If you were to take a poll in the streets of, let’s say, Milan, or Florence, or Rome, asking Italians what the most important language for business might be, we’d be willing to bet you’d collect only one answer: English. It’s no secret  that English is the most commonly spoken language in the world, and in countries like Italy,  being comfortable with its vernacular is easily among the best things one can do to increase the value of their own human capital, but what can we consider worthwhile competition in a country like the US, where English is the native tongue?

Well, if we contemplate the work of folks like Dr. Enza Antenos, director of the Montclair State University Language, Business & Culture Major, the answers seem to immediately come alive. Let us explain how: The program, which actually has five separate concentrations–students can select from Arabic, French, German, Italian or Spanish–aims to provide a cultural and linguistic counterpart to a business-oriented education.