The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year, undergraduate institution that educates and trains its students (cadets) to become future leaders in the US Army officer corps. The Department of Foreign Languages (DFL) at West Point plays an integral role in developing cadets' cultural and linguistic competencies in preparation for…

The standardization of second language proficiency levels for university students in Germany is discussed. Problems with the current system, in which each university has developed its own program of study and proficiency certification, are examined and a framework for development of a unified language certificate for all universities is outlined.…

Analyzes the objectives of foreign language teaching at the higher education level from the perspective of languages for specific purposes (LSP) and suggests that specifying the purpose of language teaching objectives in foreign language degree programs can contribute both to the practical relevance of graduates' proficiency and to the inner…

The federally funded Piedmont International Business Program of Lynchburg College has begun offering conversational Mandarin Chinese for people whose business activities bring them into contact with Chinese speakers. The course has three phases: an 8-week fall session with an enrollment of 11 students; two 8-week sessions offered in winter and…

The University of Toledo's Spanish and Legal Assisting program provides two degree tracks, a twenty-five course program in the Community and Technical College and a coordinated bachelor's program in the College of Arts and Sciences. The shorter legal assisting program provides training allowing individuals to work under an attorney's supervision,…

The National Association of Self-Instructional Language Programs (NASILP) offers a program option for institutions that lack the resources to develop a regular second language program but want to offer instruction in a broad range of languages for international businesses. The cost-effective, media-intensive approach consists of a controlled…

In response to the need for specialized French language skills among foreign students at France's prestigious engineering school, the Ecole Nationale de Lyon, an intensive language instruction program was developed. The 3-week program precedes the school year so that language immersion and orientation targeted to the particular student group can…

The Language and Culture Institute of the University of Pittsburgh has developed a 13-week program of pre-assignment training for engineers given corporate assignments in Japan. The Institute offers the corporations three components in this intensive seminar: program administration, language training, and culture training. The program…

A self-instructional program in German for undergraduate students of engineering at Trinity College, Dublin, was developed based on a questionnaire of student needs, language experience, and preferred instructional methods. The course design and instructional materials for the program emphasized oral/aural skills; moreover, counseling and academic…

The description of an international business major in a small liberal arts college outlines the program's development and the degree requirements as they have changed since its inception in 1977. In this process, foreign languages have become an integral part of the program design, reinforcing its value in the minds of faculty advisers as well as…

The Finnish Foreign Language Diploma for Professional Purposes, which tests English language skills, is described. The examination is intended for both individuals desiring certification of their knowledge and ability to use English in a professional context and for employers wanting independent evaluation for selection purposes. It measures…

The University of Ulster (Northern Ireland), a multicampus university in an economically depressed area highly dependent on international trade, and France's University of Caen, developed a program in European business studies with French as a key discipline. The four-year undergraduate program enrolls Irish students with good French proficiency…

At Millersville University (Pennsylvania), business German is taught in the German section in a two-semester introduction at the sophomore level, a junior-level advanced course, and a senior-level translation course. These four courses are augmented by introductions to business and economics, both taught in English outside the German section.…

Midway College, a two-year liberal arts college in Kentucky's Bluegrass region, established a business program emphasizing second language skills in response to the local need for personnel with knowledge of French or Spanish. The program brought together existing business and general studies courses, including geography, and new courses in…

The Niels Brock School of International Business in Denmark, an upper-division institution, offers a unique program in which students spend half of their time at the school and half in a real job in a participating export company. The participating companies are actively involved in developing program content and design, including joint…