International and professional associations

The list of associations below is not exhaustive. It includes the Commission’s usual partners in conference interpreting and translation. For other partners, please see conference sign language interpreting, public service interpreting, cooperation with universities, and Language Industry Expert Group (LIND).

Professional Associations

Association Internationale d'Interprètes de Conférence (AIIC)

AIIC is the only global association of conference interpreters. It brings together over 3 000 professionals from every continent. For over 60 years, AIIC has promoted high standards of quality in the profession and represented the interests of its practitioners. AIIC activities and projects aim to help individual practitioners, and the worldwide community of interpreters, meet the challenges of a rapidly changing world.

International Federation of Translators (FIT)

FIT is an is an international grouping of associations of translators, interpreters and terminologists. More than 100 professional associations and training institutes are affiliated, representing more than 80 000 translators in 55 countries. FIT’s goal is to promote professionalism in the disciplines it represents. 

FIT is a member of the LIND Expert Group.

European Society for Translation Studies (EST)

Founded in Vienna in 1992, the EST is an international network of translation and interpreting scholars, with members in more than 46 countries. It is a network for research, a forum for exchange and a centre for research resources. Its aims are to foster research in translation and interpreting, promote further education for translation and interpreting teachers, give advice on training translators and interpreters, and facilitate contacts between translation and interpreting practitioners and academic institutions.

International networks and associations

International Annual Meeting on Language Arrangements, Documentation and Publications (IAMLADP)

IAMLADP was set up in 1980 by the United Nations. It is an international forum and network of managers of international organisations that employ conference and language service providers – mainly translators and interpreters. The IAMLADP annual meeting is an opportunity for IAMLADP organisations to meet, take stock of the work accomplished by its working groups and task forces, exchange information, ideas and best practices and network with each other.

DG Interpretation and DG Translation have an excellent reputation among IAMLADP members and chair some of its working groups and task forces.

The EU hosted IAMLADP 2019. One of the meeting’s outcomes was the Brussels Statement on multilingualism. The statement is available in the EU’s 24 official languages and the UN’s 6 official languages.

IAMLADP 2025 was an online meeting co-hosted by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank between 30 June and 2 July 2025.

IAMLADP 2026 will be co-hosted by the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union, the European Commission, the Court of Justice of the European Union and the Council of Europe and will be held in Strasbourg, France.

Conférence Internationale Permanente d'Instituts Universitaires de Traducteurs et Interprètes (CIUTI)

Founded in 1960, CIUTI is the world’s oldest and most prestigious international association of university institutes with translation and interpretation programmes. Membership requires fulfilling strict quality criteria and serves as a distinct seal of quality.

DG Interpretation and DG Translation are regularly invited to CIUTI meetings.

Conference of Translation Services of European States (COTSOES)

Established in 1982, COTSOES is an active network of about 50 central government translation services from some 20 European countries. Its goals are to: 

• foster cooperation and the exchange of information and experience among public service language professionals.
• help its members with translation, interpretation, terminology and language technology issues. 

COTSOES is a member of the LIND Expert Group.

Heads of Interpreting Services (HINTS)

HINTS, created in 2006, is a worldwide network of heads of interpretation services that aims to exchange best practices.

Members provide advice, support each other on urgent matters and stay in regular contact.

DG Interpretation’s participation in HINTS enables it to cooperate with other international organisations’ language services, in particular in the field of interpretation.

European Federation of National Institutions for Language (EFNIL)

EFNIL was founded at the general assembly of its member institutions in 2003. Its members are those institutions, present in every EU country, whose role includes monitoring the official language or languages of their country, advising on language use or developing language policy. 

EFNIL provides a forum for these institutions to share information about their work and to gather and publish information about language use and language policy in the EU.

EFNIL is also responsible for the European Language Monitor (ELM), which aims to present an overview of linguistic legislation and planning in Europe. It does this through its database of the results of qualitative and quantitative research. In 2017, EFNIL launched a new project called ELIPS (European Languages and their Intelligibility in the Public Sphere). The project looks at the use of European languages as instruments of communication for government, legislation and public administration.

European Language Industry Association (ELIA)

ELIA is the European not-for-profit trade association of language service companies. It was founded in 2005, and it supports European language service providers by organising events, training and networking opportunities relevant to companies involved in translation, localisation, and related services. 

ELIA is a member of the LIND Expert Group. 

European Union of Associations of Translation Companies (EUATC)

The EUATC is an umbrella body of national associations of translation companies throughout Europe, with membership going beyond the EU. 

The EUATC provides a united voice for language services companies and promotes the highest standards of quality and business practice. It also helps to improve the training of linguists across Europe. 

EUATC is a member of the LIND Expert Group. 

Globalization and Localization Association (GALA)

GALA is an international non-profit trade association serving an international community of organisations and individuals working in the global language industry to facilitate multilingual communication and global business. GALA’s mission is to help its members succeed and to drive the industry’s development by building professional communities and sharing knowledge and best practices. 

GALA is a member of the LIND Expert Group.