{"id":768,"date":"2026-03-11T02:49:46","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T02:49:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LD\/?p=768"},"modified":"2026-03-11T18:57:38","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T18:57:38","slug":"honing-our-craft-inside-a-literary-translation-peer-review-group","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LD\/2026\/03\/11\/honing-our-craft-inside-a-literary-translation-peer-review-group\/","title":{"rendered":"Honing Our Craft: Inside a Literary Translation Peer-Review Group"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Laurie Bennett<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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At the ATA conference last October, I presented on one of the best parts of my work as a book translator: my twice-monthly meetings with a peer-review group called the Quicksilver Collective. Since 2022, this little crew of literary translators has kept me sane and provided invaluable professional opportunities. I\u2019d like to tell you a bit about the experience because I think all translators would benefit from participating in a peer-review group at some point in their career.

What exactly is a peer-review group?<\/strong>

A peer-review group, or a rev club, is a small, collaborative group in which members regularly meet to exchange feedback on each other\u2019s translations.

Why should you join a peer-review group?<\/strong>

Translators tend to work alone, often from home. It\u2019s quiet\u2014in fact, many of us intentionally sought out this solitude. But the model has its limitations. Over time, I\u2019ve found I receive little feedback on my work, have few organic opportunities for mentorship, and rarely interact\u2014let alone collaborate\u2014with colleagues. Regularly meeting with a peer-review group can help you grow as a literary translator, whether you\u2019re emerging or established. 
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So, who is the Quicksilver Collective?<\/strong>

The Quicksilver Collective is a group of eight literary translators all working into English from French, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, and Italian. Most of us met through the ALTA Multilingual Workshops, and a few other colleagues joined along the way. Members live in the US, Canada, and the UK. Together, we\u2019ve worked on flash fiction, memoirs, speculative fiction, horror, graphic novels, and essays, to name a few.

We meet twice a month over Zoom, for about an hour, where the group focuses on one member\u2019s excerpt. Pieces, typically under 1,000 words, are most often the opening pages of a book. We spend the first 15 minutes or so catching up and celebrating each other\u2019s good news! (With 8 members, there\u2019s usually someone signing a new contract, getting published, or submitting work.) Next, we start to discuss the piece from a distance and ask: Why this text? What was tricky about it? What kind of feedback does the translator want? This ensures we don\u2019t spend practically the entire meeting on a single thorny sentence\u2014it has been done!\u2014when the real issue is voice or pacing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What we\u2019ve found works <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our diverse backgrounds:<\/strong> Our group includes full-time, established literary translators, commercial translators,  translation editors, professors in translation, language, and literature, and emerging literary translators, each with their own area of expertise, such as the Victorian era, Malagasy culture, and even farming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Streamlined logistics:<\/strong> At the start of every semester, we agree on a standing meeting time, so there\u2019s no back-and-forth needed to schedule every session. Attendance is not mandatory, and members can show up even if they haven\u2019t had time to read the piece in advance. In a shared spreadsheet containing the meeting link and upcoming dates, members can sign up for a slot to share their work. This spreadsheet has significantly reduced the number of logistical emails sent out. We also created an Outlook email group to make communication easier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trust and relationships first<\/strong>: Sharing your work with colleagues can be intimidating! The same goes for providing feedback. We are always kind and aim to be gentle and playful in our suggestions to create a safe space. Our meetings are informal, and they\u2019ve become more familiar with time. Members show up however they can\u2014with their lunch, with a knitting project, in a cozy bathrobe\u2026whatever works! We have our cameras on but skip screen sharing, which I think makes the whole thing feel more like a casual conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How the collective has helped me<\/strong>

We have all improved our craft as literary translators through this group. During our sessions, members sharing the first pages of a book have often gotten a better sense of their voice, and we\u2019ve tackled a few tricky translation puzzles\u2014one of my favorites was figuring out how to translate a narrator with a speech impediment and an idiosyncratic use of language resulting from trauma! Each conversation shows us new perspectives and allows us to better understand our own processes. Now, we think about each other while we work. When pondering a sentence, I ask myself: Would that one colleague say I\u2019ve flattened the text? Would the other find the dialogue too stiff?  So often, our conversations have also left us divided on how to translate a given phrase, thus normalizing the sense of self-doubt that all translators inevitably feel at some point when making a tough call.

The group\u2019s feedback has also gone beyond literary excerpts. Occasionally, we\u2019ve helped each other polish grant applications, pitches, and ATA conference presentations.

What I hadn\u2019t expected, back in 2022, was that we would become friends. Many of us have now met in person when passing through each other\u2019s cities. In 2024, some of us attended the London Book Fair together and shared a house\u2014it was invaluable to have a safe \u201chome base\u201d during such an overwhelming industry event.

Of course, in an industry that runs on referrals and networking, this group has provided countless opportunities. We regularly share potential resources with the group (grant and residency announcements, competitions, calls for submissions) and occasionally have put colleagues in touch with new clients.\u200b
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Thinking of starting your own group?<\/strong>

Starting a group is easier than you might think. A few things we\u2019ve found useful:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  • Group size: I think 5-8 people is the sweet spot. Small enough that you can find a meeting time that works for everyone, but big enough to generate an interesting discussion even when a few people can\u2019t make it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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    • Frequency: we like meeting twice a month best because it keeps the group connected and maintains momentum.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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      • Setting intentions as a group: make sure to periodically have meetings about what group members want. This will help address issues as they arise and prevent conflict.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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        • Nurture relationships and create a safe space: lead with kindness, assume good intentions, and make it easy for people to show up as they are. Of course, not every combination of personalities will work\u2014it\u2019s okay if the first group you form isn\u2019t a hit!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

          If any of this resonates with you, I\u2019d encourage you to find your people. The right crew can become an invaluable asset and source of joy in your work. Feel free to reach out if you\u2019d like to talk about starting your own peer-review group.

          Bio:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Laurie Bennett is a Canadian certified French-to-English freelance translator with a background in agricultural engineering. She has translated books about regenerative farming and gardening, rock climbing, and true crime for repeat clients with whom she has built lasting relationships. She strives to share tools and experience with colleagues, so that\u2014together\u2014they can build sustainable and fulfilling freelance businesses.

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          By Laurie Bennett At the ATA conference last October, I presented on one of the best parts of my work as a book translator: my twice-monthly meetings with a peer-review group called the Quicksilver Collective. Since 2022, this little crew of literary translators has kept me sane and provided invaluable professional opportunities. I\u2019d like to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-768","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-literary-translation","category-writers"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/768","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=768"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/768\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":782,"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/768\/revisions\/782"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=768"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=768"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=768"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}