Picture someone in Brooklyn who runs a small wine import business. Most of her conversations with growers in France and Italy happen through English-speaking middlemen, and she feels a lot gets lost along the way.
Wine is a relationship business. For someone like this, being able to talk with growers in their own language, about the vineyard, the vintage and the family behind the label, could open doors that a translated email never would.
A learner like her might start with French, working with a tutor on the vocabulary of her trade, and add Italian later. Over time she could find herself visiting growers and having real conversations at the table, not just placing orders.