Imagine that your boss has asked you to travel to another country to negotiate a delicate business situation – and the negotiations will be conducted in a language that you don’t know. Your powers of negotiation won’t be of much benefit if you can’t understand your hosts or make yourself understood to them. How can you prepare yourself to do an effective job?

Or, imagine that you’ve been asked to spend several months at one of your company’s overseas facilities. You won’t just need to speak the local language for the duration of a meeting, but for the duration of your stay – and the few words and phrases you remember from your high school language course won’t be sufficient.

Maybe there’s no need for you to simply imagine these scenarios – the global economy may make these or similar situations a reality for you.

A language immersion course specifically designed for business may be the solution. Language immersion is a method of teaching a second language that uses the language to be learned not just as subject matter, but as the teaching tool. Most course activities are conducted in the second language, surrounding students with the sound and meaning of the language they want to master.

Language immersion courses are demanding – plan to put in eight to 12 hours of learning each day. These courses are designed not for someone who is simply interested in a second language, but for people who have a compelling need to understand and speak it. Often, students start reading and speaking the second language in just a few days and can potentially achieve fluency in a few weeks.

There are language immersion schools in the U.S. and around the world. Many specialize in specific languages. Some offer cultural immersion as well, incorporating cooking, music or dance lessons.

Language immersion is an intense and fascinating experience – and, you’ll emerge better equipped to do business effectively on your next international assignment.