Language Classes Popular for Profit and Fun

Registration for foreign language classes for corporate employees seems to be following the trends in international commerce, New York’s Pace University reports. The school’s World Trade Institute says the fastest growth in registration over the last five years has been in Brazilian, probably as Brazil and other Latin American countries have gained importance. Enrollment in Mandarin Chinese has increased throughout the decade but dropped 2% since the Asian economic crisis began. Demand for Japanese courses peaked in 1990-91 and has fallen 14% since then, just as that country’s economy has weakened. But it appears not all students have business needs in mind--the school says registration for Italian rises in the spring, just as managers are making their vacation plans.