*the following definition is taken directly from the ACTFL 21st Century Skills Map (p. 5)

Financial, Economic, Business, and Entrepreneurial Literacy. Students in language classes learn about financial and economic issues in the target language culture(s) and are able to compare and contrast with those of the United States.  According to the Committee for Economic Development (CED), “…cultural competence and foreign language skills can prove invaluable when working on global business teams or negotiating with overseas clients.” In addition, the changing demographics in the U.S. make language capability a requisite for interacting with non-English speaking communities domestically as well as internationally. Those who are able to communicate with others in their native language will naturally feel more empowered to negotiate with those around the world as they engage in entrepreneurial activities