Studying in the Pearl of the Neckar – My Heidelberg Story

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- August 2025, Julien Bonnaire

After an instructive first semester at the Sorbonne, it was time for me to continue my translation studies in a new academic and cultural environment.

So I packed my bags and set off for Germany to settle in Heidelberg, a symbolic city in the state of Baden-Württemberg. Heidelberg is located in the Neckar Valley, surrounded by green hills, and is often described as one of the most romantic cities in Germany, with its castle overlooking the baroque old town, its cobbled streets and its famous old bridge. But Heidelberg is not only a picturesque city, it also has a rich intellectual past.

View of the old bridge and Heidelberg Castle

The city was first mentioned in 1196, when it belonged to the Counts Palatine of the Rhine, a branch of the House of Wittelsbach, one of the most influential dynasties of the Holy Roman Empire. Under their leadership, Heidelberg became not only a strategic fortress, protected by its castle on the Königstuhl, but also a centre of political and cultural importance. According to legend, Heidelberg was founded on the banks of the Neckar River, at the spot where a knight encountered a water nymph. Other tales tell of the devil, who is said to have shaped the valley before humans settled there. It is said that the hill on which the castle stands today was once covered with heather and blueberry bushes. The inhabitants came there to pick these fruits, which were so abundant that, when viewed from a distance, the bushes gave the hill a blue-violet colour. One day, a traveller fell in love with this place and asked the villagers what this "blueberry mountain" was called. They replied in the local dialect with something like "Heidel-berg", and this name has remained.

Alte Universität Heidelberg

Founded in 1386, the university is the oldest in Germany. It played an important role in European intellectual history and attracted renowned thinkers, scientists and writers over the centuries, including Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Hannah Arendt, famous German philosophers and even the brother of the famous Thomas Mann, Heinrich Mann, who was also a writer. In 1518, Martin Luther held his ‘Heidelberg Disputation’ here, which played an important role in spreading the Reformation. The city also inspired the great German Romantics of the 19th century. In 2014, Heidelberg was designated a "City of Literature" by UNESCO. Here, words wander through the cobbled streets, carried by almost 200 writers and the vibrant life of publishers, booksellers, antiquarians and translators, who together shape the literary soul of the city.

Encouraged by this historical and academic background, I began the second part of my first academic year with enthusiasm to immerse myself in another culture while improving my translation skills. I spent a semester studying at the Institute for Translation and Interpreting at Heidelberg University. I had the opportunity to complete this semester as part of the 4EU+ programme. Thanks to this partnership between Sorbonne University and Heidelberg University, both members of the 4EU+ alliance, I was able to study at Germany's oldest university and continue my education.

In front of the Institute for Translation and Interpreting

This semester has given me a new perspective on translation studies. While translation in Paris is mainly approached from a theoretical, literary and stylistic point of view, in Heidelberg I was able to learn about technical translation. I had the opportunity to attend various courses covering a wide range of topics, such as technical translations in medicine, law and the audiovisual field, as well as general translations on various topics (the history of French cinema, the marine world, the history of the French language, etc.) and exercises in literary and journalistic translation, in which I was able to work on texts by important authors such as Franz Kafka and Bernhard Schlink, highlighting the cultural and linguistic subtleties of each individual text. I also had the opportunity to discover the field of machine translation: we tested various systems, analysed how they work and evaluated their efficiency using special software and scripts. This technological approach, which complements human translation, enabled me to better understand the current challenges associated with AI in our field. Finally, I expanded my skills by taking a course in translation from French to English. This semester was also marked by exciting lectures by renowned translators and researchers such as Professor Jörn Albrecht, who shared their expertise and raised current questions about the challenges of translation.

I took part in numerous excursions organised by the university, including a visit to the European Parliament in Strasbourg. We were in the plenary chamber to attend an official session. Thanks to the work of the interpreters, we were able to follow the discussions in several languages via headphones: English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, but also other, less common languages. The interpreters sit in their boxes and translate the speeches of the members of parliament in real time. We met Tillman Haak, himself a graduate of the Institute for Translation and Interpreting in Heidelberg. He works as an interpreter for English and French into German at the European Parliament. He introduced us to the profession of interpreting, explained how to pursue this career, and discussed the specifics of parliamentary interpreting. He then answered our numerous questions, which allowed us to learn more about the requirements and special features of this profession. We also spoke to Monika Braje, a translator for German and a graduate of the University of Hildesheim, who also works with English, French and Dutch. She introduced us to her career and described the responsibilities of a translator at the European Parliament in Strasbourg and Luxembourg.

Group photo at the European Parliament in Strasbourg

Far away from the hustle and bustle of Paris, I thoroughly enjoyed the peaceful and green atmosphere of Heidelberg, which invites reflection, writing... and reading. This city, with its romantic charm, inspired me to discover literary works whose plots take place in Heidelberg or are directly inspired by it. I reread The Reader by Bernhard Schlink, a novel strongly influenced by German contemporary history and mentioning many symbolic places in the city. I also discovered the novels of Ingrid Noll, an author of psychological thrillers who lived in Heidelberg and often set her stories there, subtly combining suspense, black humour and social criticism.

I enjoyed strolling through Heidelberg's picturesque streets, walking along the banks of the Neckar River and admiring the peaceful landscape that the city offers between the river and the hills. This semester also gave me the opportunity to get to know southern Germany better, a region I didn't know well enough yet, as my previous stays had been concentrated in the north of the country. This allowed me to broaden my cultural and geographical horizons by exploring several cities full of charm and history. I rediscovered Mainz and Würzburg and also had the opportunity to visit new cities such as Esslingen with its perfectly preserved medieval town centre, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a real Bavarian picture-postcard idyll, Tübingen with its lively student atmosphere, and many others.

 Photo collection

I am currently preparing to return to Paris after an academically and personally enriching semester. Having achieved very good results this semester, I am now turning my attention to the next step in my academic career: the start of my second year of master's studies at the Sorbonne. But this farewell is not the end: I am not saying goodbye to Heidelberg. Indeed, I will return next summer semester to write my master's thesis. Returning to this city with its peaceful atmosphere, stimulating intellectual environment and inspiring landscapes will allow me to work in ideal conditions and continue this enriching intercultural experience.

And then, with a light touch, I brushed my hands over the famous Heidelberg monkey, whispering to the wind a promise to return to the Pearl of the Neckar.

> Read my blog about my first semester at the Sorbonne