A few years after World War I – at the age of five – Heyward had the overwhelming task of attending a school in Paris without, at first, having any knowledge of French.

[1] With the most of Elisabeth's upbringing being in France, Heyward's education was almost exclusively French, and she later attended an institution that offered advanced studies in trade and commerce.

Although they had stated that the milieu of her education had been male-dominated, Heyward finished her schooling with excellent accomplishment and had become fluent in English, winning first prize, in fact, during an English-language competition.

[1] After World War II, Heyward was able to demonstrate her incredible talent as a polyglot while working at the France Presse news agency.

Heyward's experience at France Presse eventually led to her interpreting career, first during the Nuremberg Trials and then for the United Nations in New York.