In Toronto, however, where English prevails, your business contacts are likely to be Anglophone Canadians.

ECONOMIST: Business travel

But Mr Premji believes that once China has trained enough people to speak English, it will be a real competitive threat to his business.

BBC: Azim Premji, CEO Wipro

That, says Mahendra Negi, chief financial officer of Trend Micro, a Tokyo-based computer-virus company, is bound to be a low-margin business, as all it really involves is translation from English into Japanese.

ECONOMIST: Software in Japan

Even if justified by business necessity in these situations, an English-only policy should not be applied to casual conversations between employees when they are not performing job duties.

FORBES: English-Only Policies in the Workplace: Are They Legal? Are They Smart?

For monolingual employers and supervisors, the adoption of an English-only policy may seem perfectly reasonable, and may even be a business necessity.

FORBES: English-Only Policies in the Workplace: Are They Legal? Are They Smart?

"It's terrible business ethics to be lying and then just get people to sign a contract, especially if English isn't their first language, " says Richard Painter, professor of corporate law at the University of Minnesota.

FORBES: Magazine Article

French used to be the lingua franca for most EU business, but with the expansion of the EU to 25 member states, English is becoming even more dominant.

BBC: NEWS | Europe | Chirac upset by English address

Their parents likely had no inkling that their future female offspring would be sitting at a computer taking an English-language standardized test in hopes of embarking on a career in business.

FORBES: The New MBAs Who Are Changing The Definition Of Leadership