Walter was born in Mannheim in 1942. In the
postwar period, hearing and speaking the Kurpfalz dialect of his
hometown, he grew up early with an awareness of other dialects and
languages. He studied English and Romance languages and literatures at
the universities of Heidelberg, Rennes (France), and Swansea (Wales),
earning his doctorate in Heidelberg in 1971. He taught at various
universities in the United States and English linguistics and Medieval
Studies at the University of Heidelberg from 1974 until his retirement
in 2005. In addition to his academic publications, he is known far
beyond the region as a translator and dialect author and has received
several awards (e.g. Emichsburg Prize 2017 for his service to the
Palatinate dialect, dialect literature and regional culture). Walter Sauer was named “Chevalier de l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres” by the French Ministry of Culture for his “outstanding contributions to cultural cooperation between Germany and France.”
