Are there any initiatives in Europe bringing together community, court and conference interpreters?

InterpretAmerica is indeed a major annual event bringing together various branches of interpreting as well as supply agencies and sponsors.There is no such event in Europe that I'm aware of, but that doesn't mean that there is no useful cooperation between the different branches of practicing interpreters. As Manuel points out, there are organic links between AIIC as a representative of conference interpreters and EULITA representing legal interpreters and translators and EFSLI representing sign language interpreters. AIIC also works with training institutions through university networks such as CIUTI or the Memorandum of Understanding network which trains especially for the UN. Critical Link, which brings together community (public service)interpreters is another major event held not only but also in Europe. Most of these and other networks invite each other to events so that it is very possible to exchange useful information, and lend support at critical times such as in the recent chaos in court interpreting in the UK. AIIC, FIT and RedT are working together in the field of interpreting in conflict areas.

Events like InterpretAmerica are expensive to organise and in Europe we are possibly more shy of sponsorship which may tie hands. But who knows, perhaps a joint venture might emerge if it were considered to be useful ...

This year the BDÜ (more or less the German ata equivalent) has been hosting the second "Interpreting the future conference" here in Berlin, it's a three days event - inter alia - dealing with conference interpretation. There is interpretation into English and French. Here's what the website says:

Encouraged by the success of the first "Interpreting the Future" conference which took place in Berlin in September 2009 with around 1,600 people from over 40 countries attending, Germany's Federal Association of Interpreters and Translators (BDÜ).

This time it was 1350 participants from 33 countries - I don't know whether the slight decline is indicative of diminished interest / the novelty wearing off or disappointment in the first event. Still, hopefully there will be another conference in 2015.

Here's an excerpt from this year's programme overview:

Interpreters and translators as experts - interdisciplinary cross-cutting topics • Translating technical documentation • Translating in the IT sector, software localisation • Translating and interpreting in the medical and pharmaceutical field • Translating and interpreting in the legal field • Translating and interpreting in the fields of business and finance • Translating and interpreting in science and research • Translating and interpreting in politics • Translating and interpreting in the cultural and media sector • Translating and interpreting in the fields of advertising, marketing and PR • Public service interpreting • Translating patents • Literary translation / Translation of non-fictional and reference works

InterpretAmerica is indeed one way of achieving said goal, in Europe we seem to prefer others, such as general language mediation T/I (translation/interpretation) fora, usually devoted to specific language combinations but irrespective of modes,individual cross-membership but mainly associations having some kind of status with each other: eg aiic is an associate member of EULITA www.eulita.eu and EFSLI http://www.efsli.org/, which in turn have close contacts with the former's Legal&Court Interpreting Committee and SLN-Sign Language Network. The MICE industry used to have a summit instance called JIC-joint industry council, where the international associations of PCO-professional conference organisers, congress towns and venues sat together with aiic, but sadly not anymore.

InterpretAmerica is indeed a major annual event bringing together various branches of interpreting as well as supply agencies and sponsors.There is no such event in Europe that I'm aware of, but that doesn't mean that there is no useful cooperation between the different branches of practicing interpreters. As Manuel points out, there are organic links between AIIC as a representative of conference interpreters and EULITA representing legal interpreters and translators and EFSLI representing sign language interpreters. AIIC also works with training institutions through university networks such as CIUTI or the Memorandum of Understanding network which trains especially for the UN. Critical Link, which brings together community (public service)interpreters is another major event held not only but also in Europe. Most of these and other networks invite each other to events so that it is very possible to exchange useful information, and lend support at critical times such as in the recent chaos in court interpreting in the UK. AIIC, FIT and RedT are working together in the field of interpreting in conflict areas.

Events like InterpretAmerica are expensive to organise and in Europe we are possibly more shy of sponsorship which may tie hands. But who knows, perhaps a joint venture might emerge if it were considered to be useful ...