The Illinois in Vienna Programs offer you the chance to become fluent in German and to use your language skills to explore the multicultural and multilingual components of a society in the midst of dynamic political, cultural, and economic change. German is one of the most important languages for international business and will become even more important in the near future. Austria is in the center of the new Europe. Over 700 international firms have offices there. The Federal Republic of Germany, one of the world's largest exporters, plays a leading role in the European Union. Students with German language training will be able to serve in the international arena as business personnel, engineers, lawyers, etc. more competently than those who lack this skill.