A New Look at Contextualization and Application: A Comprehensive Pedagogical Strategy for Business German.

This paper discusses the problems faced by teachers of business German, the possible goals of business German courses, and the design of an effective textbook to integrate business content and language skills. Special reference is made to the two-semester business German course offered by the University of Southern California (USC). The major goal of the USC course is to convey the basic background about the business world in German-speaking countries to students, focusing on culture and the presentation of specific contextualized content with immediate applicability in the target culture. The textbook designed for the course is, except for footnotes, entirely in German, and features chapters organized around topics. The chapter contents facilitate an interactive, communication-orientated approach by means of authentic text materials and coordinated activities. The vocabulary presented in the texts is cross-referenced with an encyclopedic listing of business terms in German. (MDM)