Dorothee Heller

Dorothee Heller is a Full Professor of German Language and Linguistics (L-LIN/14) at the Department of Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Cultures of the University of Bergamo, where she has been employed since 1998. She has held significant leadership positions including Vice-Rector for International Relations, President of the Single Guarantee Committee (CUG), President of the Master's Degree Program in Modern Languages for International Communication and Cooperation, and Head of International Relations for the Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures. Currently, she serves as the Rector's Delegate for International Strategic Partnerships and is a member of the Board of the Graduate School of Doctoral Studies.

Heller earned her BA and PhD in German and Romance Studies from the University of Bonn. Her teaching career spans multiple institutions including the University of Florence, the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan, and the University of Modena/Reggio Emilia before her long-term appointment at the University of Bergamo.

Her research focuses on contemporary German varieties and specialized languages, with particular emphasis on contrastive approaches between German and Italian. She investigates writing conventions and discursive practices in academic communication, semantic and pragmatic features of normative technical language, and more recently, the linguistic analysis of literary translation and knowledge transmission. Her work demonstrates a strong interdisciplinary approach connecting linguistics with translation studies, legal communication, and academic discourse.

The analysis of her recent publications (2020-2024) reveals consistent themes across her scholarly output. Heller has published extensively on phraseology, linguistic creativity in translation, legal language popularization, and contrastive linguistics between German and Italian. Her research shows a clear progression from theoretical linguistic analysis to practical applications in knowledge transmission, particularly in specialized domains like law and academia. The interdisciplinary nature of her work bridges linguistic theory with real-world communication challenges.

As an academic leader, Heller has refereed doctoral theses at universities across Europe including Erfurt, Forlì, Heidelberg, Trento, and Verona. She has participated in numerous national and international research projects and has organized multiple international conferences. Her involvement in academic governance extends to serving on the Board of Directors, the Integrated Academic Senate, and various committees focused on international relations and gender equality.

Heller's research activities include membership on the Scientific Committee of several research centers, institutions, academic series, and journals. Her work demonstrates sustained engagement with both theoretical linguistic frameworks and practical applications of language research in educational and institutional contexts. Her recent focus on the linguistic analysis of literary translation and knowledge transmission practices represents an evolution of her longstanding interest in language variation and specialized communication.