A discussion of expert systems, computer programs designed to simulate human reasoning and expertise, begins with the assumption that few business educators understand the impact that expert systems will have on international business. The fundamental principles of the design and development of expert systems in business are outlined, with special emphasis placed on the linguistic aspects and structure of the knowledge base needed to support an expert system. The organization and architecture of a typical expert system is illustrated, and the computer software necessary to automate the production of expert systems is discussed. An example demonstrates how an expert system originally developed in English can be modified for French-speaking users. The translation process involves two simple steps. A set of translation rules convert the external language-dependent input variables into the external knowledge-dependent functional variables, and then display statements are translated. The structure, simplicity, and directness of expression of the information in the knowledge base reduces the effort needed in these language transformations. It is concluded that just as FORTRAN and COBOL have become international languages of data processing and scientific computing, expert systems can be an effective means of capturing complex business knowledge and offering this knowledge to an international community of users. (MSE)