Following Up on a Job Interview While Protecting Confidentiality | Learn Korean in English

Sentence explanations

1. 과정의 다음 단계가 어떻게 되는지 명확히 설명해 주실 수 있을까요?

   Could you clarify the next steps in the process?

   과정의

   of the process

   다음

   next

   단계

   step

   어떻게 되는지

   how it will be

   명확히

   clearly

   설명해

   explain

   주실 수 있을까요?

   could you do so?

   More detail

   과정의 means “of the process.” 과정 is “process,” and -의 links it to a following noun, much like “the process’s” or “of the process.” Here it modifies 다음 단계. 다음 means “next” and can modify a noun directly: 다음 단계 = “the next step.” Its opposite in a useful time/order contrast is 이전 (“previous”), as in 이전 단계 (“the previous step”). 단계 means “step” or “stage.” In this sentence it refers to a stage in the process, not necessarily a physical step. 다음 단계 is a reusable noun phrase for “the next step.” 어떻게 되는지 asks, in an embedded form, how something will proceed or turn out. 어떻게 means “how,” while 되다 means “become,” “turn out,” or “proceed,” depending on context. The ending -는지 turns the question into an embedded question: 어떻게 되는지 = “how it will proceed” or “what will happen.” Example: 일정이 어떻게 되는지 알려 주세요. — “Please let me know how the schedule will work out.” 명확히 means “clearly.” It is the adverbial form used to describe how an action is performed. The related adjective is 명확하다, “to be clear.” For example, 명확히 말해 주세요. means “Please speak clearly.” 설명해 is the 해 form of 설명하다, “to explain.” The form 설명해 connects to the following expression; by itself here it is not the full polite request. A reusable pattern is N을/를 설명하다 (“explain N”), for example, 이 과정을 설명해 주세요. — “Please explain this process.” 주실 수 있을까요? is a very polite way to ask whether someone could do something. In this sentence, it follows 설명해 and gives the complete request: “Could you explain…?” -을/를 수 있다 expresses ability or possibility, and the question ending -을까요? makes the request gentle. 주시다 also contains the honorific form of 주다 (“to give/do for someone”); 주실 reflects respect toward the person being asked. The exact form 주실 수 있을까요? should be learned as a polite request pattern rather than translated word for word. Together, 과정의 다음 단계 means “the next step(s) in the process.” 어떻게 되는지 embeds the question about how those steps will proceed, 명확히 설명해 means “explain clearly,” and 주실 수 있을까요? turns it into a respectful request. The whole utterance therefore means: “Could you clarify the next steps in the process?”

2. 면접 위원회에서 지원 자료를 검토한 후 추가 면담이 필요한지 결정할 것입니다.

   The panel will review your materials and decide whether another conversation is needed.

   면접 위원회

   interview panel

   지원 자료

   application materials

   검토한 후

   after reviewing

   추가

   additional

   면담

   conversation

   필요한지

   whether it is needed

   결정할 것입니다

   will decide

   More detail

   면접 위원회 means “interview panel.” 위원회 is a committee or panel, and 면접 specifies its interview-related role. In the sentence, the following particle 에서 marks this panel as the place or institutional setting associated with the review and decision; the translation identifies it as the panel making the decision. 지원 자료 means “application materials.” 지원 can refer to applying or an application, while 자료 means materials or data. The compound is reusable for documents submitted as part of an application. For example, 지원 자료를 제출했습니다 means “I submitted the application materials.” 검토한 후 means “after reviewing.” The base verb is 검토하다, “to review”; 검토한 is its past attributive form, and 후 means “after.” Together, V-(으)ㄴ 후 places one event before a later event: 확인한 후 연락하겠습니다 means “I will contact you after checking.” Here, the review is completed before the decision. 추가 means “additional” or “extra.” It describes 면담, so it does not itself mean that a conversation is needed. For example, 추가 자료 means “additional materials.” 면담 means “conversation” or “interview,” especially a relatively formal meeting or discussion. In this sentence, the fixed translation supports the meaning “another conversation.” It is a noun, so 면담이 in the next phrase can function as the subject of “be needed.” 필요한지 means “whether it is needed.” The adjective 필요하다 means “to be necessary” or “needed”; 필요한 is its attributive form, and -ㄴ지 turns the clause into an embedded question about whether something is the case. In 면담이 필요한지, the question is whether a conversation is needed. This is different from the direct question 면담이 필요합니까?, “Is a conversation needed?” 결정할 것입니다 means “will decide.” The base verb is 결정하다, “to decide.” 결정할 is the future-oriented attributive form, and 것입니다 is the formal construction 것이다; together, V-(으)ㄹ 것입니다 expresses a future plan or expected event in a formal register. For example, 내일 출발할 것입니다 means “We will depart tomorrow.” Putting the parts together, 면접 위원회에서 establishes the interview panel as the relevant institution, 지원 자료를 검토한 후 says that it will review the application materials first, and 추가 면담이 필요한지 gives the question to be decided. The complete meaning is: “The panel will review your materials and decide whether another conversation is needed.”

3. 지원 포털을 통해 요청하신 샘플을 업로드할 수 있습니다.

   I can upload the requested samples through the application portal.

   지원

   application

   포털

   portal

   통해

   through; by means of

   요청하신

   requested

   샘플

   sample

   업로드할 수 있습니다

   can upload

   More detail

   지원 means “application” here, as in an application-related service or process; in other contexts it can mean “support,” so the surrounding noun 포털 and the fixed translation determine the intended sense. The compound 지원 포털 therefore means “application portal.” Example: 지원 포털에 접속하세요. — “Access the application portal.” 포털 is the noun “portal.” 지원 포털 is a noun-noun combination in which the first noun specifies the type or purpose of the second. The object-marker form 포털을 marks the portal as the route-related noun used with 통해. 통해 means “through” or “by means of” in this sentence. It is the form used in the pattern 명사을/를 통해, meaning “through/by means of a noun.” Example: 웹사이트를 통해 신청할 수 있습니다. — “You can apply through the website.” 요청하신 means “requested” and modifies the following noun, 샘플. Its base verb is 요청하다, “to request.” The form combines the honorific marker -시- with the attributive ending -(으)ㄴ, giving a respectful past/completed modifier: 요청하시다 → 요청하신. Here it presents the samples as ones the listener requested. Example: 요청하신 자료를 확인했습니다. — “I checked the materials you requested.” 샘플 is the noun “sample.” The form itself does not mark number; the fixed translation uses “samples,” but Korean leaves the count open here unless context supplies it. Example: 샘플을 보내 주세요. — “Please send the sample(s).” 업로드할 수 있습니다 expresses “can upload.” 업로드하다 is the base verb “to upload”; 업로드할 contains the prospective modifier form -(으)ㄹ before 수 있다, the standard construction for ability or possibility. 있습니다 is the formal-polite form of 있다. The construction 동사-(으)ㄹ 수 있습니다 means that the subject is able or permitted to perform the action in the relevant situation. The subject is omitted in Korean and is understood here as “I” from the fixed translation. Example: 파일을 업로드할 수 있습니다. — “I/You can upload the file,” with the subject determined by context. Together, 지원 포털을 통해 gives the route “through the application portal,” 요청하신 샘플을 gives the object “the requested sample(s),” and 업로드할 수 있습니다 states the ability to upload them. The whole utterance therefore means: “I can upload the requested samples through the application portal.” The formal-polite ending makes it suitable for a professional interaction.

4. 말씀하신 프로젝트 요약이 특히 유용할 것 같습니다.

   The project summary you mentioned would be especially useful.

   말씀하신

   you mentioned

   프로젝트

   project

   요약

   summary

   특히

   especially

   유용할

   useful

   것 같습니다

   seems likely

   More detail

   말씀하신 means “you mentioned” here. It is the honorific form of 말씀하다 (“to say” or “to mention”), with -시- marking respect toward the person who did the speaking and -ㄴ making the verb an attributive modifier. It modifies the noun that follows: 말씀하신 프로젝트 is “the project you mentioned.” The modifier is placed before that noun, as is usual for this pattern. 프로젝트 is a noun meaning “project.” It is a loanword used as a regular Korean noun. Here it is modified by 말씀하신, so the phrase identifies a project previously mentioned by the addressee. 요약 is a noun meaning “summary” or “overview.” In 프로젝트 요약, it forms a noun-noun combination: “project summary.” The first noun specifies what the summary concerns; it does not mean that 프로젝트 is an adjective. 특히 is an adverb meaning “especially” or “particularly.” It highlights the degree of usefulness: the summary is being assessed as especially useful, rather than merely useful. 유용할 comes from the descriptive verb 유용하다, “to be useful.” Its -ㄹ form is the prospective or attributive form used before 것 in the construction 유용할 것 같습니다. In this sentence, it presents usefulness as an expected or considered possibility. For comparison, 유용합니다 directly states “it is useful,” while 유용할 것 같습니다 gives the more tentative assessment “it seems likely to be useful” or “would be useful.” 것 같습니다 is a construction meaning “seems,” “appears,” or “looks likely.” 것 nominalizes the preceding proposition, and 같습니다 is the formal-polite form of 같다, “to be similar/like.” Together with 유용할, it softens the assessment rather than presenting it as absolute certainty. The formal-polite ending -습니다 suits a professional or respectful exchange. As a whole, 말씀하신 프로젝트 요약 is “the project summary you mentioned.” Adding 특히 makes that summary “especially useful,” and 유용할 것 같습니다 frames this as a polite, tentative assessment. The complete meaning is: “The project summary you mentioned would be especially useful.”

5. 기밀 고객 정보를 공개하지 않고도 맥락을 포함할 수 있습니다.

   I can include context without exposing confidential client information.

   기밀

   confidential

   고객

   client

   정보

   information

   공개하지 않고도

   without exposing

   맥락

   context

   포함할 수 있습니다

   can include

   More detail

   기밀 means “confidential” here and works as a noun modifier before 고객 정보. It describes the information as restricted or sensitive; it is not the name of the client. 고객 means “client” or “customer.” In 고객 정보, it modifies the following noun, giving “client information.” 정보 means “information.” Korean commonly places modifiers before the noun they describe, so 기밀 고객 정보 is “confidential client information.” 공개하지 않고도 is built from 공개하다 (“to disclose” or “to make public”) and the pattern -지 않고 (“without doing”). The ending -도 adds the sense “even” or “also,” so the construction literally has the force of “even without disclosing.” In this sentence, the natural meaning is “without exposing.” 맥락 means “context.” It can refer to surrounding information that helps something be understood. Example: 맥락을 설명하다 means “to explain the context.” 포함할 수 있습니다 expresses ability or possibility: 포함하다 means “to include,” and 포함할 수 있다 means “can include.” The observed form 포함할 is the form of 포함하다 used before 수 있다; 있습니다 is the formal polite present form of 있다 (“to exist” or “to be able to,” in this construction). Example: 이 설명에 예를 포함할 수 있습니다. — “You can include an example in this explanation.” Together, 기밀 고객 정보를 공개하지 않고도 sets the condition “even without exposing confidential client information,” and 맥락을 포함할 수 있습니다 says “can include context.” The whole utterance therefore means: “I can include context without exposing confidential client information.”

6. 기밀 정보를 다룰 때 그런 판단력이 이곳에서는 중요합니다.

   That kind of judgment when handling confidential information is important here.

   기밀

   confidential

   정보

   information

   다룰 때

   when handling

   그런

   that kind of

   판단력

   judgment

   이곳에서는

   here

   중요합니다

   is important

   More detail

   기밀 means “confidential” here and is used before a noun: 기밀 정보 means “confidential information.” It commonly describes information whose contents should be kept restricted. 정보 means “information”; 기밀 정보 is the compact noun phrase “confidential information.” 다룰 때 means “when handling.” Its base verb is 다루다, “to handle, deal with, or work with.” Before 때 (“time/when”), the verb uses the form 다룰 to describe the situation: A를 다룰 때 means “when handling A.” For example, 문제를 다룰 때 신중해야 합니다 means “You should be careful when dealing with a problem.” 그런 means “that kind of” or “such.” It is a form used before a noun, so 그런 판단력 means “that kind of judgment.” It points to a type or quality understood from the context; the sentence does not identify a more specific referent for it. 판단력 means “judgment” or “judgment ability,” the ability to assess a situation and decide appropriately. The phrase 그런 판단력 therefore refers to that kind of ability, rather than simply to one isolated decision. 이곳에서는 means “here” with a topic-setting effect. 이곳 is “this place,” 에서 marks the place where something applies or occurs, and 는 adds a topic contrast or emphasis: “here, at least” or “as for here.” The form does not by itself identify a more specific place than the supplied meaning “here.” 중요합니다 means “is important.” Its base form is 중요하다, and 중요합니다 is the formal-polite declarative form. The ending -ㅂ니다 presents the statement politely and formally. For example, 안전이 중요합니다 means “Safety is important.” Together, 기밀 정보를 다룰 때 sets the situation: “when handling confidential information.” 그런 판단력 identifies the ability being evaluated, and 이곳에서는 중요합니다 says that it is important here. The complete meaning is: “That kind of judgment when handling confidential information is important here.”

7. 검토 결과를 제가 언제쯤 듣게 될까요?

   When should I expect to hear the outcome of the review?

   검토

   review

   결과

   outcome; result

   제가

   I

   언제쯤

   around when

   듣게 될까요?

   will I get to hear?

   More detail

   검토 means “review” here. It is a noun that can combine with 하다 to make 검토하다, “to review.” In 검토 결과, it identifies the review connected with the outcome; the relationship is naturally understood as “the outcome of the review.” 결과 means “outcome” or “result.” The compound pattern N의 결과 means “the result of N,” while 검토 결과 is a compact noun combination with the same intended relationship here. For example, 조사 결과를 알려 주세요 means “Please tell me the investigation results.” 제가 means “I” as the subject. It consists of the humble first-person form 저 plus the subject particle 가; 나 is the less-humble first-person form, and 내가 is its subject-marked form. In this polite question, 제가 marks the person who will hear the outcome. 언제쯤 asks “around when” or “approximately when.” 언제 means “when,” and -쯤 adds an approximate point rather than demanding an exact time. For example, 언제쯤 도착할까요? means “Around when will we arrive?” 듣게 될까요? contains 듣다 (“to hear”), -게 되다 (“come to / get to”), and the polite question ending -(으)ㄹ까요?. Together here, it asks when the speaker can expect to hear the outcome. 듣다 remains 듣- before the consonant-initial ending -게; in other forms such as 들어요, this verb shows the ㄷ alternation before a vowel-initial ending. The pattern V-게 되다 often presents an eventual result or circumstances leading to an event, rather than simply stating a deliberate action. -(으)ㄹ까요? can ask about a possible or expected future event in a polite way. Combining the parts: 검토 결과 is “the outcome of the review,” 제가 marks “I” as the person hearing it, and 언제쯤 듣게 될까요? asks approximately when that hearing is expected to happen. The complete intended meaning is: “When should I expect to hear the outcome of the review?”

8. 면접 위원회에서 논의를 마치면 연락드리겠습니다.

   We will contact you after the panel finishes its discussion.

   면접

   interview

   위원회

   committee; panel

   에서

   at; in

   논의

   discussion

   마치면

   when finishing

   연락드리겠습니다

   we will contact you

   More detail

   면접 means an interview, especially the interview process or meeting. It can combine with nouns such as 면접 질문 (“interview questions”) and 면접관 (“interviewer”). Here it modifies 위원회, forming “interview panel/committee.” 위원회 means a committee or panel: a group organized to discuss or decide something. In 면접 위원회, it is specifically the panel responsible for the interview process. Example: 위원회가 결정합니다. — “The committee decides.” 에서 marks the place or setting where an action takes place. In 면접 위원회에서, the discussion takes place at or within the interview panel/committee. This is different from 에, which commonly marks a destination or a static location: 위원회에 갑니다. — “I go to the committee meeting/place.” 논의 means discussion or deliberation. It is a noun here, and 논의를 is the object form: 논의 + 를. The object particle 를 is not included in the selected quote, but it marks what is finished. 논의하다 is the related verb “to discuss”; 논의 by itself is the noun “discussion.” 마치면 is 마치다 (“to finish” or “complete”) plus -면, a conditional/temporal ending meaning “if/when.” In this sentence, it means “when [the panel] finishes.” The subject of this subordinate clause is omitted in Korean and is understood from the fixed translation as the panel; the object being finished is 논의 (“the discussion”). The ending -면 can also express a condition: 일이 끝나면 쉽니다. — “When the work is finished, I rest.” 연락드리겠습니다 means “we will contact you” in this context. Its base verb is the deferential 연락드리다, “to contact [someone respectfully],” followed by -겠습니다, a formal ending used here for a future commitment or intention. The Korean subject is omitted; the fixed translation supplies “we,” and the recipient is understood as “you.” Example: 결과가 나오면 연락드리겠습니다. — “We will contact you when the result comes out.” Together, 면접 위원회에서 논의를 마치면 means “after the interview panel finishes its discussion,” and 연락드리겠습니다 states the formal commitment “we will contact you.” The whole utterance therefore means: “We will contact you after the panel finishes its discussion.”