Abstract: An apparatus for facilitating instant messaging communications between clients of different instant messaging service provider networks is provided. The apparatus includes translation logic for translating received communications related to an instant messaging service, the received communications associated with an external instant messaging service provider network and formatted according to a secondary protocol. The translation logic translates the received communication from the secondary protocol to a primary protocol, the primary protocol native to a receiving service provider network. The communication may then be routed to a client of the primary network according to the native, primary protocol.