| Kat: You're living in Gunma at the present time? |
| ジョシュ (Joshu) : はい。ホームステイをしています。(Hai. Hōmusutei o shite imasu.) |
| Kat: Yes. I'm doing a homestay. |
| : でも、4月から東京で働きたいと思っています。(Demo, shi-gatsu kara Tōkyō de hatarakitai to omotte imasu.) |
| Kat: But I'm thinking that I would like to work in Tokyo from April. |
| 面接官 (mensetsukan) : じゃ、引越しをするんですね？(Ja, hikkoshi o suru n desu ne?) |
| Kat: So you'll move house? |
| ジョシュ (Joshu) : はい。(Hai.) |
| Kat: Yes. |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Kat: Wow. Josh is pretty good at Japanese, isn't he? |
| Naomi: ねー、すごいですよね。私、面接は... 苦手ですね。大嫌い。(Nē, sugoi desu yo ne. Watashi, mensetsu wa nigate desu ne. Daikirai.) |
| Kat: (laugh) You hate having interviews, don’t like having interviews, not good at them. I suppose no one does, really, do they? |
| Naomi: まあね。(Mā ne.) |
| Kat: Personally I always get so nervous and as you may guess...talk too much. (laugh) So it just goes on me talking. By the way, is there anything that we should be particularly careful of when having an interview in Japanese? |
| Naomi: ああ、ありますね。例えば、足を組む。座ったときに、足を組まないほうがいいです。(Ā, arimasu ne. Tatoeba, ashi o kumu. Suwatta toki ni, ashi o kumanai hō ga ii desu.) |
| Kat: Ah... just like you and I are doing right now in the studio! |
| Naomi: そうそうそう。(Sō sō sō.) |
| Kat: 足を組む (ashi o kumu) is to cross one's legs. You're not supposed to cross your legs during the interview, because it's supposed to be too relaxed and sloppy, doesn’t it? |
| Naomi: うん、そうです。 それから、腕を組む。これもダメです。(Un, sō desu. Sorekara, ude o kumu. Kore mo dame desu.) |
| Kat: 腕を組む (ude o kumu) is to cross one's arms... |
| Naomi: Yes. Like across the chest. |
| Kat: Ah...so you're not supposed to cross your arms over your chest. In Western culture, that can come across in terms of a body language that can come across as quite defensive or confrontational, but in Japan how does it look? |
| Naomi: ちょっとね、えらそうに見えます。(Chotto ne, erasō ni miemasu.) |
| Kat: ...So you're saying it looks えらそう (erasō), which is a little bit hard to translate but means something like "full of pride" or that you think you know everything. |
| Naomi: そうそうそう。(Sō sō sō.) |
| Kat: Like I know everything! |
| Kat: Like you think you're a big-shot! Bigger than the interviewer. |
| Naomi: (laugh) そうですね、それから...。(Sō desu ne, sorekara...) Last but not least, do not tap your feet. これは面接ではね、絶対、絶対ダメです。(Kore wa mensetsu de wa ne, zettai, zettai dame desu.) |
| Kat: So it’s completely not going in an interview. I suppose It makes it look like you can't wait to get out of there! |
| Naomi: そう。(Sō.) |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Kat: Ok. So now, let's take a look at the vocabulary for this lesson. |
| And the first word is: |
| Naomi: 座る (suwaru) [natural native speed] |
| Kat: to sit |
| Naomi: 座る (suwaru) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Naomi: 座る (suwaru) [natural native speed] |
| Kat: And next: |
| Naomi: かける (kakeru) [natural native speed] |
| Kat: to sit, to hang |
| Naomi: かける (kakeru) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Naomi: かける (kakeru) [natural native speed] |
| Kat: And next: |
| Naomi: ホームステイ (hōmusutei) [natural native speed] |
| Kat: homestay, to stay with a host family |
| Naomi: ホームステイ (hōmusutei) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Naomi: ホームステイ (hōmusutei) [natural native speed] |
| Kat: And next: |
| Naomi: 働く (hataraku) [natural native speed] |
| Kat: to work |
| Naomi: 働く (hataraku) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Naomi: 働く (hataraku) [natural native speed] |
| Kat: And next: |
| Naomi: 引越し (hikkoshi) [natural native speed] |
| Kat: moving, changing residence |
| Naomi: 引越し (hikkoshi) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Naomi: 引越し (hikkoshi) [natural native speed] |
| VOCAB AND PHRASE USAGE |
| Kat: Alright. So now, let's have a closer look at the usage for some of the words and phrases from this lesson. And the first one we'll look at is...? |
| Naomi: Such and suchは日本語で何ですか。(“Such and such” wa Nihon-go de nan desu ka.) |
| Kat: “What’s--- in Japanese?” or, “How do you say --- in Japanese?” |
| Can we hear some sample sentences? |
| Naomi: はい。ALT は日本語で何ですか。(Hai. ALT wa Nihon-go de nan desu ka.) |
| Kat: "What's ALT in Japanese?" or "How do you say ALT in Japanese?" |
| Naomi: Key は 日本語で何ですか。(”Key” wa Nihon-go de nan desu ka.) |
| Kat: "What's 'key' in Japanese?" or "How do you say 'key' in Japanese?" |
| You can use this sentence structure to ask for the translation of a word. Like...what is something called in English? |
| Naomi: そうですね。Such and such は英語で何ですか。(Sō desu ne. “Such and such” wa Eigo de nan desu ka.) For example…「先生」は英語で何ですか。(”Sensei” wa Eigo de nan desu ka.) |
| Kat: What’s SENSEI in English? Next, let's look at phrases you should definitely not forget to say at the job interview! |
| Naomi: I think you are already familiar with these phrases. So let's review them with a quiz. |
| Kat: Sounds good. Imagine that you're going to take an interview in Japan. So, you knock on the door. (knock-knock）When you enter the room, what do you say? |
| Naomi: (pause) 失礼いたします。(Shitsurei itashimasu.) |
| Kat: 失礼します (shitsurei shimasu) is also OK, isn't it? |
| Naomi: Right. |
| Kat: Before the interview starts, you probably want to say "Please look favorably upon me", or "I'm pleased to make your acquaintance"? What would you say for that? |
| Naomi: よろしくお願いいたします。(Yoroshiku onegai itashimasu.) Or… よろしくお願いします。(Yoroshiku onegai shimasu.) |
| Kat: Then when the interview finishes, you thank the interviewer by saying... |
| Naomi: ありがとうございました。(Arigatō gozaimashita.) |
| Kat: And finally when you leave the room, you say... |
| Naomi: 失礼いたしました。(Shitsurei itashimashita.) Or… 失礼しました。(Shitsurei shimashita.) I recommend that you bow to the interviewer when saying those phrases. |
| Kat: There are different degrees of bowing in Japanese culture depending on the situation as many of you may already know. Basically, the lower you bow, so a lower angle, the more polite or formal the bow comes. |
| Saying these phrases we've just introduced nice and clearly might help you to give a good impression at the interview. 頑張ってください！(Ganbatte kudasai!) |
| Naomi: 頑張ってください。(Ganbatte kudasai.) |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Kat: Now, the focus of this lesson is how to speak extra formally. |
| Naomi: 丁寧な自分の名前の言い方と、リクエストの仕方を復習しましょう。(Teinei na jibun no namae no iikata to, rikuesuto no shikata o fukushū shimashō.) |
| Kat: Right. You’ll review how to give your name and how to request someone to do something in an extra formal or polite way. |
| Naomi: じゃ、自分の名前の言い方から復習しましょう。(Ja, jibun no namae no iikata kara fukushū shimashō.) |
| Kat: So let's start to review how to give your name extra formally. |
| Naomi: The sentence pattern is 私は (watashi wa) [such and such] と申します (to mōshimasu). |
| Kat: “My name is such and such.” In the dialogue, Josh dropped 私は (watashi wa) and said |
| Naomi: ジョシュアと申します。(Joshua to mōshimasu.) |
| Kat: “My name is Joshua.” If your name happens to be Angelina Jolie, you'd say... |
| Naomi: 私はアンジェリーナ・ジョリーと申します。(Watashi wa Anjerīna Jorī to mōshimasu.) |
| Kat: OK, listeners, so now you try. |
| Naomi: 私は [your name] と申します。(Watashi wa [your name] to mōshimasu.) |
| Kat: So now, say "My name is ..." in Japanese. |
| (pause) Next, we'll review an extra formal way to request someone to do something. |
| Naomi: The formation is honorific お (o) plus [masu-stem of a verb] plus ください (kudasai) |
| Kat: So, “to sit” is .. |
| Naomi: 座る (suwaru) |
| Kat: And the masu-form is.. |
| Naomi: 座ります (suwarimasu) |
| Kat: Drop ます (masu) to get the masu-stem. |
| Naomi: 座り (suwari) |
| Kat: Add honorific お (o) in front. |
| Naomi: お座り (o-suwari) |
| Kat: Then add ください (kudasai). |
| Naomi: お座りください (o-suwari kudasai) |
| Kat: "Please have a seat." Listeners, please repeat! |
| Naomi: お座りください。(O-suwari kudasai.) |
| Kat: (pause) Now there's one more word that means "to sit" or "to have a seat" isn't there? |
| Naomi: Yes! That's かける (kakeru). |
| Kat: The masu-form of かける (kakeru) is? |
| Naomi: かけます (kakemasu) |
| Kat: And the masu-stem is? |
| Naomi: かけ (kake) |
| Kat: Add お (o) to the front and attach ください (kudasai) at the end. |
| Naomi: おかけください (o-kake kudasai) |
| Kat: “Please have a seat”, or “Please be seated.” Listeners, repeat. |
| Naomi: おかけください。(O-kake kudasai.) |
| Kat: (pause) So say "Please have a seat" in Japanese. |
| Naomi: (pause) おかけください。(O-kake kudasai.) Or… お座りください。(O-suwari kudasai.) |
| Kat: Alright. So I think we are about to finish for this lesson. |
| Naomi: レッスンノートをお読みください。(Ressun nōto o o-yomi kudasai.) |
| Kat: Please read the lesson notes. |
| Naomi: じゃ、また！(Ja, mata!) |
| Kat: Bye bye! See you all next time. |
Outro |
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