Job Interview

Employer: Good afternoon, Darina, thank you for coming in today to discuss the manager-
translator position.
Ya: Good afternoon, thank you for having me. I'm really excited about the opportunity
to work as a manager-translator for your company.
Employer: Great to hear! Let's start by talking about you and your experience and
qualifications in translation.
Ya: Of course. I have a Bachelor's (бЕчелорз)degree in Linguistics with a focus on
translation and interpretation. During my studies, I completed internships where I
translated documents and interpreted(інтОрпрідіт) conversations in various
settings(сЕтінгз). I'm fluent not only in English, but also in Croatian and Serbian,
which I believe would be beneficial for this role. In addition, I completed an internship
abroad three times where all training was conducted exclusively in Serbian and
Croatian languages.
Employer: Sounds impressive. I see in your resume that you have participated in translation
projects. Can you tell me about a specific translation project you've worked on in the past?
Ya: Сertainly. One project I worked on involved translating medical records for an
international medical clinic. I needed to ensure that the translation was accurate while
also maintaining the medical terminology used in the industry.
Employer: Its really admirible .... Why did you decide to apply to our company and how did
you hear about the position ?
Ya: Well, for the past 4 years I have been constantly learning and improving my
professional skills. Moreover, I was not in Ukraine all the time, I was traveling abroad
to study and it turned out that I lived abroad for six months, and was in Ukraine for the
next six months. Now I have completely moved to Ukraine and decided that I have
enough skills and experience for career development. I started with my main interests
and passions, and I like languages, I like to constantly learn and I like to work with
people, and I thought that if I could use my experience as a translator, ,helping people
and my interest in communication with people that would be a good place to start a new
career, and when I was searching on the Internet, I found the website work.ua and
there were vacancies(вЕйкенсіз), so I thought it would be good to apply and try to get
into your company.
Employer: That’s very intersting... Well, you say you have an interest in communication with
people so this would be a great company for you to work that being said. What else do you
know about our company?
Ya: Well, I know you`ve been around for a long time since the late 1930s and what
really caught my attention the most was the idea that it was started by people who had a
passion for the international cooperation and found a way to involve others in their
experience. I like the idea too that your company is consistently ranked among the top
100 companies to work for by Ukraine magazine and I thought growing with a company
that has that level of succes would be a good place to be.
Employer: Great, thanks for your answer. Our company deals with medical documentation
but also marketing materials. Are you comfortable working with documents of this type?
Ya: Absolutely. As I said before, I have experience translating medical documents, so I
have a good understanding of medical terminology. I also worked on marketing
campaigns for international brands during my studies.
Employer: That's exactly the type of experience we're looking for. Our team often works
under tight deadlines. How do you manage your time and prioritize tasks?
Ya: I have extensive experience working in a dynamic(дайнЕмік) environment where
multiple projects need to be managed simultaneously(саймултЕніослі). The ability to
correctly set priorities, taking into account deadlines and the importance of tasks, gives
me the opportunity to always deliver high-quality translations on time. Additionally, I
am always in touch with the project managers to solve in advance any issues that may
interfere(інтерФіер) with the timely delivery of the work.
Employer: Nice to hear that. Why do you think that our company should hire you specifically
amongst our pool of candidates that are interviewing for this position?
Ya: I believe that one of the skill sets that I have is communication and stress resIstance,
because you are looking for not only a translator, but a translator-manager. My
strength(cтренйв) is the ability to sell a service and the ability to present it correctly so
that the buyer wants to buy it. In addition, it is very important to be able to
communicate correctly with a potential client, interest him and know all the
subtleties(сАтлтіз) of the language in which communication will be conducted, because
this will show our company as serious and professional.
Employer: Would you consider any weaknesses that you have to be detrimental to your job?
Ya: I guess it's a risk when it comes to my age. I know your company offers services for
the elderly(елдерлі). Therefore, it is possible that clients will perceive me as a young,
unprofessional girl who does not understand this industry at all. But my opinion is that
the main thing is not age, but the quality of the services I will provide. I have the
experience of working with older clients who were impressed by my knowledge in a
certain industry and so they told me like ~Daryna, you are so young, but how
professionally do you know in this matter and so on~
Employer: To date, what would you say is your greatest professional achievement?
Ya: Personally becoming a translator earning a bachelor's degree those have all been
wonderful experiences for me.. but the greatest achievement would have to be working
with people from other countries and helping them solve problems in their own
language. These are incredible emotions when you hear how pleased(плізд) they are
that even in another country there is a person who helps them, solves their problems
and communicates with them in their native language.
Employer: Darina, can you tell me about a challenge or conflict that you have faced in the
workplace and how you would deal with it?
Ya: Sure, within the translation proffesion there are challenges every day. You're
dealing with hundreds of different personalities, interests, and enthusiasm levels, so
being able to approach each client is part of overcoming a conflict or challenge. I think
building professional relationships is another way to resolve conflicts. You have to show
yourself to be restrained, understanding and professional in a certain situation.
Emlpoyer: Are you interviewing currently with any other companies and if so what interests
you about those particular companies as well?
Ya: Since I recently returned to Ukraine I haven`t had the opportunity to interview
with a wide variety of companies, I have looked at Bass Pro and I`m currently
scheduled to interview with them. They have a similar mission and similars goals to
your company. It`s just that their product line is more specifically tailored than
organized or diverse(дайвОрз) offerings.
Employer: Great. Can you describe a time for me ever that you may have disagreed on a
desicion that was made for you and staff members at work and how did you deal with this?
Ya: Sure, within the field of translation and management there are new
initiatives(інішітівз) being rolled out all the time and sometimes those initiatives get
mandated(мЕндейтід). You have to communicate with the client in this way, you have
to work according to a certain scheme(скім). And when something like that happens I
think it`s important to go back to what you know about your profession or your skill set
and be able to provide research that supports why you do what you do and I think when
faced with a difficulty again it`s important to do what the boss says and it`s in
important to also advocate for what might be best for the customer.
Employer: It sounds like you're well-prepared to handle the demands of this position. Finally,
what do you hope to achieve in your career as a translator?
Ya: My primary goal is to facilitate(фесІлітейт) effective communication across
linguistic barriers(бЕріерз) and contribute to fostering understanding and
collaboration on a global scale. I aspire to continuously improve my language skills and
expand my expertise(експоТіз) into new domains(довмЕІнз). Ultimately(алтімЕтлі), I
aim to become a trusted and reliable partner for clients seeking high-quality translation
services.
Empoyer: Thank you very much. Before we conclude, do you have any questions for me
about the position or the company?
Ya: Yes, I was wondering if there are opportunities for professional development and
advancement within the company?
Employer: Absolutely. We value continuous learning and provide opportunities for
professional development, whether it's attending workshops, conferences, or pursuing further
education. We also have a clear career progression path for our employees based on
performance and skills development.
Ya: That's great to hear. Thank you for providing all this information. I'm very
interested in joining your team as a translator-manager.
Employer: Thank you for coming in today. We'll be in touch soon. Have a great day!
Ya: You too. Thank you again for the opportunity.