Debut book by Slough teacher encourages parents to pass on mother tongue 'gift'

A teacher at Slough and Langley College is celebrating the publication of her first book about ‘families navigating multilingual lives’.

Juliana Valadares Saili has taught ESL – English to speakers of other languages – for two decades, having joined the teaching faculty when pregnant with her daughter, Leela.

Growing up in a multicultural household, with an Indian father and Brazilian mother, Leela, 20, was raised with ‘three languages floating around’ the house.

“People would ask me how Leela speaks such good Portuguese, and I said one day I'll sit down, and I'll reflect on that,” Juliana told the Express.

“This book was an attempt to answer that question. The strategies I used that were effective.”

After a 14-month writing process, her book, Nossa Jornada Bilíngue or Our Bilingual Journey, written in both Portuguese and English, tells the story of raising her daughter across cultures.

“I teach adult learners raising their own children in this country, so it's a parallel journey for me as a teacher and a mother in Slough,” she said.

“I found it inspirational how my students didn't use their children as their English teacher and thought it was important to pass on their own dialects.

“I absolutely love living in Slough because of the multiculturalism. You’re much more open to how people behave differently in other cultures.

“My book is about connection and how you are more loved because you can be loved in different languages, but it's also about the opportunities.

“That connection you can have with intergenerational family – language being the conduit. Languages are important to embrace your heritage.”

Juliana said Leela is ‘very grateful’ to know multiple languages and wrote a prologue about the experience as she ‘encourages parents to give this gift to their children too’.

However, Juliana, 48, has seen politics discourage children from speaking their mother tongue outside the home.

“Children sometimes don't want to talk their minority language because they don't want to be seen as a different person,” she added.

“Leela felt comfortable because we were in Slough, and she was not the only child who was going to greet her parents in a language that wasn’t English.

“I never felt different in Slough. I see people from all over the world. I can be myself.”

Juliana is also hosting a physical book launch this evening (Friday) with key people who were part of her writing journey, including representatives from the Brazilian Consulate, Brazilian Library and a Brazilian Radio Station.

Originally from Salvador, Juliana is recognised internationally for her work combining bilingual education and artificial intelligence. Last year, she took a sabbatical and joined Leela on her gap year in Brazil, where she began writing her book.

“I simply started writing in Portuguese, and because I wanted to share it with my husband, I translated the first chapter into English, so I was writing in both languages,” she said.

“The book was conceived in Portuguese, and AI translates it with my supervision, so the English version is probably 85 per cent Chat GPT with 50 per cent of me correcting it.

“It's my first book with no publisher, so I used AI to play the role of an editor.

“I’m a mother with a story to tell, and I had the support of this new AI tool that I train people to use.”

She said it's ‘fascinating’ to see her book reach ‘far away’ places, and the initial response has been ‘great’.

“People are phoning and sending messages saying ‘my kids see themselves in this’ or they have picked up good tips from this,” said Juliana.

“When I get those responses, it's almost like somebody praises your child and you're just so proud.”