Florida International University

Dr. Julio Cortés, a linguistics professor and etymologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, once advised his students, «the time that you spend testing an idea that does not work is not wasted; rather it is equally as important as the time you have spent searching for an idea that works, since you have found out what is not the truth». His advice serves as an appropriate introduction to this study of foreign languages for business in the secondary school curriculum, which reveals more of what is not there than what is!

The purpose of the study was to investigate the extent to which foreign languages for business had penetrated the secondary school curriculum. The twenty most populous states were chosen as a representative sample for the nation since it was assumed that these states would be more likely to have foreign language for business programs in their urban high schools than less populated, predominantly rural states.

To conduct the survey, telephone interviews with state foreign language supervisors and a questionnaire were used. The original questionnaire had to be modified to the following three questions due to the lack of information available and the dearth of foreign language for business programs at the secondary level:

1. Does your state have a policy, plan, or curriculum guide that advocates the inclusion of foreign languages for business in the secondary school curriculum? If so, please describe it.

2. Do you know of any teachers, high schools or school districts, that teach foreign languages for business as part of a course unit, as a separate course, or a special program? If so, please describe.

3. Do you foresee that your state will actively encourage the study of foreign languages for business at the secondary level over the next five years? In your opinion, are more such courses likely to appear in the future?

The telephone interviews with the foreign language supervisors or their assistants were conducted in March, 1986. The response rate   —167→   to the survey was ninety percent, with responses from eighteen out of twenty states. Several of the supervisors suggested consulting the foreign language program specialists in local school districts, school administrators, conference directors, and foreign language association officers for further information. From these referrals, more detailed information about several programs and local policies was obtained.

According to the survey results (see Appendix 1), few states offer foreign languages for business at the secondary level. Only Virginia and Louisiana have specific examples of pilot programs and high schools that offer business Spanish and business French courses. In Fairfax County, Virginia for example, the district foreign language supervisors are planning a pilot program for academic year 1986-87 in several schools for students who have at least two years of Spanish language study. The program is entitled «Spanish for the Business World» and will consist of two contact hours per day: one hour of Spanish language instruction and one hour of business content. Also in Virginia, a Chesterfield County honors program offers practical experience in foreign languages. In this program, students have mentorships with companies, and engage in such activities as conducting tours for foreign visitors in the target language through the Phillip Morris plant or through local museums.

The majority of the foreign language supervisors interviewed knew of no business education units, courses, or programs or were not certain whether any high schools in their states offered such courses or included such units in the curriculum. Supervisors in Tennessee, Missouri, Georgia, and Florida believed that such courses might exist in isolated instances in their states. Apparently specific information regarding the existence of foreign languages for business in the secondary curriculum is best obtained from individual school districts, especially those with magnet schools for foreign language instruction, international high schools, or large language minority populations.

The issue of career education was raised by several supervisors as a possible venue for business foreign language programs. Both the New York and California supervisors mentioned that these programs, popular several years ago, might still be part of the curriculum in some French and Spanish classes in high schools around their states. In the past, all content area classes were required to have a career education component, but presently few high schools still offer the units in foreign language classes.

Regarding the existence of a state policy that encourages the inclusion of foreign languages for business in the curriculum, only Florida and Wisconsin have such a policy in their state curriculum guides for the local school districts. The course «Spanish for Business» is listed in Florida's curriculum framework and in the state course code directory. To be qualified to teach the course, the instructor must hold certification in Spanish. The course content includes writing business correspondence in Spanish and the translation of business documents. The prerequisite for the course is Spanish III or above. However, the course was last taught two years ago at Hillsboro High School in Tampa, and was not being taught during the 1986 academic year.

The new foreign language curriculum guide of Wisconsin, published in March, 1986, takes the innovative functional-notional approach and details communicative functions of language and levels of proficiency recommended for the various courses in secondary school. The guide mentions business applications of foreign languages and refers to business etiquette and social work situations. However, the Wisconsin supervisor knew of no high schools in Wisconsin that currently offer business language courses.

Regarding the future of foreign languages for business in the secondary school curriculum, most supervisors felt that very little would change regarding state policy toward such courses in the next five years. The majority also believed that the presence of business foreign languages at the secondary level would not increase significantly in the near future due to the fact that foreign language programs are involved with other state mandates (such as new foreign language requirements for freshmen entering state colleges and universities), developing communicative competence and proficiency, and emphasizing a content-oriented approach to teaching foreign languages. Some supervisors commented that students don't have enough time to learn the basics in secondary school, much less learn specialized business language. Also, high school students have not yet decided on a   —168→   career, and thus, foreign languages for business courses or units were inappropriate at this level.

The aforementioned results indicate little positive information available about the presence of foreign languages for business in the secondary school curriculum. Undoubtedly more precise information could be obtained through a study of local school districts in urban areas with high concentrations of language minority students, magnet schools that emphasize foreign languages, and international high schools. According to the results of the present study, the trend toward applied language studies appears to be limited to higher education and has not spread to the secondary schools. Perhaps this is the time to restructure the secondary school Spanish curriculum to include lessons and mini-units in Spanish for business and other career areas.

Hispania [Publicaciones periódicas]. Volume 71, Number 1, March 1988