The George Washington University Center for International Business Education and Research (GW-CIBER), located in the GW School of Business, announces the relaunch of the journal Global Business Languages, the only peer-reviewed journal in the U.S. with a focus on cutting-edge scholarship in the field of business language studies. Purdue University originally founded the journal in 1996 and hosted it until its last issue in 2014.
At its new home at GW, Global Business Languages will publish high-caliber research in the field of business language studies, an area of scholarly inquiry focused on the study and use of languages for business and related professional purposes. Bringing the journal to GW will elevate the university’s standing in the above field and contribute to its aspiration to becoming a preeminent research university.
“Taking on this journal is a reflection of the strength of GW-CIBER and its commitment to fostering strong cross-disciplinary collaboration between language and international business faculty,” Anna Helm, GW-CIBER director and associate teaching professor of international business, said. “This move also reaffirms our position as a regional and national resource center for business language teaching and scholarship.”
Margaret Gonglewski, a GW associate professor of German and international affairs, and Mohssen Esseesy, a GW associate professor of Arabic and international affairs, will co-edit the journal. These GW faculty have published within the field of business language studies and understand the importance of the field in the 21st century global context, particularly in terms of its value in connecting the study of foreign language and culture with the professions.
The scholarly communications team at GW Libraries and Academic Innovation developed and will host the journal's website as part of its commitment to promoting open-access scholarship. The team also assisted with the transfer from Purdue University Press and provided guidance on copyright issues.
The journal relaunch, including the unveiling of the first issue of Global Business Languages at GW, will take place at the International Symposium on Language for Specific Purposes and Centers for International Business Education and Research Business Language Conference, held on March 5-7, 2020, at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
The relaunch is a project of the business language programs of GW-CIBER, where Dr. Gonglewski serves as the faculty coordinator. The journal launch is supported by a Title VI grant from the U.S. Department of Education.
GW-CIBER promotes the nation’s capacity for international understanding and economic enterprise related to the Center's theme of Institutions, Inclusive Globalization and U.S. Competitiveness. This theme draws on strong GW faculty capabilities across a range of disciplines, as well as university-wide interests in promoting economic development through scholarship, education and outreach to the business, academic and policy communities. Over the past twelve years GW-CIBER has established itself as a regional leader in business language teaching by offering professional development to teachers and by developing business language courses and materials for business-oriented Arabic, Chinese, German, Hebrew, Japanese, Korean and Russian.