Progress, Not Perfection
Last week, I had the opportunity to give a talk — in Swedish — at a festive event for our funders. When the invitation arrived, I felt a mix of excitement and nervousness. It was a wonderful opportunity, but also a challenge I knew I would feel deeply.
Speaking science in English has become second nature to me.
It’s the language in which I studied, worked, presented, and built most of my academic identity. Switching into Swedish in a professional setting, however, is still not easy. I don’t feel 100% comfortable yet, and I definitely can’t respond to every question perfectly. Standing in front of an audience in a language I’m still learning makes me feel vulnerable in a way I’m not used to — and vulnerability is not something we scientists often get to practice publicly.
The truth is: everyday life is full.
Meetings, teaching, writing, mentoring, experiments, emails — all the normal parts of academic work. By the time evening comes, I rarely have the mental capacity to sit down and efficiently practice Swedish. And yet, improving my Swedish is important to me. Not only socially, but also professionally.
This is why events like this matter so much.
They push me to step outside my comfort zone. They transform a long‑term goal into something urgent, something active, something that needs attention now. Without moments like these, it would be far too easy for “becoming comfortable in Swedish at work” to stay on a list of priorities that continuously gets pushed aside by other tasks that feel more time‑critical.
But standing there last week — speaking Swedish, answering questions, navigating the uncertainty — reminded me why growth often happens in precisely these moments. Not when we feel ready, but when we say yes despite not feeling ready.
I am truly grateful for the continuous support I receive from colleagues, collaborators, and funders. Being trusted to present in Swedish means more than it might seem from the outside. It’s both an encouragement and a responsibility — one that motivates me to keep moving forward, even if the steps are sometimes small.
Learning a language, much like building a career, isn’t about getting everything right.
It’s about showing up, trying again, and choosing courage over comfort.