Although Americans are not known worldwide for language proficiency, we seem to be reaching out. Just about all of us know people who handle two languages easily. If we've done much travel, we've met people who use three or more. Evidently we do it because we have to: Americans normally don't reach out for languages otherwise.

A recent New York Times article notes that sales growth in language products exceeds not only that of books but of software products in general. Their reporter Jane Levere put together a useful list of companies and products. She cautions against buying a comprehensive course if we need only a cut-down version for a trip.

Among short courses for travelers are the Walk and Talk Guides available on Amazon from $15 in French and Italian. They are CDs in the language, providing maps, and describing walking tours. One rave review appears there also. Earworms is an English company that provides, in French, Spanish, Italian, German, Greek, Chinese, and Japanese, a CD of 200 phrases set to music for $23.16. The pitch is that they stay in your head because of the tunes. Berlitz Rush-Hour CDs exist in French, Spanish, Italian, English and German and sell for $24.95. They're available on Amazon too.

To achieve some real proficiency in using the language, we can also turn to Berlitz. If there's a need to reach out in the job world, see the Berlitz Corporate Business Seminars. They've assessed the need, and they've got it right. They provide seminars on team-building, intercultural management skills, and on how to do presentations. They even have one on successful global negotiations: this one hopefully goes into all the non-verbal communications that don't cross borders (even our gestures for YES and NO can convey the opposite meaning!). All these skills are the really tricky stuff, the stuff some of us spent years in graduate school to learn. It's great to see language teaching move away from academics and get the right skills to people in a timely manner.

Simon and Schuster has good stuff on offer also, although less of it. Their breakdown is from Quick and Simple to Comprehensive, through levels they call Basic, Compact, and Conversational. The most complete is a 30-Lesson course for $345; but all the others are very economical.

The largest language business of all is Rosetta Stone which offers 28 languages, two versions of English (British and American) and two versions of Spanish (old world and new world). All the offerings involve considerable cost. Each language is offered in a 92-lesson Level I format for $195, a Level II format for $225, a combined Levels format or $325, or an online monthly subscription. That runs $50 for one month, $90 for three months, or $150 for six.

Their approach to language seems entirely sound, dealing progressively with listening, speaking, reading and writing, in that order. If you know anyone who has tried these, please let us hear. We may all have to learn some Chinese, don't you think? We can at least hope to operate across borders with a little more ease than we do now. Send us your thoughts...