October was an exciting month for us at Interlex. We celebrated our 27th year of operation with a trip to Dubrovnik, Croatia, where we worked remotely for 10 days.
Over the years, we have worked remotely from India, Malta, Mexico, Portugal, and Vietnam – either with the whole team or individually.
For a translation agency, working from home is standard practice. It is one of the perks of the job and an essential part of collaborating with hundreds of freelance translators and editors.
That said, our core team values coming together and mostly prefers working from the office. Even outside of work, we enjoy spending time together.
This time, we spent 10 days in Dubrovnik. We chose the destination based on the availability of direct flights from Estonia and a time zone that worked seamlessly with our nine-to-five customer service time. In total, 17 team members—nearly the entire core team—joined the trip, including translators, editors, project managers, and the management team. A couple of colleagues stayed back in our Tallinn and Tartu offices to handle on-site customer service and monitor technical systems.
Workdays in Dubrovnik were rather similar to those back home. Translators worked on their assignments, and project managers kept customer projects on track. The biggest differences? Midday swims during lunch breaks and the fact that after work, we were all already at ‘home’.
A significant highlight was the chance for team members from our Tallinn and Tartu offices to work and spend time together in person. Evenings and weekends were filled with laughter, shared meals, and memorable activities.
While our day-to-day work and customer services continued uninterrupted, being together in Dubrovnik allowed us to brainstorm and strategize in person. With the Tallinn and Tartu teams under one roof, we reviewed our services and outlined the key areas we want to focus on in the coming year.
More customers are now open to AI-assisted solutions, and ‘machine translation’ is no longer a scary term. We are confidently offering affordable AI-translation editing services, where a linguist improves AI-generated translations. It is a great choice for large projects with a limited budget or quick turnaround time.
Over the past year, we have expanded our interpretation services to include full technical setups. Whether it is on-site or online interpretation, we can handle the logistics and provide the necessary technical solutions.
We have been working hard on creating a platform for the Estonian state for managing their translation services. In 2024, we will continue enhancing this platform.
Helena, HR Manager:
‘This trip was a great chance to connect with those colleagues I don’t see daily, get to know them better, and have conversations about topics not related to work. It also gave us the chance to plan our free time and activities together. Sharing a room—or even a bed—might sound challenging at first, but it turned into a fun experience. Working in a different environment gave us a fresh perspective. The usual office stretching breaks became sunbathing sessions or pool dips. Our team is so close-knit and flexible that it’s always great to be together. That was clear after our Malta trip a few years ago, and so everyone could not wait for this one.’
Rasmus, Translator:
‘For someone used to working from home, it was a nice change to see colleagues in person—and in an even better setting than the office. During work hours, I don’t really need direct interaction—I prefer working by myself 😄. But after work, it was great to socialise. There was no feeling of wanting to rush home because we were already in our temporary home.’
Nele, Head of Development:
‘It was great living with colleagues. Honestly, it didn’t feel that different from being in the office—it was just as fun, as always!’
Siret, Translator:
‘The best part of remote work abroad was the chance to reset. Traveling makes you appreciate things you might take for granted in everyday life. Plus, spending quality time with colleagues was a bonus, since we don’t often get that during the very busy workdays. My highlights were diving into the Blue Cave (a real personal challenge!) and playing Jackbox games that had us laughing all night long. And, of course, the sunshine—it was a welcome boost of vitamin D and energy to tackle future projects.’
Hille, Translator:
‘Remote working together with the team helps me stay disciplined. It’s also comforting to see that others face the same challenges as I do—it’s easier to handle it together than alone. Seeing the Tartu team in person was great too, so they’re not just names and faces on a screen.’
Inge, CEO:
‘What stood out to me the most was realising how strong and capable our team has become. They no longer need me to constantly supervise or be present.’
This trip left us energised and inspired, ready to tackle the colder months and take on even more translation projects.
