Heidelberg is a true interpreters‘ city: Heidelberg University is one of few in Germany offering an M.A. in conference interpreting. That’s why there are so many interpreters living in the city.
This also means that there are numerous interpreters living and working in Heidelberg and Mannheim, forming a vast network of colleagues specialised in all kinds of fields for a large number of languages.
Interpreter training in Heidelberg
Being an interpreter not only requires quick thinking and reaction, but also a high degree of focus and attention. An interpreter needs to be able to immediately grasp the message of any statement and transfer it into another language. All that without distorting the actual meaning or missing important information. In order to master all these skills, university training is the best training possible.
I started my university training with a B.A. in translation studies, then completed the M.A. conference interpreting, both at Heidelberg University. There, I was trained by freelance interpreters and got a first glimpse into the life of an interpreter. Years later and now a freelance conference interpreter myself, I’m still grateful for the experience.
The institute’s Monday Conference is another major element of interpreter training at Heidelberg University. It’s a weekly symposium with expert speakers from around the world, interpreted by students.
Finding an interpreter
Professional associations like VKD are a great starting point for everyone looking for a professional interpreter. Only those complying with high professional standards and ethics can successfully become memebers and build a strong networks of equally professional colleagues. This is a major benefit for clients planning a larger or more complex multilingual event. Being part of a professional association, we can always find the right colleague for a job, even for the rarest languages.