Starting Over Is Tough

I gave my first presentation entirely in Portuguese. It humbled me.

Since I moved to Portugal almost three years ago, I’ve had to tackle a lot of new things as a grown-ass adult:

• making new friends,

• mastering the jujitsu of climbing Lisbon’s steep hills,

• figuring out mortgages at Portuguese banks, and

• learning USDA rules for importing Catsby from the US to Europe.

This week, I faced yet another first: I gave my first presentation entirely in Portuguese.

The Day Of: Feeling Like a 6-Year-Old Again

Since moving to Portugal, I’ve been introduced to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). You can look it up, but it goes like this:

• A1 (Beginner): Basic phrases and expressions. For example, due to proximity to Mexico, nearly every American knows A1 Spanish: Cinco de mayo, hola, buenos días, mucho gusto, por favor, gracias, de nada, uno, etc.

• A2 (Elementary): Communicate in simple needs and describe items.

• B1 (Intermediate): Talk about personal interest and describe experiences.

• B2 (Upper Intermediate): Discuss a wide range of topics.

• C1 (Advanced): Express ideas fluently and without mentally translating

• C2 (Proficient): Effortlessly understand and communicate everything.

Having passed A1 and A2 last year, I’m in B1. I can speak and understand about 2,000–3,000 words in Portuguese: the vocabulary of a 1st grader. Practicing the talk in my kitchen, I literally threw up. Could have been nerves. Could have been something I ate. Honestly, it was probably a mixture of both.

The Presentation: Big Bird to the Rescue

Here's the scene. Again, keep in mind that I'm basically a 6 year old. My assignment? Deliver a Portuguese presentation about: My chosen career path and what I enjoy doing in my spare time. 🤯 😂

Like, that’s a lot of different skills, yeah?

✅ Comfortable with public speaking

✅ Enjoy delivering presentations that don’t put people to sleep

❓Ability to do the above in Portuguese? I didn't know. This was a first!

To calm my nerves, lighten the mood, and gave a head nod to the fact that I was probably going to sound like a kid, I put together a Sesame Street themed Google presentation, featuring Big Bird and Cookie Monster. I mean, really, if you're going to learn another language, you have to be able to laugh at yourself. I knew I was going to sound silly.

🇵🇹 Here's what I wanted to say:

Olá pessoal. Boa tarde. Eu sou a Twanna. Hoje, vou dar uma apresentação sobre o meu trabalho e o meu tempo livre. Durante, mais ou menos 20 anos, sou uma empreendedora. A minha empresa tem 11 trabalhadores. Temos dois lados do negócio. Um lado sou eu. Escrevo, falo, aconselho as pessoas sobre saúde sexual. Mas eu disse que há 11 trabalhadores, não é? Os outros estão a trabalhar com os nossos clientes. Os nossos clientes são organizações nonprofit nos Estados Unidos. Ajudamo-los com digital marketing data analytics. No meu tempo livro, adoro subrir das montanhas — hiking e natura. Muito obrigada a todos!

Want to know how it went? I posted the entire presentation on TikTok.

The Point: Why I Told You This Story

To every immigrant, every non-native English speaker, and anyone tackling new challenges in a foreign language—you deserve all the praise and then some! 🌟 It’s not easy to speak a language that isn’t your own. Being abroad has helped me develop even more compassion for immigrants in Portugal, the U.S., and elsewhere in the world. It’s not easy.

I also have even more respect for people like my friend Diana Watson, from The Speaking Seed. She’s out here winning Toastmasters competitions in Chinese! Check her out: Diana Watson's Toastmasters Speech.

Finally, if you’re in English speaker, I want you to learn a new language. Of course, you’ve heard of Duolingo. But, there’s more! If you want to hack your way to learning faster, check me out on LinkedIn. I shared how technology can help you learn languages.

Its’ not just about communication—learning a new language is good for you, especially as you age. It boosts brain health, strengthens memory, and delays cognitive decline. About the latter, Research from York University’s Ellen Bialystok shows bilingualism and multilingualism can delay the onset of dementia by an average of 4.5 years compared to monolingual adults. 🌍 🧠 So why not give it a try? Start small, my loves. Stay curious, and have fun along the way. Boa sorte e até breve! 🌍💬