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English has long been the language of the business world, but in order to work in the international marketplace, being multi-lingual is becoming increasingly important. This is the reason why we at IACE (Italian American Committee on Education) www.iacelanguage.org believe that the approach early in life to a foreign language is essential. IACE, founded in 1975, is still around because it was created to promote a beautiful ‘product’ called “Italian Language and Culture”. Today we have almost 38,000 students in public and private schools of the tri-state area learning Italian from the first grade to senior year of high school.

Italian culture and heritage are present in every single aspect of the American life, food, fashion, music, research, and engineering.
The only way to preserve and extend the ties between the two great countries of Italy and America is by teaching American children and adults how to speak Italian. Knowing another language gives the means to explore and penetrate another culture, its politics, its cuisine, its music, its literature, its ways of living and thinking. Connecting with people in their native language not only enriches relationships, but allows one to better understand their outlook on different subjects. There is more at stake than just the mechanics of putting together words to convey a message: instead of the barrier of a back and forth translation, one can immediately be on the same wavelength.
To develop a better and more trustful relationship with Italy, speaking Italian can be even more important than it is in other European countries, because almost every Italian has a relative, close or distant, in America, and for that reason Italians love America. Our relation is so strong and goes so far back that Americans chose an Italian, Amerigo Vespucci, to name their country! Nobody should be afraid to speak a foreign language. More so, some feel that a little bit of an accent may give a person a refined or sophisticated touch! (While that may be true, accent is like alcohol: too much can be a liability!). And when people in Italy see you try to speak their language, unembarrassed to make mistakes, they are more likely to attempt to communicate and help you. There are one thousand reasons why everyone should learn Italian. I want to concentrate here on one, the business aspect. There are many Italian companies in the USA searching for people with specific attributes and who can communicate in both languages.
The opportunities are in industries such as bikes & motorcycles, cars, helicopters, books, ceramics, cinema, food & wine, gifts & house wares, home furnishing, jewelry, machine tools, the eyewear industry and the fashion industry. Nowadays Milan has become the center of fashion, with names like Armani, Gucci, Roberto Cavalli , Dolce Gabbana, Versace, Ermenegildo Zegna , Geox, Ferragamo, Valentino, Max Mara, Missoni, to name the more important ones.
The tourism industry: more than 5 million Americans visited Italy in 2007. Florence is still the most visited city in the world. Let us repeat here that Italy is one of the seven most important world economic powers, and, with its 60 million inhabitants, it exports almost 28 billion dollars a year to the U.S. I am sure that a new generation of entrepreneurs, with a better knowledge of the Italian language and a better understanding of the Italian culture, will be able to reach new horizons and accomplish more sooner.
On the lighter and more leisurely side, knowing the Italian language allows one to enjoy and participate so much more in touring or visiting the country, its amazing cities, churches, museums, or even in ordering from the menu in a restaurant! All of this does add a dimension to one’s social interaction and traveling experience, and does make it easier!
There is much more awareness today that speaking a second language is no longer superfluous or a luxury reserved to the few. Studies show that in the near future, half the populations in the civilized world will speak a second language. Learning one or more foreign languages not only extends one’s experience of the world, but it also deepens and expands the vocabulary and grammar of one’s own mother tongue, as well as the structure of one’s own mind.

*President of IACE (Italian American Committee on Education)