Perspectives on the interplay of translation, interpreting, and language studies regularly position these related fields in various stages of tension. Renewed interest in translation and interpreting may lead to their incorporation in language programs in an effort to provide cross-cultural and translingual skills for graduates. Such curricular…

Recommends that foreign language courses in college be restructured to provide separate tracks for students pursuing language study for different purposes. The tracks are: (1) for language majors, (2) for students preparing for international professions, and (3) for students who need to fulfill foreign language requirements. (SED)

Despite a growing trend and early successes, program development for business language courses is still in its early stages. Curriculum developers have much work to do, many decisions to make, and a variety of problems to solve, most important of which are content, approaches, learning systems, and instructional strategies. First, the program type…

Foreign language departments at U.S. colleges have traditionally tended to limit their language for business offerings to one course per language. Attempts to expand the business foreign language curriculum may meet with resistance from traditional foreign language departments over the issue of academic priorities. Careful prior planning, specific…

The process of obtaining funding for the Eastern Michigan University Language and International Trade program is recounted and suggestions are made for funding similar programs. After several unsuccessful attempts to acquire federal funds, a Title VI grant was awarded to set up degree programs in language and international trade. Support was also…

The development of a marketing strategy for business Spanish courses by means of situational analysis is described. The planner of marketing strategy must consider demand for a course, institutional acceptance, and financial support. A survey of 508 universities revealed a low level of demand for business Spanish which could potentially be…

The development of commercial foreign language courses by colleges and universities would help to satisfy the need for language enrollments and the expressed need of the international business community for foreign language skills in American business employees. Three major problems inhibit commercial language course development: limited…

The program, curriculum, and materials needed to provide business Spanish training are described, and the available instructional materials are reviewed and listed. In developing a business Spanish program, decisions must be made regarding goals, content, structure, instructional format, evaluation procedures, and target population. The content of…

Describes the experiences of one instructor in designing and implementing a short course in scientific French for upper level students majoring in applied biology at Glasgow College. Materials used and aspects of scientific language chosen are briefly discussed. (LMO)

Experiences in developing "Business Japanese" courses for the undergraduate major in Language and International Trade at Eastern Michigan University are described. In 1987, six new courses in Japanese were proposed so that Japanese could be offered as a language specialty in the program. Issues considered in defining business Japanese…

Eleven papers cover the Language and International Trade Program at Clemson University, similar foreign language programs at other universities, and the role of government funding in the development of such programs. The papers include the following: (1) "The Language and International Trade Program at Clemson University: Remarks on Program…

Eastern Michigan University's (EMU) bachelor's (B.A.) and master's (M.A.) programs in Language and International Trade began in 1978, and have awarded 181 B.A. and 249 M.A. degrees in their first 10 years. Two surveys of program graduates revealed that most are employed in jobs with international concerns. Alumni observations strongly reflected…

Failures and successes in teaching commercial foreign languages will speak for themselves. However, the profession must not foster exaggerated expectations of mastery in such a broad field, but must state honestly and realistically, with clear limits, what the commercial language course's goals are. In a college course enrolling somewhat…

The development of an intensive Italian course for science students attending Somalia's National University is described. The historical background for this project, sponsored by the Italian Government and staffed by Italian teachers, is outlined. Course objectives, methods, and organization are illustrated by samples of instructional materials,…

The University of Rhode Island's International Engineering Program leads to two degrees: a B.A. in German and a B.S. in engineering. A major problem in program development was lack of appropriate instructional materials and recommended methodology for technical German courses. An instructional unit on the diesel motor illustrates how materials…