The all-encompassing term "Medical Spanish" references the Spanish used by healthcare professionals. Medical Spanish courses have gained traction as the Spanish-speaking population in the U.S. continues to grow. Consequently, demand for courses in Medical Spanish and other areas of Spanish for Specific Purposes (SSP), a subfield of…

The Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures (DFLL) at University of Alabama Birmingham (UAB) is home to a pioneer program in Spanish for the Professions and Specific Purposes (SPSP) in US higher education. For the last two decades (2000-18), its Spanish curricula have been carefully experimenting and evolving to adjust to the societal…

Acquiring second language and intercultural skills tied to real-world contexts is key to personal and professional success for students in today's globally connected society. This paper defines and details the benefits of integrating a current Languages for Specific Purposes (LSP) approach, which connects language learning and intercultural skills…

Although it has existed for many decades in the national curriculum of U.S. higher education, the study of languages for business purposes has lacked a more serviceable and academically communal name--a more rigorous toponymic identity--by which to identify itself as a theory-based field of scholarship. The intention here is to propose for…

After the United States emerged as the major world economic leader following World War II, language curricula for specific purposes in international business were put into practice at the college and university levels. This article documents the work of the major players in the development of coursework and materials for business languages for…

This article offers an overview of how the Language Flagship Program integrates languages for specific purposes (LSP) components into its broader mission of having students graduate with Superior Level linguistic proficiency and cultural competence, thus being well equipped to function as global professionals in the major of their choice. Turning…

Describes the development of and the reaction to a course in Business French at the University of Hawaii. Its success, coupled with its recognition by state and academic officials, brought about the initiation of similar courses in other languages and the development of French for travel industry management majors. (SED)

A model for college-level translation training for the professions at the American University (District of Columbia) is described, and suggestions for adaptation are provided. The training consists of a translation component implemented in existing regular departmental foreign language courses. The model provides students with introductory…

Describes the origins, design, and content of a Japanese course offered by the University of Queensland (Australia) for staff in the tourist industry. A breakdown of skills to be learned in each lesson, a sample lesson plan, and sample exercises are included. (MSE)

Courses in business Italian have an important place in the traditional foreign language curriculum because they expose students to broader cultural areas in which they can exercise their foreign language skills. Guidelines for course development and some classroom activities are described. (CB)

Problems encountered by one small liberal arts college foreign language department in gaining and maintaining academic acceptance and support for business/foreign language courses are discussed. The initial challenge was to persuade the administration of the suitability of specialized business courses in a subject field (languages) viewed largely…

Describes courses that were developed for travel industry management degree programs to teach French, Spanish, Japanese, and Mandarin. Discusses the development of these programs, focusing on the Japanese courses. Explains the type of background information that was collected prior to developing materials for the first- and second-year Japanese…

A course in French offered at the University of Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania) law school is described. It is designed to familiarize law students with appropriate language for communicating with French-speaking clients and for understanding references to the French legal system and European Community likely to arise in international law practice. (MSE)

This paper proposes and describes a method of developing a special-purpose foreign language culture course providing cross-cultural training for professionals working in bilingual and bicultural settings. The following points are discussed: (1) ways of ascertaining the need for and the most appropriate type of cross-cultural training; (2)…

In response to the expressed need for cooperation between the academic and business sectors, Miami-Dade Community College established a Center for Business and Industry at the College's Mitchell Wolfson Campus in the Miami business district to centralize college programs, marketing, and other ties with the local business community. This…