JOIN AIIC
Membership of the International Association of Conference Interpreters is a sign of professional excellence, demonstrating to potential employers that you meet the highest standards of professional skills and ethics.
Membership is open to all conference interpreters who share our values and commitment to maintaining the highest professional standards, so what are you waiting for? Start the process today by asking members who have worked with you to sponsor your application.
Professional Experience
Step one in the AIIC admissions process is to ensure that you have worked at least 150 days as a conference interpreter.
At least 50 of those days should be in each of the language combinations in your application. No need to apply with all your language combinations right away - you can add further languages once you reach the requisite number of days or find sponsors.
List the assignments you have done, either remotely or in-person, on the application forms in a reverse chronological order. Staff interpreters, or interpreters who primarily work for a single institution, can opt to provide a certificate from that institution instead, stating the period of employment, language combinations, days worked in each language pair and indicating when any new languages were added.
No need to worry if you don’t have enough days yet to apply as a candidate - how about becoming a pre-candidate? All it takes is 3 active members vouching that you work as a conference interpreter to open the door to the many benefits of AIIC membership as you continue to build your professional network of future sponsors. Find out more about pre-candidacy, click here.
At least 50 of those days should be in each of the language combinations in your application. No need to apply with all your language combinations right away - you can add further languages once you reach the requisite number of days or find sponsors.
List the assignments you have done, either remotely or in-person, on the application forms in a reverse chronological order. Staff interpreters, or interpreters who primarily work for a single institution, can opt to provide a certificate from that institution instead, stating the period of employment, language combinations, days worked in each language pair and indicating when any new languages were added.
No need to worry if you don’t have enough days yet to apply as a candidate - how about becoming a pre-candidate? All it takes is 3 active members vouching that you work as a conference interpreter to open the door to the many benefits of AIIC membership as you continue to build your professional network of future sponsors. Find out more about pre-candidacy, click here.
Sponsorship
Once you've clocked up enough days, step two is to find sponsors for each of your language combinations.
You will need:
Collecting signatures from sponsors is the perfect opportunity for developing contacts and show your commitment to joining AIIC. Chances are you’ve already met and worked with AIIC members, even if you hadn’t realised it.
Easy ways to find potential sponsors are by:
You will need:
- At least 3 sponsors. The number will vary depending on how many language combinations you are applying for.
- Sponsors who have been active members of AIIC (not associate members or pre-candidates) for at least 5 years with the language they are sponsoring you for.
- At least 2 sponsors with their professional address in the same region as you.
Collecting signatures from sponsors is the perfect opportunity for developing contacts and show your commitment to joining AIIC. Chances are you’ve already met and worked with AIIC members, even if you hadn’t realised it.
Easy ways to find potential sponsors are by:
- consulting the AIIC Directory to find members in your region and/or with the same language combination(s) as you.
- contacting the regional bureau through AIIC Secretariat. They will be happy to advise you on how to meet sponsors and will ensure you are invited to local events.
If you are lucky enough to have a truly unique language combination, finding the right sponsors may prove trickier, but we've provided for that too.
Simply collect as many sponsors as you can, even if they don’t have the right language combination, as this will provide proof of your professional skills, professional ethics, and your determination to join AIIC. You can then request a waiver from the Committee on Admissions and Language Classification (CACL) who will assess your application.
Submit your application at least 6 weeks before the deadline and take advantage of the pre-screening service CACL offers. This will allow you to make any necessary changes to your application before the deadline.
Make sure to inform your sponsors before completing the application form. AIIC members take sponsorship very seriously and will want to get to know you first. All sponsors will be asked to confirm their willingness to act as your sponsor before your application is assessed so it's worth putting in the initial groundwork to avoid disappointment!
Waivers
We understand that in some cases, with so many language combinations and different market environments, it may be difficult even for experienced conference interpreters to meet the basic entry requirements to join the Association.
If you are in this situation, you should send a letter with your online application form to request a waiver. Waivers ensure that applicants aren’t denied membership on a technicality, but are not an open door to joining AIIC without sponsorship – every AIIC member has been sponsored to join the Association by their peers.
Before completing the application form, find out if you need to apply for a waiver. There are 5 types:
- Language Waiver: You can’t find sponsors with the relevant languages and have to find alternatives.
- Seniority Waiver: The only sponsors that meet your requirements haven’t been AIIC members for more than 5 years.
- Regional Waiver: You can’t find 2 sponsors in your region.
- Number of Days Worked Waiver: You have trouble reaching the required number of days worked for a particular language combination because it is rarely requested.
- Article 7 Waiver: You don’t work from all your languages into your active language (‘A’ language).
It's possible to request more than 1 type of waiver at a time, if your circumstances justify it.
Deadlines and Challenges
There are 2 application deadlines annually: May 31st and November 30th.
If your application is complete, we will contact your sponsors to confirm their support for your membership request. CACL then meets to review each application.
Following the meeting, CACL will send you feedback on your application and publish a list of all successful applicants (candidates).
Following the meeting, CACL will send you feedback on your application and publish a list of all successful applicants (candidates).
AIIC members have 60 days to review the list, and to challenge an application if they have good cause to do so (usually on the grounds of breach of professional standards or ethics).
If there are no challenges to your application, after 60 days, you will receive an email confirming you are now a member of AIIC and your name will be published in the AIIC directory.
Pre-screening
It’s important to get everything you need for your application before the deadline, because if your application is incomplete, you’ll have to wait until the next deadline to apply again.
To assist you, CACL offers to pre-screen all early applications. Submit your application at least 6 weeks before the official deadline and CACL will provide you with feedback and support on your application to join AIIC.
| Pre-screening deadline | Final application deadline |
| April 30th | May 31st |
| October 31st | November 30th |
BECOME AN ACTIVE MEMBER OF AIIC
Pre-candidates
Pre-candidacy is not a prerequisite for, or pathway to, full membership, but an alternative option for those who are new to the profession.
Conference interpreters who have sufficient experience and sponsors can apply directly to be active members of the Association. If you are not there yet, you can apply to join AIIC as a pre-candidate for up to 5 years while you gain experience and meet potential sponsors.
As a pre-candidate, you can play an active role in the Association. You can attend AIIC events and the Assembly (without voting rights). You can benefit from discounted training courses and the possibility to join the mentorship programme.
To become a pre-candidate, you first need 3 active members to confirm that you work as a professional conference interpreter, then complete the online application form (below) for pre-candidates before the deadline (May 31st and November 30th).
If you already have an AIIC profile, please login to your portal and then come back to this page to fill in the application.
If you already have an AIIC profile, please login to your portal and then come back to this page to fill in the application.
Resources
Get your zip file which compiles all the necessary documents for your application. Do you still have questions? Click on the image below to download our step-by-step guide to completing your AIIC application.
