On the Internet: 500th University of Heidelberg Press Release in English

30 March 2007

Main purpose of internet texts in English is (a) to inform the international press and doctoral students and visiting scientists/scholars of what is going on at the University of Heidelberg and (b) to convince them of the academic excellence the University has to offer

In late March this year, the University of Heidelberg posted its 500th press release in English on the internet (see http://www.uni-heidelberg.de/press/news/index.html). This service is designed (a) to keep the international press and doctoral students and visiting scientists/scholars of what is going on at the University and (b) to convince them of the academic excellence Germany's oldest university has to offer. The press releases are part of a very much more extensive news and information service posted on the internet in English.

At present, the most important topic for the University's international reputation is the Initiative for Excellence organised by the German Federal and state governments. With the help of a search engine internet users can easily click their way through to articles like "Excellent Prospects: Further Success for the University of Heidelberg in the Initiative for Excellence" dated 12 January 2007. But the range of subject matter is very much more extensive, encompassing recent developments in higher-education policy, research, teaching, current events at the University and much more.

The English news service is masterminded by the University's public information officer Dr. Michael Schwarz. The vast majority of the press releases are translated by Andrew Jenkins, a lecturer at the University's Department of Translation and Interpreting since 1971. In the course of the years Jenkins has become something of an expert on the terminological intricacies of higher-education policy and the specialist vocabularies employed by the wide range of departments at the University itself. He was prompted to come to Heidelberg by his fascination with the German language and culture, which, he tells us, has deepened even further during his career at the University. He has translated various image brochures for the University, extensive sections of the University's proposals for the Initiative for Excellence and a great deal more besides.

Over the past few years the University of Heidelberg has greatly extended its information services in English. Alongside the press releases and other internet texts, the new newsletter for students also contains articles in English specifically angled by Prof. Dr. Peter Comba, the vice-Rector responsible for this field of activity, at international doctoral students and post-docs. The University of Heidelberg introduced the newsletter at the beginning of the winter semester 2006/07. It is published every two weeks and sent exclusively to all students at the University. It can also be found on the internet as an online magazine entitled Journal@RupertoCarola (see http://www.uni-heidelberg.de/studium/journal).

Please address any inquiries to:
Dr. Michael Schwarz
Press Officer of the University of Heidelberg
phone: 06221/542310, fax: 54317
michael.schwarz@rektorat.uni-heidelberg.de
http://www.uni-heidelberg.de/presse/index.html

Irene Thewalt
phone: 06221/542310, fax: 542317
presse@rektorat.uni-heidelberg.de