North Jersey – Antoinette Rainone 
Interested in conducting business around the world? It may seem obvious, but it’s highly beneficial to speak the language of the people you’re doing business with. “Business is conducted all over the world in real time in multiple languages,” said Dr. Maria Ann Roglieri, professor of foreign languages at St. Thomas Aquinas College in Sparkill, N.Y. “People in international business need to understand the language – and culture – of their clients.” Dr. Gladys Torres-Baumgarten, associate professor in international business at Ramapo College of New Jersey concurs. “In international business, there could be a scenario where someone in an international market is faced with doing business with two potentially viable business partners, but if one of them speaks the decision-maker’s language, chances are that the foreign language speaker will be given the business.” In pragmatic terms, it cannot be assumed that clients are fluent enough in English to conduct an entire meeting in English.(more)