About The International Center

The International Center was originally formed to provide interpreters and translators for the NATO Conference of Mayors held in Indianapolis in 1973. Interested citizens recognized the need to extend its role on an ongoing basis, supporting international visitors, instilling appreciation of the state’s multicultural populations and enhancing awareness of international issues.

In the four decades since its inception, The Center has witnessed and contributed to the state’s unprecedented growth through the influx of newcomers from around the world. Indiana citizens speak 129 languages other than English in their homes. The foreign-born population has increased almost 100 percent since 1990. Indiana schools, hospitals, public safety departments, businesses and neighborhoods need access to cultural resources, information and referral services, and training to address the multicultural mix of population that is our present and future.


For the past 40 years, The International Center has served as a catalyst for Indiana’s international growth. Working in collaboration with businesses, organizations, government agencies, educational institutions and individual citizens, The Center expands Indiana’s global interest in a variety of ways:

• We prepare people and organizations to welcome international dignitaries and visitors, and to foster strong relationships abroad.We help assimilate professionals and their families who relocate to Indiana from around the world.

• Our multinational staff provides global competency training and protocol services to businesses and organizations seeking to bridge countries and cultures, and expand relationships with international colleagues and counterparts.

• And, at the heart of our mission, we strive to make Indiana a welcoming place for international newcomers – through education, understanding and open dialogue.

The International Center is Indiana’s window to the world – looking out and looking in.