In the area of business-related language training, the United States lags behind Europe, where graduate business schools require at least one foreign language with business proficiency for graduation. In most United States institutions, the long-standing policy of departmentalization and a perceived dichotomy between the humanities and traditional business areas persist. Curricula in commercial French should be redefined and geared toward the professional rather than the service sector. Textbooks must address economic analysis, issues of terminology, and government regulation. Instruction should incorporate presentation skills, simulation of negotiation, and sensitization to nonverbal behavior and corporate culture. At the intermediate level, discussion should incorporate analysis of organizational charts, business card use, and culture-based differences in presentation modes and market strategies. An undergraduate or graduate program could include rotating semester courses in which a single specific economic or technical field is emphasized. Socioliterary and historical courses are also useful for developing an understanding of French corporate culture. Debunking stereotypes and adapting French communication skills to concrete transactional situations will allow Americans to deal successfully in all French-speaking areas of the world. (MSE)