Since the publication of the report of the President's Commission on Foreign Languages and International Study, U.S. incompetence in foreign languages, as well as efforts of secondary and post-secondary institutions to remedy the matter, have received much attention. Course offerings and curricular innovations have attempted to meet the career needs of students. Business German language courses are a popular innovation on the university level. The content for such a course is the language and culture of the Federal Republic of Germany. The cultural content focuses on economic geography, that is, the information a student would need to function effectively in the corporate world where Germany occupies a prominent place. With regard to the linguistic content, language usage as it relates to business practices and the corporate structure of a German firm must be taught. This includes business correspondence, financial and technical terminology, and concepts that define German management structure. Use of primary sources of various kinds afford timely instructional materials. In urban areas, contact with representatives of German firms is possible. One benefit of such contacts is the cordial environment such a meeting can bring about. (AMH)