AFinLA has close connections with AILA as well as with the AILA-Europe collaborative forum.
AILA
AILA (Association Internationale de Linguistique Appliquée or International Association of Applied Linguistics) was founded in 1964 in France. AILA is an umbrella organisation of national and regional associations of applied linguistics. AILA has over 8,000 members.
AILA organises a World Conference every three years, maintains research networks, and promotes the distribution of research data through various publication channels. AILA has two publications, both published by John Benjamins: AILA Review (journal) and the AILA Applied Linguistics Series (book series).
AILA is administrated by an elected executive board, and an international committee.
The executive board is composed of 11 members: a past president, a president, a secretary general, a vice president, a treasurer, a publications coordinator, a research networks coordinator and four members-at-large. The only Finnish representative for the current term is member-at-large Tarja Nikula from the University of Jyväskylä. The international committee is composed of representatives from the affiliate associations. The executive board and the international committee meet once a year.
AILA-Europe
The Network of European Applied Linguistics (AILA-Europe) was founded in 2006 in Bolzano, Italy, on the initiative of the then AILA Secretary General Karlfried Knapp. Its objective is to increase and strengthen cooperation and communication between representatives of European applied linguistics.
AILA-Europe includes applied linguistics associations in the following countries: Belgium, Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Italy, Austria, Greece, France, Sweden, Germany, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovenia, Finland, Switzerland, Russia and Estonia.
AILA-Europe organises the annual AILA Junior Researcher Meeting targeted at those working on their Master’s and PhD theses, as well as those who have graduated within the last three years, concurrently with a meeting for representatives of European AILA affiliates. In 2014, the AILA Junior Researcher Meeting was organised by AFinLA and held in Jyväskylä. The affiliate associations of AILA-Europe may also organise other common scientific events when possible.
AILA-Europe publishes the European Journal of Applied Linguistics, which focuses on European research topics and on research done by European applied linguists. The journal is multilingual.
AILA-Europe also seeks to identify common research interests and projects, and to be an active agent in matters concerning Europe and language policy issues in the EU. AILA-Europe has, for example, taken a position on the status of language departments in institutions of higher education and on the status of language training in various European countries.